Imagine your childhood dog being brought out in front of you again. Whether it’s still alive right now or has passed on, you’d be thrilled to see it, right? Now, imagine that the same person who brought it out sets it on fire, shoots it, and lets a bear maul it to death. That’s the closest way I can describe my feelings after watching the two trailers for “A Minecraft Movie.”
Photo from consequence.net
This long awaited project has finally surfaced, and it’s a disaster. “Minecraft” is the most popular game of all time. It’s amazing because it’s an open canvas. Whatever you’d like to do, the game adapts to your imagination.
So imagine my frustration when the movie takes this limitless potential and delivers a lazy Jumanji ripoff. The trailers reveal real-world characters getting sucked into “Minecraft” and fumbling through its blocky landscape, complete with cringe-worthy lines like, “Woah…where are we?” and an obligatory screaming sheep for cheap laughs. Jack Black as Steve only adds to the problem. Black just plays himself, wearing a blue shirt and spouting self-aware, forced humor. It’s as if Warner Brothers told him, “Just do your thing.”
The visuals are no better. The mix of live-action characters in a CGI “Minecraft” world is uncanny, and the hyper-realistic animals — like the demonically screaming sheep — are outright unsettling. Fans, myself included, can’t understand why the film didn’t opt for animation that could have faithfully captured the pixelated charm of “Minecraft.” Look at “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which embraced its game’s aesthetic and earned billions while appealing to both old and new fans. Warner Brothers seems allergic to money, stubbornly pushing forward with an approach that looks lazy and uninspired.
However, while the movie’s design choices are atrocious, I can’t entirely hate its narrative direction. Sure, the Jumanji-style plot and Jack Black as Steve are silly, but “Minecraft” is multifaceted. Everyone experiences the game differently, and this movie, as much as I dislike it, could align with someone else’s idea of “Minecraft.” That’s the beauty of the game—it’s deeply personal and adaptable. If the movie were tailored to my vision of “Minecraft,” you may dislike it like I dislike this vision.
Some argue that this movie betrays the core of what “Minecraft" is. I partially disagree. Before Microsoft acquired “Minecraft” in 2014, the game had a darker, grittier aesthetic. But under Microsoft, “Minecraft” has shifted into a more family-friendly, colorful experience. All promotional materials reflect this—they’re cheerful, self-aware, and kid-oriented, much like the movie. It may not be what I associated “Minecraft” with when I was growing up, but it ultimately is what the game has become.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it. The movie reeks of corporate greed, its humor is painfully reminiscent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at its worst, and its design choices feel soulless. Regardless, it’s still a “Minecraft” movie. While the trailers look bad (and that’s my biggest gripe), the movie hasn’t come out yet, so I’ll have to wait until then to make a definitive judgement. It’s not the movie I or many other fans wanted, but it might be exactly what someone else was hoping for – and that’s okay. Because at the end of the day, that’s what makes “Minecraft” so wonderful: it can be whatever experience you choose to make of it.
Thumbnail photo from consequence.net