The most laudable thing about director Jared Hess’ feature adaptation of Minecraft is the “A” of the title. In contrast with, say, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the 2023 smash hit that made well over a billion dollars at the box office and likewise starred Jack Black, the use of the indefinite article in A Minecraft Movie adds some intrigue and even a dash of humility, suggesting that this might not be the definitive cinematic interpretation of one of gaming’s most iconic worlds, but merely one particular take, as unique as it may be flawed. The actual film, however, largely flies against the implication of authorship that one might glean from the name, as ludicrously generic protagonists take on the fish-out-of-water journey of being transported into a game, a long-running trope whose most recent iteration likely reignited with 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (which also inexplicably starred Jack Black). Hess’ film contains some entertaining moments, occasional jolts of energy that break up the perfunctory one-liners and endless blur of lifeless explosions, but not enough to prevent the final experience from becoming utterly forgettable.
While it’s no surprise to anyone that the best-selling video game of all time would eventually make it to the big screen, the fact that it ultimately took over a decade and purportedly involved 28 writers is a reflection of the particular difficulty in translating Minecraft’s sensibilities to cinema. In recent years, the most successful adaptations of the gaming medium have broadly looked for inspiration in two camps: thematically rich, plot-heavy narratives like Fallout or Uncharted, games whose storytelling techniques borrow extensively from the language of cinema; or the likes of the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the aforementioned Super Mario Bros., franchises with a vast pantheon of recognizable characters, beloved archetypes whose broad outlines allow them to effortlessly slide into any setting.
Minecraft is neither of these things. While its chunky, pixelated aesthetic is instantly recognizable, and images of the lanky Endermen or the mumbling villager have entered the consciousness of many children and adults alike, the core of the Minecraft experience is rooted firmly in its gameplay: the joy in building a thriving garden and farm where once there merely stood a small wooden hut; the terror of bumping head first into an exploding Creeper after barely outrunning a wave of arrows from Skeleton archers; the awe upon discovering a land of snow-capped mountains that fit harmoniously alongside a luscious rainforest. Meanwhile, the best that the film can offer is having Black’s player avatar, Steve, with all the man-child gusto the performer can muster, shout: “First we mine, then we craft, let’s Minecraft!” The colorful landscapes of the film’s 3D world play second fiddle to one-liners and bemused closeups, while the crafting done by our heroes never amounts to anything more interesting or visually inventive than a spud cannon resembling a musket.
Of course, the other element central to Minecraft’s appeal is its multiplayer element, as players from all backgrounds forged friendships, whether through the shared camaraderie of surviving till the next sunrise, the pride in jointly constructing marvelous structures and contraptions, or the teeth-gritting frustration of having everything they own blown up by an inconspicuously placed block of TNT. And this is to say nothing of the millions who rarely play themselves, but derive enjoyment from the antics of their favorite Minecraft YouTuber or Twitch streamer.
On paper, this seemed like it would justify the movie’s scattershot approach toward its characters, assembling a ragtag bunch of misfits who serve as an artistic representation of the game’s diverse player base. Unfortunately, unlike the impressively realized environments courtesy of Wētā FX, the cast is painfully two-dimensional. Black’s enthusiasm is occasionally palpable, but ultimately, one can only appreciate Steve so much when his inner monologue goes no further than “as a child, I yearned for the mines.” Jason Momoa, meanwhile, delivers a halfhearted performance as a washed-up arcade game superstar whose perfunctory machismo conceals a deep shame and insecurity. Momoa leans into an archetype he’s been embodying for the better part of a decade, from the Aquaman films to Fast X, and it’s as uninteresting here as it’s ever been. This central duo is joined by Sebastian Hansen as a precocious middle schooler, who is bullied by his peers at a new school even as he invents functioning jetpacks, a bizarre concept to include in a film targeted at audience members of that same demographic, who presumably love building new things. Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks, meanwhile, respectively play his doting sister and a struggling real estate agent/mobile petting zoo owner who ends up as a guardian for the kids, and their general charm is wasted on one sequence after another where they float through what are meant to be tense encounters with a pantomime weightlessness.
A lot of older players who grew up with Minecraft remain nostalgic about the game, and it’s not hard to see why: it’s easy to grasp but difficult to master, and game composer C418’s sparse, ambient instrumentals imbue would-be humdrum activities with a wistfulness that can be genuinely affecting. A Minecraft Movie could have been contemplative, zany, both, or some other mixture of altogether more surprising elements, but the version viewers have been given is plainly boring. For those craving a family-friendly romp that balances spectacle with heart, and celebrates imagination and creativity within the confines of franchise filmmaking, maybe just rewatch The Lego Movie instead.
DIRECTOR: Jared Hess; CAST: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen; DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. Pictures; IN THEATERS: April 4; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 41 min.
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