Movie adaptations of video games are often harshly criticized, as their fan bases are difficult to please. Video game fans are extremely dedicated to their game of choice, and often have strong opinions on the treatment of their favorite characters and settings when adapted for movie or TV. The Minecraft Movie, however, seems to be an exception.
Minecraft was released by Mojang Studios in 2011. It’s a sandbox game, meaning the player is given a unique degree of creativity when playing because the world is open and there’s not usually a predetermined plot or goal. Players can play in either creative or survival mode. In creative, the user can access all of the game’s building blocks and construct whatever their heart desires. In survival, the player has a health bar which they must maintain while fighting off mobs and collecting materials to craft weapons, building blocks, and other necessities.
I, for one, remember playing Minecraft: Pocket Edition on my iPod touch. I built an elaborate underground network of homes, and one even had an aquarium! The game has evolved greatly since then, with several expansion packs, new mobs and animals, evolved NPCs, and much more. And merely one sign of Minecraft’s popularity (besides the fact that it is one of the best-selling video games of all time) was the announcement of a movie adaptation.
A Minecraft Movie hit theaters in the United States on April 4th, 2025, and it quickly became a viral success. Certain scenes in the film became moments of active audience participation. Theater audiences latched on to particular lines, like “I am Steve,” “flint and steel,” and “now this is a crafting table,” but none matched the energy of “Chicken Jockey!” Although I don’t condone audiences throwing around their popcorn and leaving a mess for someone else to clean (or bringing a literal chicken to the theater), it is refreshing to see active audience participation in the theater after so long without it during the pandemic.
The active audience aside, I had a great experience seeing the movie! It’s certainly not an Oscar-winner, but awards aren’t the only measure of a great movie. I left the theater with a smile on my face, for several reasons. One, the younger children in the audience were so excited to see one of their favorite games on the big screen. Their excited giggles before a plot development (because let’s be real, they’ve all probably seen it more than once now) or a viral piece of dialogue made the movie that much more enjoyable. Also, the cast didn’t take themselves too seriously. There’s just as much value in a serious movie as there is in one simply made to make people laugh. Even the cringier moments were bearable (at least in my opinion) and reminded me of a time when I, too, didn’t take myself or what other people thought so seriously. And finally, the plot, although simple, was a great lesson in empathy, understanding, and adventure! Two siblings (Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen) coping with their mother’s death, a washed-up video game champion from the 80s (Jason Mamoa), and a quirky real estate agent (Danielle Brooks) find themselves face-to-face with Steve (Jack Black), Minecraft’s most famous player-character. They must work together to return to the real world and defeat those who seek to destroy the Overworld. Again, not Oscar-worthy, but a light-hearted, adventurous tale of triumph, teamwork, and self-confidence.
I saw A Minecraft Movie with my boyfriend, for whom Minecraft was a significant part of his childhood and adolescent years. Minecraft was also a way for us and our friends to stay connected during the pandemic. We couldn’t meet in physical spaces or have sleepovers, but we could all FaceTime and play in a shared world. It wasn’t the same, but it gave us a social space even in unprecedented times.
A Minecraft Movie is a reminder of the value of light entertainment. Our lives are hard enough, we face devastating losses, and difficult circumstances every day. And although, of course, there is value in telling these tough stories in films and video games, there is also value in the positive. While one person may want to see themselves and their struggles on the big screen, others may want an escape into a world of simple problems and easy solutions. A Minecraft Movie is that tale of simple triumph. Now, more than ever, we need stories of successful teamwork and the value of creativity. If A Minecraft Movie made one person smile, I count it as a success.