Video game adaptations have become increasingly prominent over the last few years. From television to film, we have seen how some of the most iconic video games have been adapted in a new way for fans and critics alike. In the last few years, the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie trilogy and the hilariously awful “Borderlands” film are just some of the adaptations brought to the silver screen. While 2023 gave us “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie, there was still one video game whose adaptation many were patiently waiting for since its release in 2011: “Minecraft.”
Most people have played or at least know of “Minecraft.” It is a simple sandbox game that allows players to create whatever they want using the environment around them. It does not have much in the way of a story, so people took to telling their own stories in the game. When talk of a movie adaptation began, people guessed what the movie’s plot would be about. After years of production hell, we finally got “A Minecraft Movie,” and it is awful from beginning to end. The story follows Henry and Natalie, siblings adjusting to their new lives after the loss of their parents. They meet a deadbeat video game store owner and 80’s arcade champion named Garett and discover a magical artifact. The trio, along with their neighbor Dawn, follow the artifact to a mysterious portal in a mineshaft, which leads them to the world of “Minecraft.” There, they meet Steve, who helps them get back home. If this plot sounds crazy and all over the place, that is because it is.
The pacing of the film is terrible. There is too much happening, so we never get to learn anything about the world and the characters in it. It feels as though they are going through the motions rather than exploring interesting concepts that could have worked in this movie’s favor. Instead, we spend 40% of the runtime watching a random woman on a date with a villager. The pacing issues made for insanely boring characters with the depth of a wooden plank. This movie likes to tell you how important Henry and Natalie are to each other, but never really shows how their parents’ death has impacted them, neglecting to explore their characters past a surface level. Dawn barely contributes anything to the movie, acting more like a guide for Natalie in the same way that Garett is to Henry. The only characters that were fleshed out to a degree are Steve and Garett, the latter of whom has actual character progression, whereas Steve’s entire character is carried by the fact Jack Black is playing him.
The only aspect of this film that saves it from being a total disaster are the visuals. Since “A Minecraft Movie” was live action instead of animated, the animators successfully recreated familiar aspects of the game, such as the blocky landscapes, the items and mobs. The well-crafted visuals, however, do not repair the film’s shortcomings. Even the YouTuber cameos felt pushed aside, and the film ultimately fails to honor the community or the fans.
“A Minecraft Movie” is an unfaithful adaptation of a legendary video game franchise with bad writing and boring characters. It has great concepts that are held back by the movie’s horrendous pacing and favoring of comedy over quality. It is only enjoyable for a purely ironic viewing experience. Luckily, a more faithful “Minecraft” adaptation is currently in the works at Netflix.
