A Minecraft Movie (2025)

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A Minecraft Movie is a loud, chaotic rollercoaster built for one specific crowd: TikTok-savvy teens and gamers fluent in Minecraft-speak. If you’re not part of that world, buckle up – this movie doesn’t ease you in. Instead, it bombards you with deep-cut references, meme-ready lines, and nonstop action. The pacing is frantic, the humor deeply embedded in the game’s culture, and the tone so self-congratulatory it risks leaving everyone else scrambling to keep up. There’s nothing wrong with movies made for kids—but why can’t they be clever, too?

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The story follows a group of real-world misfits who stumble into the Minecraft universe after finding a portal in an abandoned mine. At the center is Steve (Jack Black), a failed doorknob salesman imprisoned in the Nether by Malgosha, a creativity-hating piglin queen. Years later, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), a washed-up ’80s video game champ, finds Steve’s artifacts at a storage auction. Along with siblings Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), and their overly enthusiastic real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks), they’re sucked into the blocky game world. To defeat Malgosha and return home, they must mine, craft, and battle their way through raids, mansions, and mobs.

The cast clearly has fun with the material. Black brings his trademark manic energy to Steve, who spends much of the movie explaining the rules of the Minecraft universe to the others – and, by extension, to the audience. Momoa leans into his washed-up surfer persona, while Brooks makes the most of her scenes. Myers and Hansen add sincerity, though they get lost in the sensory overload. Jennifer Coolidge steals the show as Vice Principal Marlene, especially in scenes where her character falls for a Minecraft villager who crosses into the real world – those moments are genuinely funny and the only ones that made me laugh.

The comedy leans heavily on exaggerated versions of its stars – Black, Momoa, and Coolidge – leaving little room for depth. To make up for its lack of storytelling, the film unleashes a nonstop barrage of fanservice. Crafting montages, build sequences, and village raids are all present, alongside constant references to in-game mechanics. Characters shout things like “THIS IS A CRAFTING TABLE!” and “LET’S MINECRAFT!” with meme-ready enthusiasm. Even the random “CHICKEN JOCKEY!” moment is treated like a viral catchphrase. It’s so self-referential, it feels more like ticking off a content checklist than telling an actual story.

Word of warning: if you catch it in theaters, brace yourself for the crowd. Teenagers yell lines before they happen, cheer every in-game reference, and toss popcorn – treating it like an event. At my showing, the theater had signs warning that disruptive behavior could lead to removal. That alone speaks to the level of audience participation this movie draws.

So, is it well-made? Kind of. Director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) brings his offbeat style – awkward characters, deadpan delivery, and lo-fi weirdness – which will work for some but alienate others. The CGI swings between charming and clunky, likely an intentional nod to the game’s pixelated roots. It adds personality but also contributes to the visual overload. Ultimately, it’s not a bad movie – just one with an extremely specific appeal.

In the end, A Minecraft Movie is less a film than a frenetic compilation of references and memes. Yes, it’s for kids – but the generation that grew up with Minecraft is nearing 40, and this clearly isn’t for them. There’s no heart, no depth – just spectacle for spectacle’s sake. Jack Black sings (more than once), and I cringed every time. Still, the teens and kids around me were eating it up, laughing and cheering nonstop. It’s a hit with its audience. But for anyone hoping for more than flash and noise, this one falls flat: chaotic, loud, and laser-focused on the TikTok crowd. If that’s not you, tough luck – this movie doesn’t care.