What’s It About
A mysterious portal pulls four misfits into the Overworld, a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master the terrain while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected crafter named Steve.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
After waiting nearly 15 years, fans of Minecraft’s popular open-world game finally got their big-screen adaptation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to the game’s creative legacy. Recently, video game movies have improved with hits like Sonic, The Last of Us, and Super Mario Bros. But Minecraft’s movie joins the list of disappointing adaptations despite the game’s massive popularity. The film starts with Jack Black narrating as Steve, giving us a basic backstory about his childhood obsession with mining and how he discovers a magic cube that transports him to the blocky Minecraft world. Years later, a washed-up gaming champion (Jason Momoa), a struggling real estate agent (Danielle Brooks), and two siblings (Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers) find another cube and get pulled into this world too. Throughout the movie, Jack Black and Jason Momoa try their hardest to bring life to scenes clearly filmed against green screens. Director Jared Hess (known for “Napoleon Dynamite”) seems out of his element here. The film works best during rare moments with practical effects, but mostly, we’re watching actors reacting to digital environments that change dramatically between shots. The visual style is jarring. It feels like watching amateur Tic Tokers pointing at invisible maps rather than characters in a cohesive world. Unlike Sonic, which successfully brought animated characters into our world, putting real actors into Minecraft’s blocky environment just doesn’t work. The movie would have been better as a fully animated feature. The plot is simple – find a magical object to open a portal home while fighting evil pig creatures led by Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House). But the execution is messy. The movie tries to balance adventure with meta-humor, similar to the recent Jumanji films (also starring Jack Black) but without the sharp characters or clear stakes. Jack Black’s performance as Steve becomes irritating quickly, coming across as desperate rather than entertaining. Jason Momoa at least seems to be having fun playing against his usual action hero type. Danielle Brooks, as Dawn, is the only consistently funny character who doesn’t overdo her role. The editing makes things worse, with awkward cuts and voiceovers explaining things we don’t need to be explained. Characters often talk to each other from off-screen rather than appearing in the same shot, making conversations feel disconnected. There’s too much telling and not enough showing. The movie prioritizes Easter eggs and references for hardcore fans over telling a good story. While Minecraft players might get excited pointing out familiar elements, everyone else will likely be left cold. The film stuffs in as many game references as possible without considering how they serve the narrative. The few inspired moments include creating imaginative weapons such as tater tot guns and bucket nunchucks – moments that embody the game’s spirit of play and creativity. Unfortunately, those bright spots are buried under obnoxious performances and lazy writing. It is clear that Ryan W. (the director) focused on the few details of the game aesthetic, however, the movie suffers from poor visuals. The action scenes, including the explosions, have no weight or adrenaline rush, and this is further worsened by visuals that feel “bright” or washed out. And it’s so obvious that everything was filmed on a green screen, where we lose the awe and suspension of disbelief. One moderately entertaining moment includes a minecart chase, but even the build-up to that moment isn’t as much fun as it should be. The fusion of live-action performers and the digital realm never reaches for the “Wizard of Oz” effect it aims for, and ultimately, feels much more like a brand extension than a movie. The film prefers serviceable content to exploit and engage audiences, rather than create the new content that made the game ideas so popular. Thus, for a game all about building and creating, the film has irony in lacking any structure, much less originality. Minecraft deserved better than this blocky disappointment. If this represents the future of video game movies, maybe it’s time to press restart.
OUR RATING – A BLOCKY 4