I know literally nothing about Minecraft. Well, actually, after seeing A Minecraft Movie I bought the PS4 game for $10 for my son Max and we’ve been playing it a bit, so now I know a little. So in terms of cinematically bringing it to life, I can’t speak to lore accuracy of this video game adaptation. But as a movie, I can say it’s a funny and entertaining kids action fantasy, with some notable flaws.
The production of the film is impressively polished. Relying heavily on CGI environments, the visual effects are well-executed and create a vibrancy for the audience that the actors seem to operate well within. It’s also action-packed. I was surprised how much action there was, and on a pretty grandiose scale. Some eye-popping and thrilling moments. I will say for parents, it pushes the envelope in violence and scary imagery for kiddos within the constraints of its PG rating.
The energy is high. The jokes fly often, with a lot of them landing. Specifically, Jason Momoa was hilarious. He continues to surprise me with his comedic chops. As for Jack Black? He was a problem for me. I LOVE Jack Black, always have. But here he seemed more interested in stroking the ego of his DIY cinematic universe and exaggerated delivery of lines that comes off as a parody of himself. He was simply too much.
Back to the action, while it was often thrilling, it honestly was kind of exhausting. I’m not usually one to complain about too much action,but the omnipresent peril prevented the characters from engaging with each other in other ways that could have better fleshed out their arcs/chemistry. The rest of the supporting cast was solid, especially young leads Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers. Both convincing and earnest performances as the “fish out of water” audience surrogates. Hansen’s relationship dynamic with Momoa was particularly endearing.
In the end, A Minecraft Movie is a decent family movie, but better yet a very entertaining experience on the big screen. Seeing it with a packed crowd fueled the communal superficial enjoyment (specifically the comedy, except for some of the unnecessary raunchy jokes that fell flat). Unfortunately, it’s not something that I see having much staying power in movie culture beyond a fun, one-time experience in the theater.
