(L to R) Jack Black as Steve, Danielle Brooks as Dawn and Jason Momoa as Garrett in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
In theaters on April 4th, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ adapts the wildly popular (at least, a few years ago, before the likes of ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Roblox’ took over) video game where players can craft whatever they want in the blocky universe known as the “Overworld.”
While some recent game adaptations have triumphed through finding a unique way into the story, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ has only occasional nods towards that, preferring instead to appeal to its young-skewing audience via bombastic action and comedy.
Related Article: Danielle Brooks Talks Video Game Adaptation ‘A Minecraft Movie’
Does ‘A Minecraft Movie’ build something that works?
(L to R) Jason Momoa as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, Sebastian Hansen as Henry, Danielle Brooks as Dawn and Emma Myers as Natalie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Video game adaptations were tarred for years with a lack of success, and to be clearer, a lack of understanding what really needs to happen with you convert something from one medium to another. Then, the likes of ‘Detective Pikachu,’ Netflix’s ‘Arcane,’ the burgeoning ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ franchise and even ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ proved that it could work –– though that last one is more box office behemoth than true creative challenge.
Along the same lines; albeit product rather than game, is ‘The LEGO Movie,’ which showed that it you find the right creators, who hit upon a great idea, you can end up with something really special, particularly if it’s people who don’t treat the source material like gospel to be taken fully successfully.
It’s that last entry to which we might best compare ‘A Minecraft Movie’, though put up against the sheer lunatic invention of ‘LEGO,’ the new offering certainly falls a lot shorter, with fewer points with which to recommend it.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Director Jared Hess and Sebastian Hansen on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Kristy Griffin. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
It’s normal for a project that has been in development for as long as the ‘Minecraft’ outing to boast contributions from a laundry list of writers –– let’s be honest, even the successful ones usually come to screens with a host of uncredited input by funny/professional people. Yet with five people listed on the screenplay: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta, you might expect ‘A Minecraft Movie’ to have come through with a few more original ideas.
Yet for all the concepts drawn from within the game (build anything you can imagine from the blocky source fodder of the “Overworld” and the various creatures/characters who populate the game), this still falls back on some awfully familiar structures, including Hunt for the Object, the Villain who Hates Everything the Heroes Care About and Seeks to Destroy it and the Coming of Age/Believe in Yourself storylines.
(L to R) Jason Momoa and director Jared Hess on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Kristy Griffin. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What we have here is essentially a remix of those, and while, yes, a lot of films of this genre go for that, it’s how you use them. ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ while sometimes poking fun at the ideas, goes the fairly basic route. Some of the gags land (largely sold by the performers, more on that below), but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. And some of the parts feel awfully second-hand.
As a director, Jared Hess has put out fiercely original, goofy takes on life such as his breakout ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ and he does manage to bring some of his offbeat comic energy to the film. It’s also credit to him and his team that the world comes across as decent, as opposed to the rushed, cloudy CG-scapes that have brought the likes of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ low.
Still, there remains the feeling that ‘Minecraft’ has seen Hess’ voice fed through the studio machine to some degree.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Emma Myers as Natalie, Danielle Brooks as Dawn, Sebastian Hansen as Henry and Jason Momoa as Garrett in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If there’s one element that feels like it drives everything else, it’s the paired zaniness of Jack Black and Jason Momoa.
Black, of course, is bringing his usual manic energy to the role of Steve, the crafter who found his way to the Overworld and in it, discovered what he was looking for (alongside a loyal, blocky wolf companion named Dennis).
If you’re not a fan of Black’s particular, enthusiastic and occasionally musical delivery, you’ll probably be turned off by his wild-eyed posturing and his gesticulating. But vibe with him (and a lot of the kid audience already does) and he brings the role to vivid life, managing to be silly and heartfelt in one package.
Jason Momoa, meanwhile, has proved in the past that he can lean into weirdness when called upon, and here his Garrett, a shaggy-haired, pink-tasseled leather jacket-wearing wannabe badass is another solid comic creation for the actor to bring to life. By turns fake-macho and sensitive, he wouldn’t be out of place in the world of video game documentary ‘The King of Kong’ and he’s just on the right side of annoying as to be watchable.
Jennifer Coolidge in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Also on a comic vibe –– though sidelined to such a degree as to almost be completely detached from the narrative at points –– is Jennifer Coolidge, whose kooky energy serves her well as Vice Principal Marlene, who ends up on a dinner date with one of the Minecraft characters who makes it into the real world and chews on her lines almost as much as her meal.
Elsewhere, the other human characters such as Emma Myers‘ Natalie and Sebastian Hansen’s Henry are there to provide the heart, which makes them much blander, though they do get their moments.
And while her specific comedy vibe is mostly wasted, Danielle Brooks also has one or two decent gags.
On the villainous side, we have the always-reliable Rachel House (‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ and many of Taika Waititi’s other movies), who voices piggy witch Malgosha, a creature with a dark, destructive agenda. She might not sound all that threatening, but she sells the character’s comic business, particularly during a climatic showdown with Black’s Steve.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ never hits the heights of ‘The LEGO Movie,’ but it’s certainly more willing to take risks than Illumination’s ‘Mario’ effort.
Definitely aimed more at younger audiences (this is a real case of “parents, ask your kids,” it’s overstuffed and under-considered, but does the job.
“Be there and be square.”
60
1 hr 41 minApr 4th, 2025
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland… Read the Plot
What is the plot of ‘A Minecraft Movie’?
Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle 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 (Jack 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.
Who is in the cast of ‘A Minecraft Movie’?
- Jason Momoa as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison
- Jack Black as Steve
- Emma Myers as Natalie
- Danielle Brooks as Dawn
- Sebastian Hansen as Henry
- Jennifer Coolidge as Vice Principal Marlene
- Rachel House as Malgosha
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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