When the live action Minecraft movie was announced, many questions arose as to what the storyline would be, how animated elements would blend with live action, et cetera. And, quite simply, the film answered these questions in an engaging way, both for diehard fans and anyone looking for solid entertainment. “A Minecraft Movie” may have been a mixed bag in which its comedic elements overpowered any attempt at creating an engaging story, but when it holds a mirror up to its ridiculousness, the film is whimsically fun.
Minecraft, as many know, is a popular open world video game in which a player can build structures, combat enemy creatures, mine for ore and, if they wish, complete the story of collecting items to eventually conquer the Ender dragon in the End terrain. It is difficult to pack all of that into a one-hour, 41-minute film, so Director Jared Hess took a different approach. Instead of following the game’s story, he and his team took the creative liberty of creating a new tale. They divert so far from the original plot that the Enderdragon and its realm are completely omitted.
In “A Minecraft Movie,” Steve — played by Jack Black — is a human who discovers a magical cube inside of a mine in Idaho. The artifact transports him to the animated “Overworld,” which is the Minecraft realm. He is rather content there, until he stumbles into the Nether and is imprisoned by a legion of Piglin creatures.
The beginning of the film is a montage of Black’s incredibly rushed backstory that takes about five minutes. After the opening sequence, Steve has to help a band of humans return home after they are accidentally transported to the Overworld through a portal. That band includes Jason Momoa as washed-up 1980s gamer Garrett Garrison, Danielle Brooks as a local realtor named Dawn and Emma Myers as a young woman named Natalie who takes care of her little brother Henry, played by Sebastian Hansen.
The band of characters kick the story’s exposition into high gear when Garrett buys an old storage unit, hoping to find an Atari gaming system. Instead, he discovers the cube. Suddenly, the cube begins pulling Garrett and Henry into the mine and yanks them — along with Natalie and Dawn — into a portal to the Overworld. Together with Steve, they have to defeat the Piglins and restore the magical cube in order to return home.
Out of the core group, Momoa as Garrett was a comic delight. His performance as a washed-up 1980s gamer was strong. Momoa was not always the engine of a joke, which made him more believable as a character and also made his comedic moments more impactful.
Unfortunately, across the film as a whole, comic delight becomes a somewhat fatal flaw — “A Minecraft Movie” prioritizes comedy over storytelling, and the vanilla plot line heightens that issue.
Even so, most flaws were masterfully masked. It is easy to forgive a few mistakes when the comedic elements were hilarious to both fans and casual viewers alike. Black, Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge as Vice Principal Marlene delivered their lines with impeccable timing. Also essential was infusing a dash of meta-satire — as the actors are well aware of the fact that the film is ridiculous, and they take that knowledge and turn it into quality jokes.
Of the core cast, Coolidge’s performance was the perfect representation of that meta-satire. She enthusiastically stole the show with her role as Marlene, her chemistry with her scene partner — a CGI Minecraft villager who escapes to the real world — was electric along with her one-liners that continuously landed throughout the film.
Coolidge’s highlights aside, other notable moments include a trio of ridiculous songs written and performed by Black. Each song was completely unnecessary in terms of plot development but still fit within the absurd comedy of the film. In particular, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” has gone viral on social media in part because of its goofy flair. This absurdity was played well and masked how a few subplots were underdeveloped and confusing through short runtime, such as Natalie’s age — a strange detail to omit, as a significant plot point is that she is Henry’s legal guardian.
On another front, many one-dimensional characters were paltry plot tools at best. That includes the primary antagonist, whose motivations are quite shaky — the Piglin leader’s reasoning for becoming a warlord is that she hates creativity after she was embarrassingly booted from a dance competition in her childhood. While the movie clearly leans into its silliness, even within that context, the villain’s motivation feels too flimsy to explain her becoming a warmonger.
In addition, Black’s performance had a few demerits. He was in a constant state of overbearingly intense energy physically and vocally, which made him difficult to follow as a primary storytelling vehicle. He was constantly cracking jokes as if Black was merely portraying himself, not a nuanced character with dimension.
Acting aside, Hess and company added a few meaningful details. They created a special easter egg tribute to Technoblade, a Minecraft content creator who passed away three years ago, in a village scene that featured Technoblade’s avatar of a pig with a crown. Hansen questioned if the pig was a king, and Black responded with “No, that’s a legend.”
All in all, “A Minecraft Movie” is a beautiful work of art — even with a few stains. It may not be the most well-written story, an acting masterclass or even a contender for some award, but it is worth watching for fans of the game, those who enjoy comedy and anyone looking for a casual movie experience that is hilarious for all ages.
Read More
The New Dominions 35th anniversary concert captivated audiences
By Isabelle Halliday | 6 hours agoThe New Dominions a capella group celebrated its 35th Anniversary concert Saturday evening and featured unique pieces sung by both alumni from varying years and current New Dominion members.
The Cowboy Junkies are bringing 40 years of music to the Jefferson Theater
By Amelia Lucien | 2 days agoExperts at stitching different genres together into a patchwork quilt of their own design, The Cowboy Junkies have combined blues, country folk, rock and jazz into a completely unique sound.
Hoo’s Watching: Superhero TV shows that actually work
By Alice Oakey | 2 days agoThere are still superhero stories capturing audiences outside the MCU despite this fatigue and market oversaturation.
