There is a place where creativity can be expressed without fear of reprisal: OverWorld. If human beings not accepted on Earth, they are drawn to this world, which is how Steve (Jack Black) found it. Unfortunately, he inadvertently opens a portal to The Nether, and their forces want to destroy creativity. Four unlikely people stumble on the portal and join Steve to save OverWorld. “A Minecraft Movie” (2025) is an adaptation of the titular video game and will thrill devoted players, particularly kids, but anyone else should stay away from the chemistry-free, barely-there storyline.
My summary of “A Minecraft Movie” has more frisson than the actual story. It could have been framed as a story about a kid or a line of misunderstood children who are chosen to act as portal openers and empower their creativity in OverWorld to then bring back their talents to our world, but no. As above, so below, and the narrative could have explained in a more textured way how the mythology of one side influences the other, especially since Chuglass is a word used on both sides. There are five screenwriters and one standalone “story by” credit; thus, too many cooks spoil the pot, and instead of blending the story, each of the characters have separate storylines that come together but does not feel innately destined or as if they are a group that are better together.
I like Black, but if you’re sick of his schtick, “A Minecraft Movie” does nothing to temper it and probably asked him to amplify it so his theatrics could disguise the lack of narrative. Black sings, which could be a pro or con depending on your attitudes about Black in media. He periodically narrates, but since he cannot when the events are not unfolding around him, it is a structural device that should have been abandoned. Steve is one of two players in the game—the other is Alex and stay for the end credits for a sneak peek—so it makes sense why Steve was set up to be the main character, but he seems more like a lone wolf and advisor side character, not the protagonist.
The real protagonist was probably supposed to be Henry (Sebastian Hansen), nicknamed Hank, a newcomer to Chuglass, Idaho, the Potato Chip Capital of America, which should watch its back if anyone in Hanover, Pennsylvania finds out. Henry is allegedly old enough to be in high school but looks like a middle schooler. He loves to sketch and invent things, but it makes him an outsider. When he goes to OverWorld, he finally has the tools to realize his dream creations. Hansen, whom I do not recall from “Just Mercy” (2019), does nothing to convey that sense of delight and wonder that someone has when they finally discover something that they excel at. He just does it quickly and barrels through the activity. Hansen’s performance is devoid of emotion. It is a paint by numbers performance—not bad, but not good.
“A Minecraft Movie” lives and breathes on Jason Momoa’s over-the-top commitment to his role as Garrett Garrison, aka the Garbage Man, a man stuck in his acid washed jeans, fringe jean jacket or hot pink leather jacket, feathered wavy big metal head with unfortunate bangs glory days when he was a 1989 world champion gamer. As sole proprietor of a store called Gamer OverWorld, he does not earn enough to pay the bills. Despite his bravado, he knows that he is in trouble so when Hank crosses his path, he sees a possible payday. The filmmakers do their best to make him look less attractive, and Momoa is game to play along with high pitched screams and masculine posing. Without Momoa, there is no movie, and he shapes Black’s performance. If you come to drool, don’t bother, but even if you enjoy his work and enthusiasm, it may not be enough to help you get through this movie if you did not play the game.
Natalie (Emma Myers), Henry’s sister, and Dawn (Danielle Brooks), their real estate agent, who also has an animal side hustle, are the strategically smartest characters, but the movie forgets about them for huge swaths of the run time. The guys dominate the movie, and it would have been better to cut out their characters completely than to bog the story down with more characters. Brooks is completely wasted in the role, but everyone has bills and getting a franchise under your belt is a good bet though I hope for no more sequels. I love a woman kicking butt, which is supposed to be Natalie’s moniker. Hansen and Myers do make the perfect siblings because they resemble each other in looks and forgettable performances. Their relationship is supposed to be manipulatively heartwarming, but they couldn’t manage it.
If “A Minecraft Movie” was not going to be so popular, it is not the kind of movie that I would watch. It is not like “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023), which appeals to newcomers and its fanbase alike. How is the adaptation? I have never played the game, but according to my friends who came along for the ride, it is a combo of Minecraft and Minecraft Legends so players of the prior may think that the movie took more liberties than it did. The main departure is that when humans enter OverWorld, they retain their shape and do not become pixelated/angular. Also the original game has more death and consequences, and not just for pink sheep, which are rarely seen in the game. There are some new villain classes not featured in the game, and they are pivotal in the movie so the hardcore fans should be thrilled with the new developments.
“A Minecraft Movie” felt organic in a few ways. The characters’ financial desperation was palpable, and even people with jobs felt as if they were in crisis. Steve hated his job and regressed so hard that he wanted to be a miner, the least regulated and most historically dangerous job in American history. Only Natalie had a job that she liked, but she looked like the one who should be in high school. Set in Idaho, the rent is allegedly cheap, but in real life, it is no longer affordable. The gym/art teacher winds up being the best, long running gag that pays off in unexpected ways.
“A Minecraft Movie” only panders to people like me with Vice Principal Marlene (Jennifer Coolidge). Why not just make her the principal? Who knows. It is an extraneous storyline that is diverting and strings us along for the ride but never pays off in terms of showing what happens in the game when people eat bread.
“A Minecraft Movie” is for the fans of the video game, not newcomers or anyone who does not still play the game. It is a deep cut film that mostly recreates the colorful OverWorld but lacks the storytelling elements to make it compelling to newcomers. Even if you are a fan of anyone in the cast, the lemon is not worth the squeeze even if you do love the actors. If you love the game, you will have a blast, but don’t torture your friends who are unfamiliar with this universe. Leave them at home unless they love to watch their kids have fun.
