Review: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ is unimaginative with an absurdist tone
Review: ★½.
“A Minecraft Movie” is not very good. I don’t think that should come as a surprise to anyone.
It’s predictable nonsense that was likely created by placing every family movie made since “E.T.” into the unpaid version of ChatGPT. The visual effects are remarkably ugly, eschewing the original game’s sublime simplicity for horrific half realism.
Actors poorly deliver a script that feels more like notes on what the writers wanted the film’s themes to be than actual dialogue.
But despite all that, I can’t say I despised “A Minecraft Movie.” I would never in good faith recommend the film, but at the same time, I was enraptured by its sheer strangeness. Despite everything screaming at me to hate “A Minecraft Movie,” I could not look away.
Much of my fascination with the movie stems from its source material, the 2011 open world sandbox game “Minecraft.”
Like almost everyone, I have played a lot of “Minecraft,” watched hundreds of hours of “Minecraft” content on YouTube and spent a good chunk of my childhood obsessed with the game.
This passion, which lies dormant within me, drew me and many others to the theater, but the movie seems not to understand “Minecraft” at all.
The exploration, community and creativity the game inspires are nowhere to be found in the film. Instead, the script frequently references components of the game that veteran players will recognize, hoping these random bits will satiate longtime fans.
Adaptation is a strong word when describing “A Minecraft Movie.” It feels like references pasted into a cookie-cutter script rather than an adaptation of the source material.
“The Lego Movie” springs to mind, not only because of the sandbox nature of both properties, but because that film reminds the audience of the human creativity they exercise whenever they play with Lego bricks.
“A Minecraft Movie” does not do this. Instead, it outright states how important it is to be creative.
While watching, my morbid fascination was held not because the film successfully said anything but rather because it felt like a sequence of TikToks making obscure jokes that I got.
It barrages the viewer with new bits, pop songs and references that serve no purpose other than activating the neuron that makes you think, “Oh, I remember that.” It’s effective, as I wasn’t bored — but as the credits roll, the film begins to evaporate from your mind, and you are reminded of all the better things you could have done with your time, like play “Minecraft.”
The film’s comedic elements also contribute to the vapid mess. Jared Hess of “Napoleon Dynamite” directs, and it’s clear the film wants to recapture some of the absurdist, random humor found across Hess’ filmography.
Jokes happen randomly, giving everything a quirky tone directly in opposition to the self-seriousness of the generic plot.
Any tonal whiplash is not a big problem, however, because the jokes aren’t very funny. They all are mistimed, either alluding to old internet jokes or awkwardly dropped into conversation.
Just like the film’s thematic statement about creativity, the absurdist tone is only half committed, making the whole movie feel like two terrible half ideas competing to have the privilege of getting a 3/10 from the Thresher.
There are some things I did like about the movie, however. Jack Black and Jason Momoa play Steve and Garrett, two members of the real world dropped into “Minecraft.” They both commit to the absurd tone fully, and it’s enjoyable to watch.
Additionally, while the film’s CGI art style is akin to a 2013 YouTube video titled “What If Minecraft Was Realistic!?!?,” the animation itself does look good, and there are multiple action sequences that shocked me by how well choreographed they were.
None of this goodwill matters, however, because the film is nonsense. It’s an interesting mess that will initially appeal to those familiar with the game, but there’s nothing truly worthwhile, original or good about the film on a deeper level.
It’s ironic that a game so deeply rooted in imagination falls victim to a style of filmmaking that is fundamentally devoid of it.
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