Five years after the release of the globally acclaimed sandbox video game, Minecraft, Mojang Studios and Warner Bros announced a Minecraft film with producers, Roy Lee and Jill Messick.
Fast forward 11 more years and we are now receiving said film, starring Jack Black as Steve. Despite the actor’s familiarity with audiences, from the clumsy Po in “Kung Fu Panda” to his most recent role as Bowser in “The Super Mario Movie,” fans were left concerned about the outcome of the film.
For the last few years, video game adaptations have been rising in popularity. Every triple-A video game company is seeking a taste of the cinematic experience. The stakes are high since fans put the expectations on a pedestal and studios are forced to show homage by staying truthful to the original source material.
It seems that some characters in “A Minecraft Movie” were adapted into the film to have a realistic approach, such as the sheep. While still maintaining its geometric shape, its features are based on an actual sheep. The trailer showcased that everything was made in that style and fans had a lot to say. “I went through the 7 stages of grief in one minute and twenty seconds,” username Uzay-b7I said.
Actors are an important part to consider when casting and, like Carrey’s charming display as Dr. Robotnik in “Sonic,” Jack Black’s acting was considered to be the possible saving grace for Mojang.
The moment of truth came upon the movie’s release on April 4. Fans went into theaters ready to criticize, only to realize that the film did exactly what it promised, and a good time was given. The movie is a comedic goldmine and the jamboree of the cast helped give the narrative a flourishing dynamic. Despite the quick pacing, the movie did an outstanding job at keeping fans on their seats.
A few homages to the history of the game were tossed in, not to mention some of the cameos from content creators who are famously known for uploading Minecraft related videos. One of these cameos being from Daniel Middleton, also known as DanTDM, who has been uploading Minecraft videos since 2012.
Furthermore, the comedy is the highlight of this film. Mojang Studios knew what this movie needed to be in order to succeed with audiences, especially with newcomers and longtime fans of the video game.
Due to the impact of memes, corny one liners became the MVPs of the moment. When those moments came onto the screen, fans had already rehearsed the lines from the teasers and trailers by heart. Echoes of people yelling “I am Steve,” and some singing Steve’s lava chicken jingle flooded the cinema.
Despite the silly and fun nature, the movie does have a message. Even though the simplicity of “A Minecraft Movie” plays a role in the film, it would have been interesting if we got to dive more into that message.
The movie’s director, Jared Hess, said, that the movie’s title comes from the game’s creative and free nature. “Just like every Minecrafter, every player, they bring their own original story to what they’re doing.”
It seems that a lot of thought went into this project, with creativity being the building blocks for the movie.
“A Minecraft Movie” may have taken some odd measures with the designs and appearance of the film, but ultimately those decisions were masked by the heart and hard work that was given by the studio.
