A Minecraft Movie (2025)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, April 03

PG Running Time: 101 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Fans of the “Minecraft” game are definitely interesting in seeing how this game transitions into a major motion picture.

  • Those who love an unrestrained Jack Black, buckle up - you’re getting your money’s worth here!

  • The film does a really nice job of paying respect to the subculture that “Minecraft” has generated, with lots of Easter eggs for diehard fans and a fair amount of nods and winks along the way.

NO

  • When you really analyze what we have here - the movie is a rehashing of pretty much every hero’s journey you’ve seen before. For a game that sparks such creativity and ingenuity, you would expect the movie would embody those traits.

  • Females are an afterthought here. Of the four main female characters, none are given much to do and exist simply to either service a male storyline or are shown to have an implied lack of intelligence to generate comic relief. Very disappointing when considering that 46% of Minecraft players identify as female.

  • Honestly, kids and young adults who grew up with the game may enjoy this. However, it misses so many potential opportunities to stand out and be something unique and different. This feels like a Hollywood blockbuster, not an inspired take on a revolutionary video game that changed gaming forever.


OUR REVIEW

A Minecraft Movie is one of those movies that generates responses like “How?” or “Why?” or “Huh?” from an older demographic and a much more enthusiastic response from a younger audience. My 19-year-old son and his friends were downright giddy with optimism that A Minecraft Movie would be amazing. Me? Little more than a shoulder shrug. I always thought of Minecraft as a block-building game where people construct limitless worlds and unleash their creativity.

As many of you know, that is a very simplistic take on the game. 

Not only is Minecraft the most popular video game of all time, but it has generated a massive internet subculture. YouTube personalities have generated huge followings and substantial income by embracing Minecraft and making it their online brand. There are songs, memes, videos, livestreaming events, merchandise, and even fanfiction. An educational version is used in schools to teach computer science, computer design, and basic coding. In 2024, Minecraft was played actively by approximately 170 million people.

I thought it was rather benign as a gaming experience. Then I learned about Survival Mode, where players fight battles, commit heinous acts, and may even experience permanent death of their character. 

And if you die in Minecraft? You create a new character and start all over!

While I may not quite be the target audience for A Minecraft Movie, this family-friendly, comedy-adventure features an unhinged and obnoxious Jack Black as Steve, a Master Crafter. He is joined by a carefree Jason Momoa, Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks, and younger actors Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen. Together, the ensemble have decent chemistry, with Black and Momoa trying to one-up each other with silly line-readings and crazy antics.

Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), the filmmaker reunites with Black for the first time since 2006’s Nacho Libre. Hess seems happy to let Black be as rambunctious as ever, which generates mixed results.

The film’s $150 million budget is put to impressive use from an effects standpoint. That said, the film leans into the all-too familiar “open portal” concept achieved by combining a “cube-shaped sphere” into a “cube-shaped crystal.” For Steve, this discovery at one time in his life led him to an abandoned mine, where the portal appears to send him to the Overworld. Once there, he becomes skilled at building block-shaped worlds, while also taming a wolf-dog named Dennis and having a peaceful life for himself. That is until he crosses paths with the Netherworld - a dark, fiery landscape overseen by a Piglin (voiced by Rachel House).

Outside of the Overworld, Momoa plays Garrett “the Garbage Man” Garrison, a middle-aged former video game champ trying to make a living as a used video game store owner in rural Idaho. Myers and Hansen play orphaned siblings Natalie and Henry, new to the town. Henry soon connects with Garrison over gaming, and Brooks portrays a real estate agent who sold Natalie and Henry their home. Eventually, she is pulled into the adventure as well.

Hess keeps the jokes coming, but his movie meanders. Those with an affinity for Minecraft will appreciate how Hess and five credited screenwriters incorporate dozens of elements from Minecraft’s game design and subculture, including a posthumous nod to YouTuber “Technoblade,” who appears as a crowned pig and is referred to by Black’s character as “a legend.” 

For the rest of us, Hess struggles to find balance between fan service and general audience storytelling. Black can be as goofy as he wants. Momoa can vamp and preen with the best of them. Nothing is ever in doubt though and A Minecraft Movie suffers mightily without an interesting adventure to hook us and make us care about what is happening.

When you strip everything away, this is another hero’s journey where the goal is to band together, fight for the good of things and conquer a world. 

As a mindless and thoughtless nostalgia trip that brings Minecraft to life for devoted fans of the game, A Minecraft Movie will likely be enough. But it could have been so much more.

More character development. Less male-driven focus and more agency for female characters, who are largely cast aside and made to look silly repeatedly in the film. A more inventive, creative story would help. And more Jennifer Coolidge - wasted here while trying to hold together a subplot about her going on a date with an escaped Villager from the Overworld. 

I imagine kids will love this. The movie will likely make a whole bunch of money. Diehards will want to stay through the end credits. Everyone else however will likely need some fresh air, a calm breeze, and a good, long nap when A Minecraft Movie is over.

Then again … maybe I’m just getting older.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Hiram Garcia, Bret McKenzie, Matt Berry

Director: Jared Hess
Written by: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, Chris Galletta (screenplay); Allison Schroeder, Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer (story)
Based on the video game “Minecraft”, developed by Mojang Studios
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Warner Bros.