A Minecraft Movie (Hess, 2025)

If you remember the feeling of turning on your gaming system – whether that be your computer, tablet or XBOX – and opening this game to build whatever you could dream of. That feeling when there were no limits in this vast sandbox, pure imagination. Well, you do not get this feeling in A Minecraft Movie. No association is made with the Minecraft video game, like how they make the association with the Jumanji game in Jumanji and its reboot(s). The lack of acknowledgement to the video game along with many other aspects truly allowed the film to fall short for someone who used to love mining.

In A Minecraft Movie, Jack Black stars as the video game’s starting avatar, Steve, who as a young boy always dreamed of the mines but was never allowed to go. That is, until he becomes a grown man and decides to follow his dreams. This leads him to finding a mysterious glowing cube, which when he combines it with a crystal case, it reveals a portal to a world unlike any other: the Overworld – a world that thrives on imagination where anything you dream of can be built, so long as it’s made out of cubes. Years later, Garrett the Garbage Mam Garrison (Jason Momoa) is struggling to pay rent, Natalie (Emma Myers) and Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) have just moved to a new town, and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) is working multiple jobs. One day these four unlikely companions find themselves pulled through the portal into the Overworld. Confused, lost and scared, the companions find themselves saved by Steve and follow him on a quest to get back home. They must work together, master the world of crafting, and understand some deep truths to make it through their journey. 

Of course I am not the target audience for this film, the target audience is the new generation of children and early teenagers. However, those of us who are nostalgic about the game have truly been disappointed. Most of the Minecraft lore is there, the plot is developed around the central arc of the Nether and protecting the Overworld, similar to the survival mode of the game. The film did keep some key concepts, such as how the villains work, building using a crafting table, and most hilariously the Iron Gollums. While it is understandable that A Minecraft Movie was made for the new generation, the tasks and lore of the original game felt dumbed down and less thrilling than when experiencing it for yourself.

Albeit disappointing, it was lovely to see the effort put in by the cast and the focal message surrounding creativity even with all the dark in the world. Both Black and Momoa clearly put lots of effort into the film – with Black promoting the film thoroughly and emotionally, while his portrayal of Steve sure did wow the children, and Momoa, on top of his silly acting, produced the film as well. Even Jennifer Coolidge showed up for a bit of silly fun. 

What is there left to say about A Minecraft Movie? Well, if you only want to watch it for nostalgia, I do not recommend. But if you love cinema, silliness, or a film to watch with your children, A Minecraft Movie may just be for you/them.