“A Minecraft Movie” (2025)
I am not a big Minecraft person. The only time I ever played was at a volunteer sneak peek of a Minecraft exhibit at the Museum of Pop Culture, and I was embarrassed because the curator had to help me out of a pit I got stuck in.
All that to say, while I know little to nothing about the game, I was still able to find some enjoyment in “A Minecraft Movie.”
Jack Black is at his Jack Black-est as Steve, a renowned character to those who play the game. In the movie, he is portrayed as someone who wasn’t meant for the real world but thrives in the Minecraft word he discovers through a portal.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Garett Garrison (Jason Momoa) is a macho dude who peaked in the ’80s and is about lose everything.
Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and his big sister, Natalie (Emma Myers), just moved to the town where he lives and found their house through Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a realtor who has a mobile zoo side hustle, complete with a llama.
Through a few fateful moments, these four humans find themselves thrust into the Minecraft world, crossing paths with Steve and all kinds of creatures and beings, good and bad.
As they figure out how to get back to the real world and stop the evil pigs from taking over, the characters bond, and Henry really comes into his own as a master builder like Steve.
While I found the performances by Black and Momoa to be super cartoonish and over-the-top (which isn’t always bad in a movie like this), I really thought the younger actors, Hansen and Myers, did a fantastic job.
I’ve loved Brooks since “Orange Is the New Black,” but I really feel like she isn’t given much to do here other than provide color commentary on some of the things the others do.
It was fun to see this movie in a crowd that included families and fans of the game, as their enthusiasm for different parts of the movie was invigorating.
If you’re a Minecraft fan and/or looking for a fun family-friendly film to watch, I recommend checking out “A Minecraft Movie.” Otherwise, you can probably skip it.