A Minecraft Movie: Ben There, Done That
“A Minecraft Movie” title card in theater. Photo By Ben Carpenter
In recent years there has been a trend of new films coming out based on popular video games such as “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” the “Sonic” franchise and the “Mortal Kombat” film series.
One video game that a lot of people have been waiting for years to be made into a movie has finally arrived: “A Minecraft Movie.” For those unfamiliar with “Minecraft,” you must’ve been living under a rock for the past 13 years.
To simply state, Minecraft is considered a “sandbox” video game that allows players to explore their creativity by building structures of their wildest imagination. Those looking for more of an adventure can play in survival mode where players fight off mobs and search for their resources and craft their own items. The two main objectives being mining and crafting. It’s in the name.
Ranked as the number one selling video game of all time, fans have been hearing about speculations of a film adaptation for nearly a decade. As an avid Minecraft player of 11 years myself, I have been looking forward to a movie based on Minecraft for a long time.
Finally, the day has come. I have been anticipating this film since I first heard news of its development over a year ago. This past Saturday, a group of my friends and I saw the movie in the theater.
As a huge fan of the game, I was curious to see what elements of the game they would focus on for the movie, and what the narrative would be. Was it going to be a movie like the “Jumanji” franchise where people from the real world get sucked into the game? Was it going to follow the format of the 2015 spin off game “Minecraft: Story Mode”?
I was a bit skeptical about the film stars they chose, which included Jack Black as Steve, the title character of the game, along with Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge. They’re all great actors on their own, but I was unsure how they’d work together in this type of film.
Ben dressed as the main video game and movie character, Steve. Photo courtesy of Benjamin Carpenter
The overall film followed a typical narrative that I’ve seen in other films. An unlikely group of people coming together to team up with the main protagonist to defeat an evil character that wants to use a great source of power to rule the world.
The film was sprinkled with a variety of typical tropes, such as the main characters’ having a deceased mother, a once upon a time popular guy that is now facing a hard time, the main protagonists defeating the antagonist from taking over the world, a battle training montage, along with seeing the characters moving on to trying new things.
The film was riddled with cheesy lines and acting. One line that stood out to me is when Momoa’s character, Garett, says to Steve “I’m gonna squeeze for your safety,” when the two are holding onto each other when flying through a small gap in a mountain.
There were also multiple times when the audience spoke along with the characters when they said a line from a scene that has been infiltrating social media leading up to the premiere. If you go to see the film, don’t be surprised if you hear the audience shout “chicken jockey,” “flint and steel” and most popular of all “I… am Steve.” I’ve never experienced a movie where the audience reacts to it as much as this one.
Like many other movies, there was a subplot involving a romance between two characters. Who else would it be in this movie other than Jennifer Coolidge and a random villager that escaped from the Minecraft world.
Interestingly though, the fantasy world the main characters enter that is based off Minecraft is not referred to as the “Minecraft world.” In this case, it’s not like the “Jumanji” franchise where the main characters are sucked into a game, but rather this fantasy world exists as its own realm outside the real world.
Ben and his friends and at “A Minecraft Movie”. Photo By Ben Carpenter
I also found the random moments of singing to be a bit weird, specifically with Black’s character, Steve. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more representation of different biomes, animals, items or dimensions that are found in the actual game. I suppose filmmakers can only include so much into one movie.
I believe that is the reason why the film was titled “A Minecraft Movie” because it’s just one adaptation that can represent what Minecraft is about. This allows room for potentially more movies to be produced based on the game. The end of the film also leaves the possibility of a sequel.
Despite this film not living up to my expectations by being too silly and including elements I didn’t deem necessary and excluding elements that should have been included, I have to remember this film is targeted towards audiences a decade younger than me. Which reminds me that I probably have worlds in Minecraft older than some of the children I saw at the theater.
Ben Carpenter is the writer behind Ben There, Done That — a column dedicated to reviewing fine art shows at UMD and around Duluth.
This film did have its redeeming qualities, such as an amazing soundtrack and the use of vintage cars such as a late 1970s Pontiac Firebird or Chrysler Town and Country station wagon. The film may have not turned out how I wanted it to, but I still enjoyed it because I love the game so much.
In general, the film had its funny moments and was entertaining to watch. I was not bored at any point. The film also doesn’t take itself too seriously, which I believe was appropriate for this type of genre.
It is a cute film that pays homage to a wonderful video game and the people who play it. Specifically, there was a scene that showed a pig wearing a crown that was a reference to the Youtuber “Technoblade” who was known for his Minecraft videos, but sadly died of cancer in 2022. Technoblade had custom skin which was a pig wearing a crown.
I believe this film might be better enjoyed by those who haven't played Minecraft or don’t play as much as I do. Even if you’re a big fan of the game like me, I would still recommend seeing it because we’ve been waiting long enough, so you might as well go watch it.