5/12 ForReel Score | 2/5 Stars

A Minecraft Movie, the newest film directed by Jared Hess and based on the famous video game of the same name, begins with a 10-minute sequence where Jack Black's character, Steve, narrates in voice-over every action, object, and scene that happens on the screen. The plot starts with a 55-year-old man who wants to make his dreams come true outside of a corporate job, discovering an underworld where he can build anything. However, he also encounters a piggly-villain who wants to end creativity, and he’ll need some help from some outcasts in this adventure. During this sequence, there isn’t a moment where something is presented without the use of voice-over; everything that is shown in sound and image is over-explained by Jack Black without hesitation. This is how A Minecraft Movie begins, and from this moment on, everything that follows will be presented in the same way.

In a script written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta, A Minecraft Movie doesn’t care about its characters or the story; it’s all about the spectacle and action sequences, which try way too hard to entertain the audience. The motivations and goals of the main protagonists fall into tired clichés and lack depth, making the film feel more like an overextended SNL sketch centered around the dynamic between Jack Black and Jason Momoa, complete with cringeworthy and unfunny dialogue. Both actors have proven to be hilarious in other films, but here they come across as unchecked and misled by weak writing.

The film never slows down to explore the world of Minecraft—instead, it jumps from Jack Black’s voice-over explaining objects or small towns to a barrage of exhausting jokes, all while moving at a nonsensical pace. Even when characters are placed in front of CGI towns or forests, the visual effects resemble cheap green-screen filters straight out of TikTok. It’s impossible to believe that this movie had a $150 million budget behind it, because the visuals and story are just dancing around the creativity theme, without entering into it.

The film presents big blocks as the villain, stifling any sign of creativity in this corporate-themed movie. There is no interest from the production in making the audience think and care for these characters, particularly in comparison to similar films. I couldn’t help but think about my own childhood world-exploring adventures, such as Journey to the Center of the Earth or Zathura, where there was a genuine effort to make the protagonist characters feel real, with real-life problems, and to find answers in these unknown fantasy worlds. It would be great if Minecraft could show the same respect for its audience, even if they are children, as other recent adventure films did just a few years ago.

It’s obvious that A Minecraft Movie is for the younger generations with trendy Gen Z lingo like “unalived” (a newly developed word on TikTok and short form video to avoid social media censorship), making it apparent that this movie is primarily focused on memes and terminology meant to entertain this audience This simply further embraces low-brow comedic writing over the development of quality entertainment.

Most of the comedy rests on the Momoa-Black bromance while underutilizing the talents of co-stars Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks. Their characters are almost entirely forgotten as the story progresses. Their storylines are so poorly written and underdeveloped that there’s no meaningful change in their lives outside of the Minecraft world. In fact, the real-world setting in the film is practically indistinguishable from Minecraft—a world where kids invent things beyond the bounds of reality like some jet packs in art class, just like in the game. But the story gives no reason to root for these characters because they don’t have any clear goals beyond stopping the villain’s wish.

Just like the villain’s objectives, the movie suffers from a lack of creativity, following the same formulaic patterns. Where Brendan Fraser’s character was running out of money in Journey to the Center of the Earth, or two brothers needed to learn to survive together in Zathura, A Minecraft Movie shows no interest whatsoever in developing the characters or the situations happening on screen. In a present day where films like The Lego Movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the TV series Arcane serve as animated adaptations that expand the possibilities of video games and corporate toys, A Minecraft Movie leans into the most awkward elements of live-action filmmaking.

It’s just so strange to hear Jason Momoa and Jack Black screaming at each other while a fantastical world sits unexplored behind them with infinite possibilities. Yes, there are plenty of references to Minecraft, but the lack of story, character development, and the superficial narrative turn this adaptation of a game that celebrates creativity into the opposite: one of the most generic movies of the year.

Movie Review: "A Minecraft Movie" Is Style Over Substance, Where Even The Style Isn't Great