Director: Jared Hess
Cast: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen
Rating: (PG)
★+
REVIEWED BY AMASIO JUTEL
Overloaded with screenwriters and devoid of serious cinematic care, A Minecraft Movie (Rialto, Reading) has been IP-mined for every block the game is worth. With movies like this, which try to spin a filmic narrative out of a game that fundamentally lacks any story, decoding thematic concerns or authorial intentions can be an exercise in futility.
Employing an excellent strategy for a less-than-half-baked story set-up, A Minecraft Movie opens with 10 minutes of exposition wherein Jack Black’s "Steve" explains everything there is to know about the Minecraft world — from a young boy who "yearned for the mines" to discovering a magical cube that sucks him through a portal into a "blocky" world — without apparent concern for viewers who are less familiar with the source material.
The second mark deducted from the film is that the discovery of the world does not factor into the movie. It follows a rising trend I’m beginning to detest in IP storytelling, where rather than telling a story in the world of the game, A Minecraft Movie is made to feel like a Jumanji-esque multiverse — where Jack Black’s smooth-edged out-of-place human form can be a transgression and, thus, a meme.
Sucked into his creative paradise — the Minecraft "Overworld" — after discovering the "Orb of Dominance" and "Earth Cube" MacGuffins, Steve is left stranded. Malgosha (Rachel House), the leader of the Piglins — a zombie/pig race, that reside in the "nether" — desires the orb, which would allow her to conquer and turn dark the overworld.
Very aware of its narrative similarities to The Lord of the Rings — a dark force trying to take over the overworld through the acquisition of a powerful magical object — A Minecraft Movie calls to attention the Frodo-inspired, curly-haired, baby-faced nature of its young protagonist.
Enter the cast of supporting characters. Recently orphaned teens Natalie (Emma Myers) and Henry (Sebastian Hansen) have moved to a new town, where they meet mobile zoo side-hustling real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks) who shows them into their new home. Garett "Garbage Man" Garrison (Jason Momoa) is a has-been former "World #1 Gamer" who lives in the past. Henry’s creativity is inhibited at school; Dawn has animal handling skills she wants to exercise; "Garbage Man" (affectionately, "Gar Gar") is directionless but has expert knowledge of video games; Natalie ... who doesn’t have a translatable skill.
Nonetheless. Together, this odd bunch follow Steve into the Overworld and overcome their differences to save it from Malgosha.
If I hadn’t lost you before, I certainly will now. The rest of the movie is memes and easter eggs — Piglin leader "Chungus" threatens to "unalive" one of the humans; Jason Momoa sports a hot pink leather jacket. It’s an awful collection of unfunny, internet-pilled Zoomer humour and cross-promotions written by 40-somethings with the comedic chops of their audience. But apparently, it works. My theatre was raucous, whooping and applauding when Steve announced his name, or when the infamous "Chicken Jockey" and "Flint and Steel" moments occurred. As per the latest figures, A Minecraft Movie has grossed close to $600 million in only a week.
On a positive note, for however ugly the creature designs were, the VFX looked good.
