Worthy of Jack Black’s Talents

The Pitch: Welcome to the Overworld, a place where a person might craft wonders out of what they might find in a mine. A Minecraft Movie begins with an obligatory scene-setting prologue that offers a basic explanation as to how a dude named Steve (Jack Black) found himself in a world where you can build anything you like. Then, we’re introduced to teenager Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and his older sister/guardian Natalie (Emma Myers), who have just relocated to a small Idaho town where Henry is instantly having a hard time fitting in.

If you’ve seen a movie like this before, you know it won’t be too long until Natalie and Henry end up sucked into the Overworld, along with washed-up professional video game player Garrett (Jason Momoa) and lady-of-a-dozen-side-hustles Dawn (Danielle Brooks). There, they’ll discover both the wonders and the terrors (giant spiders!) of this new world, as the quintet of heroes attempt to find a way back to our world while also saving the Overworld from the creativity-hating evil queen Malgosha (voiced by the wonderful Rachel House). Getting home won’t be easy — fortunately, everything they need to make it possible… they can build themselves.

Back with Black: It’s the faintest of praise to say that A Minecraft Movie is the best video game movie Jack Black has made in the last year, since the previous film he starred in was Borderlands. However, the Jared Hess-directed adventure is a relatively accessible, often enjoyable adaptation of the best-selling video game of all time, its family-friendly good heart unencumbered by its overstuffed narrative.

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It’s been a few years since Black was at the center of a movie like this — while he’s hardly been gone from the public spotlight, his focus has been largely in voice work and supporting roles — and Minecraft lets him unleash his inner big kid in ways that inspire fond memories of his younger, pre-magnificient-salt-and-pepper-beard days. (He sings no fewer than four songs over the course of the movie, too.)

Build. Explore. Create: Even if you have very little familiarity with Minecraft, A Minecraft Movie will not defy your comprehension. There is a post-credits sequence that will make no real sense to a person who’s never played the game (like myself) — thankfully, Warner Bros. had invited not just critics but their families to the press screening, so as the lights went up and I moved to leave the theater, I got to overhear the 13-year-old next to me explain its significance to his parent.

Otherwise, the game’s established visual aesthetic translates nicely to the screen, with well-rendered visual effects bringing cubist sheep, warrior pigs, and other wild creations to life. There’s plenty of digitally-rendered combat throughout the film along with some imaginative action sequences — no spoilers for my favorite bit, except to say that I never thought Jason Momoa and Falkor the Luck Dragon would ever have more in common beyond their beautiful flowing locks.

A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros.)

The Builders: Black’s not the only musically inclined member of the eclectic cast, which includes an unexpected Flight of the Conchords reunion thanks to Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie both playing supporting roles, and McKenzie contributing two songs to the soundtrack. But the Kiwi boys play second fiddle to the core quintet, because yes, this movie has five main characters.

It could be argued that that’s one or two too many. Yet while the plot fails to service all of them effectively (on a narrative level, you wouldn’t really miss Dawn or Garrett if they weren’t there), the size of the ensemble does create a unique found family dynamic that feels fresher than other kid fare. This is a collection of people who have barely any connection to each other — except for brother and sister Henry and Natalie — and yet by the end their exceptionally random chemistry is actually kind of fun.

Like a lot of kid-targeted narratives lately, A Minecraft Movie focuses entirely on platonic relationships. But there is a little romance in the movie, specifically between Jennifer Coolidge’s vice-principal character and an Overworld villager (who at least doesn’t look a refugee from the Uncanny Valley, unlike some dwarfs I could mention). It’s a subplot that feels far from essential, but Coolidge is always a reliable source for laughs, and it does culminate in a genuinely hilarious voice cameo by the end.

The Verdict: The best aspect of A Minecraft Movie is that its central theme is a celebration of creativity: Henry gets bullied at school for his inventive mind; when he arrives in the Overworld, he quickly adapts to its strange nature and delights in making new discoveries. It nicely reflects the core spirit of the game itself, which embraces an open-world concept allowing players to define their own experience, whether it be combat-driven or focused on building their own creations.

I can say this because I spent a little time playing Minecraft this week, after seeing the movie, and while I didn’t get much past the point of breaking up blocks and then figuring out how to build new blocks, the potential for fun was clear. That’s something the film actually manages to capture on screen, the sort of thoughtful approach that defies the terrible video game adaptations out there. Most importantly, A Minecraft Movie knows who its core audience is. The box office receipts will reveal if they can be pulled away from their consoles to go to the theater.

Where to Watch: A Minecraft Movie premieres in theaters on Friday, April 4th.

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