Get ready to… build stuff, I guess. Warner Bros. has released a trailer for A Minecraft Movie, the cinematic adaptation of the most popular video game of all time (somehow). A Minecraft Movie follows a group of people who are sucked through a portal into Overworld, a fantasy land that revolves around blocks and “imagination.” To get back home and save Overworld from evil, they’ll have to team up with a crafter named Steve and… build stuff, I guess. Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen star in A Minecraft Movie, with Jack Black as Steve; Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, Jermaine Clement, and Max Berry also star. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) from a script by Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer (Masterminds, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life), A Minecraft Movie will arrive in theaters on April 4, 2025. You can see the trailer below:
I don’t think A Minecraft Movie is for me. The game never appealed to me, and I’m baffled about how it became the highest-selling video game ever. But the movie itself seems very silly and childish, which is probably a good route for them to take. Minecraft is the kind of game I can see being popular with kids; it’s inoffensive, so parents aren’t going to object, and if my understanding of it is correct, it’s something that’ll test and maybe improve their puzzle-solving abilities, like Tetris. A movie isn’t going to be as interactive as a game, so they may as well make it fun for the kids. Casting Jack Black is a good step in that direction, and he seems to be making video game adaptations his new specialty, with A Minecraft Movie being his third after The Super Mario Bros. Movie (which I have to believe influenced the title) and Borderlands. It’s not a bad niche for a guy like Black to carve out for himself, and embodying a series of popular video game characters could win him a new generation of fans.
If I’m not mistaken, I think Black’s Steve is the only character from the video game in A Minecraft Movie, so Jason Momoa and the others are playing originals. That makes sense; this seems like a Jumanji type of setup where players from the real world are transported into the game, or something akin to that. That being said, Momoa’s outfit in that trailer is… weird. He’s wearing a pink jacket, and he has that awful wig. They could be playing against type for humorous effect, like having this big, masculine-looking guy like Jason Momoa in pink. But I suspect this was Momoa’s idea; in Fast X, where he played the villain, there’s a point in the film where he starts dressing oddly feminine, painting his nails, and carrying around pocketbooks. This appears to have been at Momoa’s behest, an attempt to shake up his macho image. I’m inclined to think he wanted this in A Minecraft Movie, too, and he certainly stands out. Considering this is Warner Bros., it could also be some dopey studio thing because of Barbie’s success. (“Maybe Barbie was so popular because people love pink” is just the kind of idiotic thing a Hollywood suit would say in a boardroom full of ostensible adults.)
Other than the casting, the computer animation doesn’t look all that good, although I suppose they’re trying to capture the look of the game. Fair enough, but based on the trailer, I don’t think it translates to film all that well. And I don’t really see what the big evil they have to protect Overworld from would be, aside from the silly farm animals with blocklike bodies. But, again, this isn’t for me; it’s for Minecraft fans, many of whom must be little kids, and I hope they have a good time with it. If A Minecraft Movie makes as much money as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I think it’s a safe bet that video game adaptations will be the next big thing for Hollywood; if, on the other hand, it does Borderlands business, this trend could stop before it gets any real traction.
Let us know what you think of the trailer for A Minecraft Movie in the comments!
Jack Black has been doing the same thing since he was 13 years old!
Look up the commercial for Pitfall. Another video game.
An entire life of slacker pampered privilege. Is this typical of Hollywood? Think so. It’s a handout. Socialism for the privileged.
Momoa looks gay which is scary because he is like 6 foot 5 and built about as fit as you could want. Disturbing. He’s a huge man. No T level issues, but looks like an 80s aerobics instructor here.
I honestly think Ryan would make a better Steve.
Or maybe like Jack Quaid. Maybe even Shia LeBouf.
Jack Black looks awful. Overweight, hairy, dirty, ugly. He’s just in everything all the time. Jumanji, Borderlands, like is he in every single video game movie. There used to be a concept of being “overexposed.” He’s at least 10 years past the expiration date. Used to be a fan. Now, he just phones in every role.
The overall trailer looks awful. Kids deserve better.