Build your own World: A Minecraft Movie Review
Minecraft, the popular online, sandbox game, was officially released in 2011 after two years of public beta. It was started by Markus Persson, known as "Notch" online, as an open world, isometric, three-dimensional, and first-person RPG game that allows players the freedom to explore randomly generated worlds. When the game was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5 million dollars in 2014, it has sold five million copies worldwide and a movie adaptation was being developed by Warner-Bros. Though it took a while to develop, the Minecraft movie has finally been released in theaters.
A movie based on an open world game must have been difficult to screen write, but Allison Schroeder, famed for her work on Hidden Figures, Christopher Robin, and Frozen II, seems up to the task. Featuring a star-studded cast with Jack Black and Jason Momoa as well as many others, we are whisked into a virtual world to save the Overworld from an unsavory ruler of the Nether. The story revolves around the return of the Orb of Dominance to the virtual world after being hidden, thanks to Jack Black’s character, Steve. When Malgosha, the unsavory rule of the Nether, gets hold of the orb, a band of incongruous friends must craft weapons, survive the darkness, and save the Overworld from destruction.
The movie features several nominal celebrities that elicit many comedic moments. Matt Berry voices a jobless villager, Danielle Brooks as a real estate agent that unintentionally gets roped into the adventure, and Jennifer Coolidge, playing a vice principal that becomes romantically involved with the villager. Each character imbues their unique blend of comedy to the delight of the audience.
To paraphrase a recent video from Hank Green, a popular YouTube star, this movie will not win any awards, but it orchestrated a sense of community that is rare to find. Given the longevity of the successful online game, the range of age groups in our theater were diverse; young, old, boy, girl, black, white, and all those in-between. The laugher from the audience scattered throughout, with some the jokes only noticed by diehard fans.
There were moments of the typical brashness of Hollywood’s attempt at creating outrageous situations. One of the action moments involving Jack Black and Jason Momoa involved squeezing themselves together to narrowly fit through tunnel. Not the most family-friendly moment, for sure, but elicited some laughter at its absurdity. The scenes with Jennifer Coolidge befriending the lost villager when they escaped from the virtual world were humorous, especially for fans that know her style of comedy. Be sure to stay in the theater during the credits for an epilogue between those two characters that is worth the wait.
All in all, it was a delightful movie for any fans of Minecraft. It will leave fans smiling from nostalgic game references, Jack Black’s iconic musical interludes, and much more.
