A Minecraft Movie

As a longtime Minecraft player, I've waited years for this movie-and while it didn't blow me away, it didn't disappoint either.

The film delivers solid humor and entertainment, backed by impressive CGI. Jack Black and Jason Momoa absolutely shine, but the story falls short with flat character development and a predictable, overly shallow plot that could have been so much more.

If you are looking for peak cinema with in-depth meanings and inspirations, I do not recommend watching this movie.

But if you are just looking for a simple, fun, and enjoyable movie, this might be the one for you.

7/10.

They played a new "Superman" clip and trailer before "A Minecraft Movie." My excitement for that DCU launcher has increased significantly. I won't spoil what it features, but seeing it felt special. I felt shivers through my body because of how awesome that preview was. Of course, they released it online a few hours later, but watching it on a Dolby screen was astounding. July 11 can't come soon enough. Wait, this is a review of "A Minecraft Movie."

Unlike most video game adaptations I've seen, I have prior experience playing Minecraft, undeniably one of the most popular video games in history and the best-selling of all time. I used to play it for hours on end, and it never got tiring. YouTubers made their careers posting Minecraft gameplay videos. I can't downplay Minecraft's legacy and impact, and ever since 2014, there has been talk about turning it into a movie. After eleven long years in which people like me thought it'd never come out, we finally have it, and since I'm both a fan of the game and movies in general, I can hopefully tell whether or not this caters exclusively to one group or both. To an extent, it does for both audiences, I'll admit, but I didn't exactly like it.

Let me start with the visuals. The entire VFX crew brought iconic Minecraft characters and places to stunning life. I was in awe at how much I wouldn't mind living in this world.

Next, the actors do a solid job. Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, and Danielle Brooks all do well with their characters, although Jason Momoa and Emma Myers as Garrett and Natalie were the best, in my opinion. Though issues with the screenplay exist, the cast (mostly) makes their dialogue work.

Yes, the references to the game made me smile a bit. Then again, any Minecraft player would be happy seeing their favorite elements from the game translated to the big screen. That may be the saving factor for most people, given that they've played it extensively. It's fun to notice the callbacks to the game, and that's sometimes not bad. I didn't find it detrimental to the overall experience.

For the remaining positives, two scenes - including the final act - were wildly fun and had me excited, while Jared Hess's directing was vibrant, and the runtime rarely drags.

Before moving into the mixed-to-negative aspects of this experience, remember how most of us collectively disliked the film's first trailer? I admit, I didn't like it, but the film strangely became my 9th most anticipated movie of 2025, and I ceased to mind the following trailer. It's important to keep expectations in check, but I couldn't help but have hope that it may subvert my worries and be outstanding. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, but it's not the worst video game adaptation or movie of 2025, and I understand that you may be able to move past the flaws and have a delightful time. Either way, I have to be honest.

As I foreshadowed earlier, the screenplay from Chris Bowman, Chris Galletta, Gavin James, Hubbel Palmer, and Neil Widener was very weird, not weak per se. Minecraft as a game is conceptually simple, but I feel this film's narrative isn't straightforward enough. Additionally, the movie feels like it has an identity crisis at times. It's a comedy, yet they try to make the Overworld - it's not called Minecraft, although they name-drop it for a completely different reason - this big deal, but I feel they didn't do a good enough job with that.

I saw missed potential with the villains as well. They're not terrible, but I never felt the threat of Malgosha or her piglin army. In their defense, I didn't invest in the central five as much as the movie wanted me to.

Oh, and there's a side plot that, no spoilers, didn't add to the story whatsoever. It's semi-cute, but in all seriousness, what was it doing here?

Going back to the comedy, I only laughed twice. I'm not angry that I didn't think it was funny; I'm just disappointed. These are jokes geared more toward younger audiences, but they don't overstay their welcome as much as other films.

