Magical nonsense. Review of the film A Minecraft Movie
The first teaser and footage from the film adaptation of the game Minecraft caused heated discussions. The slightly unconventional style, the plot about the "castaways" and Jack Black as Steve looked strange, even wild. It was also not clear how exactly A Minecraft Movie would try to combine the huge number of canons of the original source and an accessible plot for a new audience. That is, too many questions immediately arose before the film, plans for which appeared back in 2014.
In April 2025, A Minecraft Movie finally hit theaters. And it delivers exactly what it showed in the trailers: a bright and crazy story without any unnecessary complex meanings. But the film's full awareness of its own irony makes it worth watching, even if it fails in its attempts to reveal some unconventional morals.
| Name | A Minecraft Movie |
| Genre | comedy, adventure, fantasy, action |
| Director | Jared Hess |
| Cast | Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, Jennifer Coolidge, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen and others |
| Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mojang Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, On the Roam |
| Timing | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| Year | 2025 |
| Link | IMDb |
Steve (Jack Black) has always dreamed of going to the mines, but as a child he was not allowed to go there. When he grew up and found a boring job in an office, he remembered his passion. As fate would have it, the mine that Steve always dreamed of going to contains a portal to another world called the Overworld, which operates according to the rules of Minecraft. The hero liked the new dimension so much that he decided to stay. However, it was not without problems and enemies. So Steve will have to team up with new "cronies": schoolboy Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) and his older sister Natalie (Emma Myers), who have recently moved to a new city due to the death of their mother, the best gamer of 1989 Garrett "Garbageman" Harrison (Jason Momoa), who seems to have never grown up since the moment of his gaming triumph, and realtor Dawn (Danielle Brooks), who also owns a zoo on wheels due to her love of animals and difficult financial circumstances. Together they will need to overcome the villains, find common ground and restore harmony and a thirst for creativity in their own souls.
Let's clarify something right away so that there are no unnecessary questions. The heroes of the film did not literally fall into the Minecraft game. It seems that in the A Minecraft Movie universe, it does not exist at all. Instead, the characters fell into a universe that is very similar to Minecraft, but in terms of plot it generally draws inspiration from Minecraft Legends. At the same time, the authors allowed themselves liberties, so do not be surprised by some recipes for crafting or deviations from the canon in biomes and mob behavior. I am sure that some of the loyal fans may be upset and even angry by such differences. However, one should not think that fan feelings have been completely forgotten.
The film features cameos from some famous Western YouTubers who specialize in Minecraft. There was even a place for a tribute to the blogger Technoblade, who died of cancer. It is interesting that the authors did not forget about the relatively unpopular spin-off Minecraft Legends. So the film cannot be called a banal attempt to cash in on the franchise. It becomes clear almost immediately that the film crew treated the original source with great respect and knowledge of the material.
And it is noticeable from the actors that they got great pleasure from the filming process. Because the characters in the movie and the situations they get into are more reminiscent of unobtrusive fun with friends in Minecraft than a serious and pathos adventure. There is no feeling of threat from the villains while watching, because even the enemies in A Minecraft Movie are more elements of general comedy than a danger that should be taken into account.
This brings us to both the film's main advantage and its main ambiguities. There's almost nothing serious about it, and most of the time it's completely absurd. However, the overall context, delivery, and tone give the frivolity a special charm. A Minecraft Movie is a light-hearted movie for the whole family, and even adults will find it just as interesting to watch as children.
This is facilitated by some jokes, thoughts that the authors of the film put in, and situational comedy. The storyline of Jennifer Coolidge generally evokes memories of American Pie - and you definitely don't expect this from a supposedly "children's" story. However, at times you can see how the authors tried to "play" with the deconstruction of the genre and story templates, as Barbie did in 2023. The script will try to convince you of the importance of believing in creativity and its magical power, and will also remind you of the need to accept reality and successfully combine it with dreams and fantasy. But such moments seem insincere and artificial, and in addition, they are rudely wedged into the scenes and rather destroy the overall light mood of the story.
Additionally, A Minecraft Movie is pleasant to watch thanks to the visual part. The graphics are aesthetically pleasing, because the relative simplicity in it is combined with artistry and picturesqueness. After such stylization, you want to get a similar set of shaders for the video game Minecraft. And in 3D glasses, everything looks amazing. A Minecraft Movie is one of the most beautiful films in 3D for the entire existence of this viewing technology.
As a result, A Minecraft Movie combined a lot of elements. It is both a faithful adaptation and an artistic fantasy, a film for children and adults, a light adventure and in places a rather obscene comedy. Also, Jack Black's singing is both bad and good at the same time. Of course, in such a complex structure, which had to be placed in 100 minutes of running time, the quality of some elements had to be sacrificed. In the case of A Minecraft Movie, these were the "serious" moments that ended up in the final editing as if solely for the sake of a checkmark.
However, the overall impression remains positive. It is doubly surprising that the Minecraft movie turned out to be worth watching. It is as if some kind of global anomaly occurred, during which all the chaotic elements came together into a single harmonious picture. However, the audience only benefits from this.