Sometimes a film can only be appreciated when the viewer doesn’t think about it too hard. When the brain power goes down, the fun goes up, and Jared Hess’ “A Minecraft Movie” is perhaps the most extreme example of this.
The idea of a Minecraft movie has been completely unserious for years now, from the announcement back in 2014 to the head-scratching casting of Jason Momoa and Jack Black in the leading roles, and even the harshly criticized trailers. But after all of that, “A Minecraft Movie” has somehow delivered a shockingly enjoyable final product.
Based on the popular video game, the film follows four people that are pulled through a portal and stranded in the Overworld, a weird and cubic land that is built on imagination. They must go on a magical quest to return home, guided by a crafter named Steve, played by Black.
The story is all over the place, lacking any sort of tangible structure. Things from the game feel shoveled in for fans to recognize, but without serving any actual purpose. In fact, it’s almost like there’s only enough plot to hold together and justify the massive amount of references throughout.
For fans of the game, this makes for a nostalgic thrill ride that rivals almost any theater experience. But for viewers that maybe haven’t played the game, these narrative problems will feel even more obnoxious.
Another issue is how bland the characters are. There is really only one defining trait given to each of them, making it excruciatingly boring every time the action stops and the dialogue starts.
Those character problems are made up for, however, by Black’s Steve. Black is known for being over-the-top in just about every role he’s ever played, but even this feels like a whole new level. All he does is walk around shouting lingo from the game and delivering constant exposition with the utmost level of bizarre quirkiness.
An additional factor that saves the movie from being truly terrible is the writing and direction of Hess. Hess is one of the best in the business at creating these mindless comedy movies, and he’s known for films such as “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” that embody a very similar style to “A Minecraft Movie.”
Not only is Hess’ writing hilarious, but he actually creates a visually pleasing film. The environments in the video game are already beautiful, and it only gets better on the big screen, with the colors popping and the iconic landscapes looking as vibrant as ever.In the end, it’s unbelievable how much of a success “A Minecraft Movie” is, especially with how reliant it is on the viewers having played the game. With a weekend box office total of over $300 million, as well as the success of other recent video game film adaptations, perhaps the genre is starting to find its groove after all.
