** SPOILERS AHEAD
Movie theaters flood with kids in teal shirts and creeper hoodies as they prepare for what is seemingly one of the best and worst movies of all time.
A Minecraft Movie hit theaters on April 4, and it reached $157 million (domestically) in box office sales on its opening weekend (making back all their money and them some), and nearly double for global sales (Box Office Mojo).
However, with the announcement and sneak peeks leading up to the release, the movie was not highly regarded and fans were widely skeptical. Some found the CGI to be dreadful and didn’t have high expectations, and in a sense, it wasn’t good. It was so bad that it was good.
Though A Minecraft Movie is by no means the first of its kind, in terms of video games getting movie adaptations. Two years ago, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie was released with a rather positive outlook, as well as the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Being a gamer myself, regardless of whether the movie was “good” or “bad,” all of these movies captured the essence of the game, and even brought some nostalgia with it.
A Minecraft Movie is based on the game Minecraft, created by Markus “Notch” Persson, who founded Mojang Studios. In the game, players can build anything they want out of whatever they want, and the movie truly captured the creativity expressed in Minecraft.
The movie opens with Steve, the main character, narrating how he ended up in the Overworld (the starting point in Minecraft). But anyone who’s ever played the game will understand that the movie’s start-up is also like the game’s, with the loading square and “loading terrain…” text.
The movie also touches on a few common first-time experiences. Such as building a dirt house and discovering zombies for the first time, and creepers (the demise for every Minecraft player).
While the movie did not mention The End, where the Ender Dragon resides, and upon slaying it, one can “complete” the game, the movie was geared more towards The Nether, a hell-like dimension only accessible via portal. Instead, the Piglins were the main antagonists.
What the movie may have lacked was made up for in casting, comedy, and cameos. The main cast included Jack Black as Steve, who added a flair of comedy per usual, Jason Momoa as Garett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, Emma Myers as Natalie, Sebastian Eugene Hansen as Henry, Danielle Brooks as Dawn, and a pleasant surprise with Jennifer Coolidge as Marlene.
As for cameos, during the auction scene, four rather famous Minecraft YouTubers make a brief appearance, including Mumbo Jumbo, DanTDM, Aphmau, and LDShadowLady. Also, in honor of the late YouTuber Technoblade, a pig with his iconic golden crown can be seen during the cast’s first look at a village in the overworld.
The way they combined elements of the game with the movie created a deeper understanding of it as a whole. The tiny details like taming a dog, building a dirt house, and going to the nether brought together a whole community of gamers. Not to mention the allusion to Alex in the post-credits being a nice mention.
“It was better than I expected, to be honest,” Flor Barajas Sierra (‘26) said. “It was 10/10 because there were so many people there who liked the same thing and were so happy when everyone came together to say the memes.”
The movie was an experience I could never forget. The theatre roared every time Steve said his popular lines, such as “I…am Steve.” And of course “Chicken Jockey.” While the movie may not have been top tier, that is not to say it wasn’t enjoyable. As some have put it, the movie was simply “Absolute Cinema.”
