I saw “A Minecraft Movie” on April 11th, 2 weeks after its release on April 4th. And still, after all this time, I’m unsure how to approach this review. So I’m just going to write.

I don’t know what to think about this movie. Part of me wants to love it, and the other part wants to hate it. Here’s why. Let’s start with what I love. The movie opening with the typical Minecraft world generation loading screen had me so excited going into it– I was pumped to see that there was a clear understanding and implementation of the source material. I love Steve (played by Jack Black) and his dog, Denis. The bond they have is so accurate to the bond between Minecraft players and their dog(s). Those who have not played Minecraft will not understand, but the bond between a Minecraft player and their (first) dog is stronger than that of a mother and her firstborn child (okay, maybe that’s a bit over the top…). But Steve risking his own life to save Denis reminds me of the wars I’d have with my friends using each other’s dogs for leverage. Which segways to the next thing I love– I feel that the movie pretty accurately portrays the experience of playing Minecraft (with your friends). The epic, large-scale battles centered around a lighthearted and silly conflict are just like the “roleplays” I’d find myself in with my friends during COVID lockdowns.

Jack Black’s acting was spot-on. He was (overly) dramatic, in a good way… for the most part. There were some moments where I couldn’t help but get annoyed by some of his line delivery, but then I’d remember what movie I was watching and make an effort to take it less seriously. That’s the thing about this movie, it’s very unserious. And I can’t tell if I like that or not. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was pretty serious overall. Of course, there was plenty of comedy throughout the movie, but it took its plot seriously. A Minecraft Movie doesn’t seem to do the same. The number of tense/intense moments can be counted on one hand, and they last for a very minimal amount of time. 

I don’t know if I’d enjoy this movie if it were to be serious. “Minecraft” is a video game centered around its users being creative and thus is defined by said users. Often, personal and online playthroughs of Minecraft are riddled with jokes and memes and inside jokes. That’s not to say that Minecraft can’t be or hasn’t been serious. There are many SMP’s (Survival Multiplayer) that have serious roleplays. The biggest that comes to mind is the Dream SMP. Yes, I was a Dream SMP kid, and no, I do not support the problematic creators from said SMP anymore. I’m not ashamed to say that this was a big part of my middle school experience, and it shaped the way I viewed Minecraft at the time. Part of me feels like the unconcerned tone of A Minecraft Movie does a disservice to the fans who enjoy this content. But on the other hand, a large part of Minecraft is unserious. It’s a hard trade-off, and I’ve decided that I’m not super mad at the choice that they made.

One thing that I didn’t like about this movie was that there was no mention of The End– a dimension in Minecraft which ultimately leads the player to the end credits or “end of the game.” I would’ve loved a plot where the crew went to The End, defeated the Ender Dragon (the game’s “final boss”), and freed the end. My disappointment was heightened by the fact that Steve had Elytras– wings that can only be obtained from End Cities, which can only be accessed once you kill the Dragon. This could mean that Steve defeated the Ender Dragon, and we just didn’t get to see it (which is disappointing, as this is a main part of the game). Alternatively, this could also mean that Steve has cheats like the Creative Menu– a menu that can be accessed only in Creative Mode that gives the player access to any block in the game– or commands. I’ve actually seen a few people theorizing that Steve was in Creative Mode the entire movie, a take I don’t subscribe to but find interesting. 

I was not very happy with the actual plot of the movie. The main villain, Malgosha (who has an admittedly visually stunning design), became evil because she could not dance. I know I said the plot of this movie doesn’t have to be serious, but this was just too much for me personally. However, I do like that the Nether was the location of the villains. The Piglin war wasn’t my favorite plot (again, I wish it were the end), but despite this point, I could still enjoy the story. I thought the Piglins looked great and intimidating, and the implementation of Ghasts (another Nether mob) was also great. I just wish there had been other Nether mobs as well, like Blazes or Wither Skeletons. I do, however, understand why they weren’t in the movie. 

The audience experience of this movie was unlike any other I’d ever personally witnessed. Before I’d even gone to the movie, I’d seen videos of the crowd screaming and cheering at the widely memed on “chicken jockey” line. In my theater, the audience (including my group and me) clapped around 40 times. I have never clapped during a movie in theaters before, so this was quite a different experience for me. Some of the things we clapped at include, but are not limited to, “I am Steve,” “flint and steel,” and of course “chicken jockey.” The culture around A Minecraft Movie, fostered by the trailers and the memes created from them, predicted this sort of audience reaction in the theater. This made for a really fun viewing experience for me personally. I think that this sort of audience reaction is fine if the whole theater is into it and is not destructive. Clapping, cheering, and quoting alongside the movie is fine. But making a mess by throwing popcorn, a real occurrence in my theater, which got a group of boys kicked out of the show, is not okay.

In sum, I think “A Minecraft Movie” is a fun experience that you will enjoy if you A), play Minecraft or B), just like Jack Black. My advice going in is to have fun and not take the movie too seriously– if you do, then I fear that you will be disappointed. It’s a film full of memes and clichés that seem to force the corners of your mouth to turn up. But please BE RESPECTFUL if you do see this film in theaters. As I just said, clapping and cheering are fine, but making a mess for theater workers to clean up is not. So, if you decide to see this movie, I’d suggest getting up to date on the memes first. I’d recommend this movie for fans looking to have a fun time. If that sounds like you, then what are you waiting for? Get to that theater to experience the phenomenon now!