The video game Minecraft defined a generation and left an impact on pop culture with merchandise, spinoffs, YouTubers specializing in the game, along with fan-made content. After so many years, an official movie based on the game was finally released. With an adventure between worlds, stellar reimagining of in-game graphics and a combination of human vs. creature, “A Minecraft Movie” is an entertaining movie for all that grew up with the game.
The film was directed by Jared Hess and is based on Minecraft, the 2011 sandbox game created by Mojang Studios. The movie stars Jack Black as Steve, Jason Momoa as Garrett Garrison, Emma Myers as Natalie, Sebastian Eugene Hansen as Henry and Danielle Brooks as Dawn.
The plot revolves around Henry, Garrett, Natalie and Dawn accidentally traveling to the Overworld which leads to them teaming up with Steve to fight against mobs in the Overworld and the Nether, which is led by ruling piglet Malgosha.
The movie first takes place in Chuglass, Idaho, an average small town that is proud of their potato chips. After activating the Orb of Dominance, that’s when the rest of the cast teleport to the game’s Overworld, where the rest of the story continues.
A scene which encapsulates every first-time player’s fear is when the human characters travel to the Overworld, which is the main world of the game. At one point, the world transitions into night, which rolls into a high-stakes sequence where the human characters run from all the night mobs. Whether it’s dodging the arrows fired by skeletons, punching back zombies or quickly creating a structure for shelter, it equivocates to the fright experienced by beginner players once the environment becomes their enemy in darkness.
Another is referring to the first-time player’s first playthrough, narrated by Steve, with small first day achievements being a house made of dirt blocks. It transitions to a house made of wood blocks before evolving to the creative masterpiece of creating an entire theme park.
Transforming the video game graphics into the movie is done exceptionally well. The realism of items like crystal blue diamond swords, the texture of Steve’s wolf named Dennis and grotesque appearance of the zombie pigmen exemplify the fascination one would have while playing the game.
The music in the film is a combination of an original orchestral score, licensed tunes and a few originals sung by Jack Black.
There’s additional direct nods to Minecraft such as how the Overworld creatures have the same sound effects from the game and a variation of “Sweden,” the song composed by artist C148 for the game, plays a few times in neutral Overworld scenes. Several YouTubers known in the game’s community also feature in cameo roles.
The villager that travels to Chuglass provides some comic relief through the side plot involving him and Morene, the vice principal played by Jennifer Coolidge. Additionally, Black and Momoa’s chemistry allows for laughable moments. Such is when after cooking chicken with lava, Steve refuses to eat a chicken leg due to its high temperature, since it was cooked with volcanic material. Garrett scoffs at Steve and takes a bite out of the chicken, only to whimper with steam blowing out of his nose as he attempts to act like it doesn’t burn at all.
Throughout the movie is the reflective question of what does it mean to grow up. What led Steve to travel to the Overworld was a result of chasing his passion of mining after facing boredom working a regular office job. For Henry, his intelligence is belittled by classmates and it isn’t until he becomes part of the adventure where he gets to show off his creativity through actions such as crafting a flying iron golem, the equivalent to adding in-game mods.
Does growing up have to mean giving up on chasing your dreams, no matter how crazy or ambitious they may be, just to instead end up in a mundane and routine lifestyle? Or can one have a balance of both, of stability and still have the drive to follow desired quests in life?
All in all, “A Minecraft Movie” does enough to be remembered as one of the better video game movie adaptations.
Copy edited by Trinity Balboa
