Almost 14 years after the release of the best-selling video game, “A Minecraft Movie” tells the story of five people who are transported into the Overworld, the unmistakable cuboid world of “Minecraft,” including an origin story for the legendary character Steve. The film shines when you are absorbed in the stunning visual effects and chemistry between the actors. However, it falls short of an above-average plot.
Steve has never been given a backstory, allowing the director Jared Hess and the writing staff to take great creative liberties. While long-term fans can spot structures similar to those they may have built, such as a dirt block house or villager monuments, those who have never played “Minecraft” will adore how much Steve cares for his blocky dog.
“I am Steve,” says Jack Black in his introduction as the iconic default character. The comedic and animated movie legend may have registered his most iconic performance as Steve — Black’s delivery and humor highlight the passion he poured into “A Minecraft Movie” as a fan of video games. Every scene that Black appeared in had a chance to make the audience laugh while being heartfelt, too.
Jason Momoa provides the most fleshed-out character of the movie as washed-up Gamer of the Year, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, who cannot catch a break. Garrison is struggling financially and socially but refuses to back down from his unbridled self-confidence in the first half of the movie, yet his adventure to the Overworld offers him a chance to look inward. Momoa and Black’s chemistry is shockingly the best part of the movie — every interaction is hilarious and their best joke comes at the tail end of an exciting chase scene.
Aside from Black and Momoa, the rest of the cast falls short due to the writing. Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen star as siblings Natalie and Henry who are new residents of Chuglass. Natalie has recently become the legal guardian of her little brother Henry, who struggles to fit into his new school. Although Henry gets a lot of screen time in comparison to Natalie, neither sibling has much development, and their conflict is disappointingly resolved off-screen.
Danielle Brooks’s character Dawn is relegated to comic relief. Thankfully, Brooks delivers on her quips and is quick to react unabashedly to the absurdity of the movie. While disheartening to see the women leads of the movie receive such poor treatment with a lack of screen time and dimensionless character arcs, the movie is still enjoyable otherwise.
The main villain of the film is the Piglin witch Malgosha, voiced by Rachel House. Malgosha is an unremarkable antagonist who falls into many villain archetypes, and she is not a monster from the video game. The “mad queen of a civilization that wants to control the world” character is not done in a new way with Malgosha, despite the great animation and House’s strong performance.
Hess returns to the style of his comedic directorial debut, “Napoleon Dynamite,” with unpredictable, ludicrous dialogue and an embrace of silliness. He plays the voice of General Chungus in the movie, a secondary villain whose appearance is short-lived but entertaining. Hess’s creativity in the seamless integration of human characters into a stylized rendition of the “Minecraft” fans love is impressive — the sheep look fluffy, the landscapes are beautiful and the humans don’t stand out from their surroundings.
Black and Hess formerly worked together in the 2006 film “Nacho Libre,” with Black starring as the eponymous character. The understanding between actor and director has not disappeared after 19 years, as “A Minecraft Movie” is sure to win the hearts of comedy lovers.
“A Minecraft Movie” is great for people of all ages who have played “Minecraft” even just once in the past 16 years, those who only know of the game’s existence, and for the diehard players. All types of “Minecraft” players are represented and celebrated in the movie — from redstone engineers to miners, and even roller coaster builders and elytra daredevils. “A Minecraft Movie” is truly a love story to the game that has brought joy and community worldwide since its launch in 2011.