I generally agree with everything, but I’d also like to offer a more optimistic counterpoint, especially since my opinions have softened a bit since the initial reaction.
For starters, many have pointed out that this is being directed by Jared Hess, the director of Napoleon Dynamite, generally considered one of the greatest comedy movies of all time. That’s not to say a director who’s done well in the past is always going to do well, but it does tell us that the movie they’re trying to make isn’t meant to be some self-serious examination of Minecraft or its world or themes, but mostly just something that captures the fun and feeling of playing Minecraft while being a bit ridiculous and goofy.
Which is fitting in its own way considering that the world of Minecraft, if anyone is being genuinely honest with themselves, is quite goofy and ridiculous.
This is just me, but the one snippet of a scene we see where the group is crafting and Mamoa’s character makes some double-chained bucket with a goofy little animation and all of the items in the background actually does look fun and charming to me.
Second is that, apparently, the producers of this movie went to great lengths to ensure the film is being as true to Minecraft as possible. Personally speaking, they could obviously only go so far with that considering the live-action limitations, but I’ve seen that the crew invited many Minecraft YouTubers to the set and seem to have put a lot of attention and effort into making all of the props and environments look and feel like Minecraft.
Personally speaking again, the “HD, realistic texture-pack” look has never appealed to me, and it still doesn’t here. But that’s mostly just for the mobs - the background environments actually look quite cool.
Last point I want to speak to is the plot. I’m not sure that the main cast is a family - I’ve never heard that anywhere.
The official synopsis reads as follows:
“Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”
“Four misfits” doesn’t sound like a family to me. What it does sound like is Jumanji, like exactly, which while completely unoriginal and a bit overdone, does work narratively.
I’m a big believer in the idea that the specifics of a plot on paper don’t really matter - what ultimately matters is the pathos of the story, the raw emotion and feeling. The synopsis, to me, does have the potential to be emotive, to have pathos. I think if the themes this movie is trying to deliver on (that being the core idea of Minecraft, that creativity and imagination are central to the human experience and fulfillment) are delivered with any ounce of sincerity, then it can still work.
Not that I’m doubting it won’t succeed; this is the most popular game in history we’re talking about here. It will make millions, if not billions, at the box office regardless of its quality. At bare minimum, you’ll have Minecraft’s predominantly young children audience flocking to it, and if it is bad you’ll probably have many adults flocking to it to see just how bad it really is.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think that this movie should have been a LEGO Movie-type animated affair. I could see a movie that looks very similar to the official Minecraft trailers and animations, maybe with a stop-motion effect, and a story focusing on Minecraft characters exploring the experience of playing Minecraft working extremely well.
That’s sadly not the movie we got. And yes, the visuals are extremely jarring and weird. I don’t think they’re original Sonic movie uncanny, but they aren’t ideal.
I’m also not a big fan of Jack Black in this movie. He was great as Bowser, but his portrayal of Steve seems to just sort of be…his usual self. Not that Steve has any identifiable character traits, but personally I can only handle small does of Jack Black’s Jack Black nature.
But while it may be a little bit goofy and weird, if it winds up being fun, then I think that’s okay in the end.