One more thing, and it's not as much of a bother for me: they go into song-and-dance four times here. A song towards the end aside, it feels like the team only did it because "Peaches" from "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was so beloved. The songs are fine inclusions that don't entirely justify their inclusion.

Overall, if you had fears beforehand, they're in "A Minecraft Movie," but if you expected a "Snow White" failure, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. It's simultaneously the best and the worst film I hoped and feared it'd be, but it has two target audiences in mind: younger audiences and dedicated Minecraft fans, both of whom may be okay with an imperfect feature.

Technically, the acting, directing, breathtaking visuals, and decent screenplay make the technical score an 8/10.

For the enjoyment score, it was a 5/10 for me. However, I may be in the minority who feel this way. An 8/10 experience is in the cards if you only want a fun adventure and could care less about its weaker elements. I can't be mad at it, because it did its job, even if I didn't admit it at first: entertain!

By Ian Chandler - April 9, 2025

A Minecraft Movie is an unapologetic cash grab from Warner Brothers that is, somehow, fun. Starring Jack Black as himself under the alias of Steve, the film has enough zaniness to keep children from getting bored and enough charm to keep adults from hating it entirely. Other cast members include Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen. Most of them are fine, but when compared to Momoa's overly zany performance, the gap in acting quality becomes noticeable. Also, for a film that boasts creativity, there are next to no crumbs of imagination to be found here. So, with uneven acting and lazy writing, the film was destined to be a misfire, right? Well, you may be surprised to hear that my verdict is no. It is ultimately an entertaining blockbuster, thanks in no small part to the film embracing its own silliness.

The first noticeable aspect of the film is its computer-generated world. The CGI team did a great job translating the bizarre, blocky world of Minecraft to the silver screen. The colors pop, and the creatures retain their signature designs-now updated with fluid expressions and impressive texture work. The environments are beautiful and clearly crafted with care. However-and this is one big caveat-the blend of real humans with the Minecraft world creates an unfortunate eyesore. Remember those Spy Kids movies from the early 2000s? Well, this $150 million film features green screen effects that are only slightly better than those. It does the world-building a huge disservice.

The characters are also a mixed bag. Jack Black is always pleasant to see, but he's not a character, he's just Jack Black. Jason Momoa does the heavy lifting as he plays a washed out, egotistical video-game fanatic. Gone are the suave vibes he usually brings. Momoa plays what is potentially his goofiest role yet, and he fully commits to it! The others are not necessarily spectacular, partially due to the lackluster script they've been given. Also, expecting an Oscar worthy performance from the younger actors would be simply unfair. The villain is a cliché, but a good one. She reminds me of an '80s villain: little motivation, diabolical antics, and a commanding voice. Aside from Momoa, she was my favorite character. Even though Jack Black doesn't act at all, what he brings to the table is a lot of contagious fun. He clearly has no boundaries and he seems to be having a blast jumping around a green screen doing... well, whatever it is Jack Black does.

The plot is the most corporate element that is put on the crafting table. It is basically a Goodwill version of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which also had Jack Black in it. There is nothing interesting that happens, narratively speaking. Every plot point can be seen by the time the logo appears on the screen. I understand that kids need a breezy story in order to not feel overwhelmed; but this is simple to a point where the comedy has to pull the writing's slack. Most fatally, if the jokes do not land for someone, they will find almost nothing worthwhile. Even the Minecraft pigs wouldn't eat slop like this. But, at the very least, the story never was a component in the source material; so, the lack of a refined one is not very offensive, by any means.

Lastly, and this isn't to the credit or fault of the movie, the theatrical experience can wildly vary. Because of internet memes, teenagers are obliged to clap, cheer, and sometimes spill popcorn over Jack Black making Minecraft references. In my experience, there was some cheering and clapping, but it was harmless fun and it ceased by the time the line ended. However, multiple families have issued refunds because many modern high-schoolers don't have manners. Some jump on seats, others stand up and run around and shriek like they are on fire. This does nothing to my overall score, but it is worth mentioning if you consider buying tickets. Disregarding the teenage craze, this film is a fun evening at the theater, especially if you have children eager for it.

