Four misfits are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world while embarking on a quest with an unexpected, expert crafter.
Bored with his working life, Steve (Jack Black) accidentally discovers the Overworld while exploring the mines one day. He loves this new world but gets stuck there until a ragtag group consisting of Garrett (Jason Momoa), a washed-up video game champion, Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a real estate agent with a ton of side hustles, Henry (Sebastian Hansen), a young boy, and Natalie (Emma Myers), his older sister, discover it again years later.
Honestly, I thought this movie looked awful. The trailers never compelled me. I figured this was just another cash grab (which it is) that the studio would fumble. But I was pleasantly surprised by the humor in this film. Is this film very quippy? Yes, but it feels more organic and cleverer with its jokes.
Movie studios today focus on generating hits from intellectual property (IP). It’s a bit disappointing for viewers like me, who value original stories, but IP seems to get people to theaters and earn the big bucks, whether that is superheroes, toys, etc. Minecraft is a popular video game that allows you to create many things from blocks. The game has no storyline, and that is my biggest issue with this film.
I have never played Minecraft, so the lore and the story did not always make sense. Why is there another realm full of evil pigs? Why do creepers and zombies attack at night? Where do they come from? None of this is explained. In the “real” world, what town are they in? It’s retro ‘80s style but also supposed to be modern-day. Again, it just does not make sense.
Jason Momoa usually plays a macho man in films, so it was a nice change of pace to see him play a loser here. His character is also pretty humorous, and he can keep up with Jack Black. Black had the unfortunate job of providing exposition about everything, but the film tried to distract viewers from noticing that by having him do it in various fun ways, like fighting zombies.
Jack Black and Jason Momoa may have carried this film, but Jennifer Coolidge was the highlight. Her scenes always made me laugh, which made the film for me. They utilized her well with her typical awkward, offbeat humor. No spoilers, but there is a scene with her that plays during the end credits that feels like it was tailor-made for me when another character’s voice is revealed.
No offense to the kids here, but I was not interested in the storyline about this brother-sister duo. Natalie is forced to grow up fast because their parents are no longer in the picture, so she is now Henry’s guardian. Henry is a smart kid, but he has trouble making friends. He only really befriends Garrett and later Steve once they go into the Overworld.
Lastly, I thought Danielle Brooks was wasted. She is the kid’s real estate agent who also has a lot of side hustles. I don’t know what the purpose of her character was except to help tame the Minecraft animals, which you could have one of the other characters do. She and Natalie were just there for the majority of the movie.
The director, Jared Hess, made two films that were huge for me growing up—Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. These films developed my humor as a child, and I think it’s cool that “A Minecraft Movie” may do the same for kids today.
So, “A Minecraft Movie” surprised me in a good way. The story may not make much sense, especially to those who don’t play the video game, but the film does deliver on laughs.
In Theaters Friday, April 4th
