It’s not often that a theatrical release of a movie becomes a spectacle in itself. Since “Wicked,” theaters haven’t experienced the same enthusiasm and rowdiness in their audiences; however, “A Minecraft Movie,” released on April 4 is the newest theatrical phenomenon.
Upon opening weekend, theater patrons were cheering and applauding the nostalgic features of the Minecraft game world. It’s all within reason, too, since the movie is filled with lots of silly quips; however, the movie itself isn’t necessarily good.
“A Minecraft Movie” follows the adventures of a used-to-be-famous video game player, a sibling duo who moved following the death of their mom, and their realtor when they uncover a key to a portal. This leads them to the Overworld, where they meet Steve, who offers to help them get back home as they escape the wrath of villain Malgosha.
The movie stars comedy legend Jack Black as Steve, who is known for films with goofier premises. This movie is no different; in no realm is this to be taken seriously. The situations are cheesy, and the one-liners are ridiculous enough to make you roll your eyes. However, since the humor feels so intentional, it is easy to look past and embrace.
Nonetheless, the balance of stupid fun while maintaining good production quality is hard to manage. This film, while enjoyable, is by no means good. The exposition feels forced, like they are trying to simply give the audience a quick character overview. However, it ends up putting characters in a box that doesn’t allow for any real emotional growth besides the usual cliches of resolving an argument or getting over differences to save the day.
As mentioned, the film stars Jack Black, who is really in his element. His performance is incredibly unserious, as he approaches Steve’s character as a bundle of energy and sarcasm. It works for the movie, but because his performance is so over the top compared to the rest of the cast, it may come off as obnoxious.
His costars include Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen, who play Natalie and Henry. Both actors do well with the material they are given and have good on-screen chemistry with their more established costars. This includes Jason Momoa, who really immerses himself into the role of the ex-pro gamer. He does a good job at keeping up with the quips and chaos of Jack Black and even tries to approach his comedy in a similar way. Jennifer Coolidge is also in the movie, but her narrative is so unnecessary that the movie would be better off without it.
The supporting character Dawn, their realtor turned co-adventurer, is played by Academy Award nominee Danielle Brooks. Her role is perhaps the worst developed of the bunch. The character seems like she would make a trivial contribution in the beginning, but she is thrust into the portal with the rest of the gang. Therefore, there is no proper introduction, and she is only there for comedic relief (which the movie has a lot of already). It is upsetting to see that the “token black friend” stereotype is still a thing in 2025, as Dawn’s character is a sad, but accurate, modern-day example.
Other elements of this movie don’t stand out as particularly awful or excellent. The production design looks decent considering there is so much combination of CGI and live-action characters. There are no discrepancies that are distracting but instead immerses audiences into the world well.
Additionally, the costumes can come across as boring considering Natalie and Henry are in their mundane clothes the whole movie, therefore preventing proper convincing that the characters eventually become part of the Overworld.
The movie does contain a lot of references to the game, but it doesn’t make it so those who are not familiar don’t enjoy it. Everything related to the game is properly explained, perhaps a little too much, so that audiences have access to all the information they need to understand the context.
Is the movie great? No. Is it good? Debatable. However, if you want a trip to the movies where you can turn your brain off and laugh at utter ridiculousness for 1hr 40min, “A Minecraft Movie” might have to be your next movie night.
“A Minecraft Movie” is now playing in theaters.
