Cinematic Point Of View

All three of my kids love Minecraft. Over the years, I’ve spent countless hours playing Minecraft with them and watching them play and listening to the iconic C14 Minecraft music and watching Minecraft LIVE. We’re a Minecraft family.

So that brings us to A Minecraft Movie.

We’ve all seen the trailers. After years and years of production delay, they didn’t really inspire confidence in me. My youngest turned 11 the day before the premiere and really wanted to see it opening night. The grandparents were in town so we bought tickets for them too. We decided to go big and got tickets for the IMAX 2D screening.

Friday night arrived. We all had low expectations. Even the kids who were excited to see it also knew to set expectations to “not be stunned.”

When we got there the concession line was long and the theater was packed. The place was full of laughing kids and families chatting about the what to expect and having a nice time. I hadn’t seen a movie with a crowd like this in forever.

The lights went down and after 20 minutes of previews (Man oh man, I can’t wait to see the new Superman movie) the movie began. Okay, that’s probably enough build up and I don’t want to write anything spoilery so the bottom line is…

We all loved it.

A Minecraft Movie is a ton a fun. It’s dumb. It’s funny. It’s in on the joke. It makes fun of itself in a smart way and it has a ton of heart. There’s a lot of love put into this film.

I thought the special FX were great. Beautiful and vibrant. They were using some nice “shaders” for sure. Villagers. Pigs. Zombies. Creepers. Piglins. Iron Golems. Bees. Ghasts. The designs were fantastic and felt cinematic while retaining the feel of the game somehow.

I was afraid I wouldn’t like Jack Black as “Steve” but he won me over. He was all in. I was afraid that Jason Momoa would be terrible, but I ended up loving his character “Garret,” a washed up, lovable loser still living out his glory days as a gamer in the 80s. I thought he was hilarious and wasn’t afraid to look like a fool. I kinda have a new respect for him.

The kids, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers) are perfectly cast with just the right amount of nerdiness and likability.

There were little Mojang cameos and YouTuber easter eggs hidden throughout the film. Lots of nods to people and details that fans could appreciate if they were paying attention. There were plenty of director Jared Hess‘s Napoleon Dynamite references carried over into the movie as well, which was a cool. (Could they exist in the same universe?)

The entire experience was excellent. There was a general happy glow going in this theater. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Little kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents. Everyone was laughing and we all had big, happy, nerdy smiles on our faces.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I saw a big, dumb comedy in a theater full of happy people. It was a welcome change of pace. It made me feel like a kid. Can’t ask for much more than that.

So if you’re a Minecraft fan without a chip on your shoulder, gather some friends and family and go see it on the big screen. Even with all my praise, set your expectations to low. It’s not comedy of the year or anything. It’s a fun bit of escape meant to be enjoyed with friends. This isn’t survival mode. Go creative.

I hope it does really well and they make a sequel. I’d happily go back to spend more time A Second Minecraft Movie.