“A Minecraft Movie” delivers exactly what viewers expect – a barely-held-together plot, CGI that occasionally hurts to look at and three random Jack Black songs, and I loved every second of it.
The film is based on the popular video game Minecraft, which encourages players to explore their creativity across infinite worlds. The movie’s plot leans heavily into this element, as well as tying in other recognizable game features such as Ender Pearls and Creepers. Any fan of the game will be excited to see these iconic staples on screen.
The film opens with a chaotic recap of Jack Black as Steve and his accidental discovery of the Minecraft world. Adventures quickly ensued, including taming a wolf and visiting the Nether. Though I was being force-fed exposition at an insane pace, I could not help but enjoy the campiness of it all. This remained true for the rest of the film.
Black’s onscreen interactions with Jason Momoa as Garett “The Garbage Man” Garrison were especially notable. The pair worked perfectly together for comedic purposes, and most of my laughs were from Momoa’s deadpan line deliveries or the banter between the two.
Throughout my showing of the movie, the theatre was alight with laughter and cheers. One especially loud moment came when Black repeated his often-quoted “chicken jockey” line, which went viral online after its inclusion in a trailer. My theatre’s palpable excitement is a testament of how popular the game is to all ages, from young children to college students.
Senior Brendan McNeil was one of these excited moviegoers. He said the theatre’s reaction to the movie was only one part of what made the experience special.
“I wasn’t watching it for me, I was watching it for the 10 year old who’d run home, turn on his computer and play for hours,” McNeil said. “For many, I think it was just fun to give the inner child the reins for an hour and a half.”
Though the movie was not exactly Oscar worthy, junior Hunter Nastasi believes this is what makes it so memorable.
“I was expecting a dysfunctional movie that I’d love because of how dumb it is, and that’s exactly what I got,” Nastasi said. “It’s like an experience rather than a movie.”
Another part of what made “A Minecraft Movie” special was its cameos. Many longtime Minecraft YouTubers were featured, such as DanTDM and LDShadowLady. McNeil believes their inclusion was essential, as the content posted by these creators was the reason for Minecraft’s rise to popularity.
“There is no way a movie would ever have been made had these content creators not picked up and ran with it,” he said. “I was super appreciative of that.”
One especially meaningful cameo shows a pig wearing a crown, a tribute to the popular YouTuber Technoblade’s in-game skin. Technoblade, who passed away in 2022 from metastatic sarcoma, left a lasting legacy in the Minecraft community. Black’s character stated that the pig was “a legend,” making the cameo especially impactful for longtime fans.
My theatre gave the film a standing ovation once the credits rolled. Someone near me even threw popcorn in the air in celebration. The sheer phenomenon of this movie and its fans can only be likened to recent Marvel flicks, like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
“A Minecraft Movie” is by no means a good film. It is chaotic and clunky, yet at the same time very charming. I–and the rest of the Internet–thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe it is a must-see right now for the experience alone, and it has high potential to become a cult classic in the coming years.
