On April 4, the awaited A Minecraft Movie released into theaters world-wide. Fans of all ages have waited years for their iconic childhood game to finally get a movie of its own. However, when the trailer dropped of transforming the pixelated game into live action, it was not what fans expected. Many criticized the film’s trailer for how obvious the CGI was, the random cast of actors, the costume design and the manner in which lines were delivered. Despite this, many still had hope, especially with long time favorite minecraft youtubers appearing in cameos throughout the movie.
On opening day, children and adults lined up together to watch the movie, collecting AMC exclusive collectables to enjoy the film with. Fans’ excitement and reactions varied from overjoyed and creating a ruckus for every meme worthy line said, to fans who were confused about the movie they had just watched. The Minecraft movie included recognizable actors such as Jason Mamoa, Jennifer Coollidge, Danielle Brooks and Jack Black to lesser known actors who are making a name for themselves such as Emma Myers and Sebastain Hansen.
The movie’s outline was simple. Jack Black who played as Steve—the main character in the game—went from living and growing up in the human realm to the world of Minecraft in pursuit of happiness. A Minecraft Movie introduced the element of a blue cube named the “Earth Cube” and a glass box that is used to open the portal to the new world. It is with Natalie (Emma Myers) and Henry’s (Sebastain Hansen’s) arrival to the new town as orphaned siblings that introduces the strange cast and their connections. Jason Mamoa, known as Garett Garrison, has obtained the cube through rummaging through an old storage unit that is then auctioned off to him. It is here that recognizable YouTubers such as DanTDM, Aphmau, MumboJumbo, and LDShadowLady are also seen attempting to buy the unit.
As any child orientated movie is, the plot is easy for adults to predict. Garett meets Henry and they both become interested in the cube, following it to a mineshaft where Natalie and their retailer Dawn (Danielle Brooks) track them down. They are then inserted into the realm of minecraft. Personally, I believe this type of approach was a bad idea. Not so much in the form of how the movie played out, but how they decided to use live action in a 100 percent CGI type of movie. A better approach would have been to incorporate the live action within the human realm, yet change the movie all to animation to better suit itself.
That being said, while the characters figure out the fundamentals of Minecraft, simultaneously giving audience members insight for those who have not played the game, they come across Steve who saves them from monsters, or mobs, that appear at night. Long story short, the glass box for the cube has been broken, so they must go to the Woodland Mansion to get a new one before the piglin queen takes over the world.
There are more iconic easter eggs such as a tribute to a legend in the Minecraft community, Technoblade, who passed away two years ago from cancer, as well as a random musical about lava baked chicken. While easter eggs are important to fans, better deliveries could have been taken. It is special when a long-time fan sees their childhood hero on the big screen, but it is another to see them talking and interacting with the cast–as if they were really a part of the world. A great example of this would be Matpat within the Five Nights At Freddy’s movie, a cameo I really enjoyed even though I have never watched a single video of his. It would be taking “random side characters” to a next level, making it entertaining and enjoyable for everyone watching rather than just a small little tribute to the fans.
The second half of the movie is spent exploring each character, their motives, goals and concerns that they express with their lives. Such as, Garett’s desire for diamonds to enrich himself at the cost of a near deadly mission and manipulation towards Steve in order to achieve his goal. In reference to other characters, Garetts was the most fleshed out within the movie. Because of this, I personally felt like the rest of the cast had no real purpose and were there to simply be there. Potential conflicts were included but never expanded on, making the scenes feel random and the characters appearing drier than before.
That leaves a few questions. What made the movie so hated for many? For me, the random musical notes they would spring on during the actors’ performance. Had the characters within the movie been more fleshed out backstories and actions, perhaps it would have done a little better in retail and reviews, especially if it had been more “mature” rather than being centered around for young kids who just wanted to see a movie of their favorite game. Overall, while the movie was long awaited, it was ultimately mainly made for children to enjoy with some references to the older community should they watch the film, which did not meet fan expectations.
