A Minecraft Movie is a movie adaptation of one of the most played video games of all time, Minecraft, and has quickly become one of the most talked about cinema experiences of the 2020’s, having almost completely taken over the cultural zeitgeist online for a number of weeks. Read on to find out why.
Despite middling critical reviews, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ has become the highest grossing Hollywood box office release, and the second highest globally in 2025 making a staggering $816 million since release. The film casts Jack Black as the beloved games base character Steve, and has an equally stacked supporting cast including Jason Mamoa, Jennifer Coolidge and Danielle Brooks.
From the launch of the trailer, the internet embraced the surrealism of the concept and went to work creating memes and songs online which only served to boost awareness of the upcoming release. As time ticked on, hype grew, but no one could have predicted the gruelling weeks theatre employees would have to endure. Crowds cheered and shouted at the pieces of dialogue which had become memes and children seemed to know the words to songs like ‘Lava Chicken’. Popcorn was sent flying in all directions. As the days went on audience reactions only got more extreme. Videos began to circulate online, one of which had an audience member thrust a live chicken in the air upon hearing Black’s most viral line ‘Chicken Jockey’, and another showed fireworks being set off in the cinema.
Unfortunately, the film itself offers very little merit to justify such an audience reaction. The film opens with a pummelling of exposition and no real stakes are presented throughout, giving the audience no investment in the fate of the characters. The story itself has no depth and instead just serves as a vehicle to get you to the next viral scene or reference to the original IP. After 2+ decades of excellent family friendly films, the excuse for a lack of substance being a younger target audience no longer holds water.
Having live action characters did have its benefits (which we will delve into later), but it also had its drawbacks. The animated Minecraft world that was created was excellent, but it all took a tumble when live action actors were haphazardly green screened in. The animated fight choreography worked well and was fun and engaging, but interactions between animated characters and the main cast were executed poorly, particularly in action scenes.
The benefit of having live action characters in ‘A Minecraft Movie’ was the actors’ performances. Jack Black and Jason Mamoa were superbly entertaining and the on-screen chemistry between the two was genuinely amusing. As he does in many films, Black played an overly exaggerated caricature of himself which really lends itself to the various musical numbers scattered throughout the film. Mamoa’s character was grandiose, taking himself very seriously, while also being seen as weak and a bit silly. The young actors played their roles well and Jennifer Coolidge had a few funny moments, particularly during the credits with the addition of Matt Berry in the scene, even if some of the humour caused an eye roll here and there.
Another positive of the film was the attention given to the game it was based on. While the number of references were tiresome, an audience member cannot say the team behind the film did not understand the IP, giving fans of the property plenty to recognise. As previously mentioned, the creation of the world in ‘A Minecraft Movie’ was impressive and immersive.
To conclude, while ‘A Minecraft Movie’ had its fun moments, aside from gaining an understanding of what a chicken jockey is, it cannot be recommended. The story’s chaotic nature played into the open world sandbox genre of the IP it was based on, but this did not translate well onto the big screen and while its impact on the theatre experience has not yet been fully realised, I’m sure ‘Flint and Steel’ will haunt the nightmares of cinema employees for weeks to come.
If you would like to experience ‘A Minecraft Movie’ without the riotous crowds, why not visit your local Richer Sounds to discuss your very own home cinema?
Author: Piers, Maidstone Store