Score: 63/100

Summary: A Minecraft Movie has the imagination of a zombie and it chickens out on making an enchanted story, but there is enough energy here to liven up this blocky adventure.

Minecraft is certainly a Movie, and if you didn't know already, the main character is Steve, as you know the blueness of him gives it away. Although that aside, Minecraft is a mindless, and fun affair, although a few faults in the movie takes it down a notch.

The Effects near-the-end caved in, and looked like the green screen was on show, which was slightly effected. Another thing, is the creativity. Surprisingly, for a Minecraft film, nothing was evidently creative, not much was built aside from Houses and a grand looking Castle, so I felt more could of been made. But I enjoyed the colours and the objects, as they did resemble the game very closely and opted to go down that route was a fantastic one, as it shows the bricks, the building work, and the craftsmanship that made that game so fulfilling and fun to play.

Although, I did enjoy the movies energy, it was slightly rushed at times, especially in the 3rd act as mentioned. But Jack Black gives an all-out crazy performance as Steve, he puts his heart and soul into this, and he's always been fun and an energetic person on-screen, so as you could tell, he was having a blast. Even if he didn't resemble Steve in any conceivable way, he was still a shining light. And he made the movie feel humorous and adventurous. Giving it that top-tear energy that's sometimes missed in big Blockbusters.

The script is fairly hammy and cheesy, with one-liners, family drama. But all this doesn't add much and feels like it's their to breath time, only the writing isn't up to par. As the Siblings feel like they've only just met, and the other characters don't get much to work with, and sometimes they do look confused rather then anything else. As they don't know where to look, the expressions. It does feel tonely inconsistent in that respect, but the films humour, heart and passion is definitely to be admired.

The world-building was also fun, seeing the Villages and the evil sadistic ones made the feel exciting and added that layer of adventure and optimism. You didn't know what to expect next, and the spiders design was mastered, it really did look like the games version that came to life, and that was wonderful. They looked scary and intimidating, and the skeletons and the Zombies made for some fun action-sequences.

The Villains motive is plain and simple, and that can mean it can effect the characters, as they'd have to stay on their feet and miss anything that's thrown their way, again the creativity wasn't vast, object comes their way, they escape. And that's basically what was happening. Jumping from one tree to another, only a stone is between them. That best describes the villainous arc and her story, and the villains as a whole, the Pig Villages.

But their are more positives, the look of the world was amazing, as it did feel like a live-version of the film brought to our screens, and the Movie handles the villains, the designs and the costumes fairly well in my eyes, brilliantly crafted suit. And some memorable scenes definitely was put out for memes, but genuinely speaking I had a fun time.

I'd rate this film a 6 out of 10 Because I enjoyed the humour, Jack Black's energy and performance altogether, but the films creativity and 3rd act was heavily flustered. But a nice Entertaining time, definitely would recommend it.

Jason Mamoa was absolutely fantastic in this movie. To me and my wife he was the highlight. He seriously deserves an Oscar for bringing a caricature to life and making us care about his character. The CGI was also fantastic: vivid, richly imagined, and engrossing. It was remarkable that a majority of the film occurs in the Minecraft world and yet it (and the real human characters in it) felt truly real. Truly outstanding work by the whole production team. There was also a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, and over the top silliness which was a ton of fun. On the way home all of us (me, my wife, and our three kids: 13,10, 8) were sharing our favorite moments and quips from the film. Our kids loved it, and from the engagement I heard of all the kids around us (some much younger than ours), everyone was having a good time. I'd say this is a fun family film anyone from 4 to adult (I'm 47) will enjoy. And thanks again to Jason Mamoa for committing so hard to his character and Jack Black for bringing the music and enthusiasm.