Spoiler Warning!
Minecraft has been one of my favorite video games ever since I first picked it up, simply as a way to spend more time with my little brother. Who knew that many years, Minecraft worlds, and a brief obsession with MCYTs later I would be here watching A Minecraft Movie. Of course, I had to go opening night to see this movie and I have a lot to say about it so let’s just jump right in.
Firstly, I just have to say that while I don’t think that this movie was necessary and that it could just be a complete and total cash grab, I love a fun, unserious movie. It’s insane how some people out there (cough film bros cough) think that every single film ever made needs to be a cinematic masterpiece. This movie, while lacking in a lot of areas, was simply just a fun, carefree, relaxing watch. I don’t think this movie was made with any intentions of winning Academy Awards or breaking any records (even though it already has), so while making this review, I heavily kept that in mind.
One of my favorite elements of this movie was, genuinely, the unseriousness of it. This is not a movie that is meant to be taken seriously in any manner and that is a huge factor into my enjoyment of it. The random shouting of Minecraft items, Jack Black randomly breaking into song, Jennifer Coolidge’s character going on a date with a villager, even the whole conflict is born out of pure comedy, which I thought was fantastic. My siblings and I could not stop laughing the entire time — that’s how funny this movie is.
Of course, I do think that you’d have to be at least somewhat knowledgeable in Minecraft to understand a lot of the jokes that the movie makes, but even if you aren’t, you’ll still be laughing your butt off. Of course, I loved the cameos of very famous Minecraft Youtubers, DanTDM, Aphmau, Mumbo Jumbo, and LDShadowlady. There is also a very touching tribute to the late Minecraft Youtuber Technoblade, who passed away in 2022 due to cancer at only 23-years-old. This tribute brought me to tears, but it also did tell me that this movie was made with care and dedication to the Minecraft community.
Another part of this movie that I really enjoyed was the uniqueness of the plot. Before watching, I had no idea what the plot of the movie would be. I mean, how do you even create a conflict with a sandbox game? My best guess was that this movie would be similar to another Jack Black film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, where the characters have to defeat the game to escape it. In Minecraft, that would mean defeating the Ender Dragon. While that would’ve also been pretty cool to see, I’m kinda glad that the movie didn’t take that path. Instead, the conflict is a threat to the Overworld, the main dimension in Minecraft at the hands of the evil Hoglin Witch, Malgosha. I thought that this was a very cool and different plot I don’t think anyone really saw coming.
Of course, I did have some iffy feelings about the film at some points. My biggest grievance was that the movie starts with Steve entering the Nether, the hell-like dimension of the game, for the first time. Yet, later in the movie, Steve gives Garett and Henry Elytras, which one can only get in Minecraft by going to The End and finding one in an End City. Minecraft gamers will know that you cannot get to The End without first going to the Nether and getting blaze rods to make eyes of ender that will lead you to the stronghold which has the portal to The End. It sounds really nitpicky, but I did want this movie to stay as true as possible to the actual game and this really irked me. There are smaller things like how the beds and doors were four blocks instead of their original three too. Overall, I did like how much Minecraft lore is included, like the brief cameo of Herobrine, an urban legend and creepypasta from the video game who is known to haunt the game.
Overall, I think this movie did exactly what people should expect from it. Complete, unserious comedy about a game that players can quite literally create anything they want in. And I know that I’m not alone in singing praises for the film, looking at its incredibly impressive $163 million domestically and $313 million globally at the box office for opening weekend. The movie has earned the title of having the all-time-high three day domestic opening weekend for a PG rated film. If you’re looking for a good laugh or if you grew up playing Minecraft, I highly recommend that you go see A Minecraft Movie.