By Simon Benca, Grade 11
“First we mine, then we craft.” -Steve, played by Jack Black
On April 4, 2025, A Minecraft Movie was released in theatres. The film adaptation of the 2011 video game features Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen, and Jennifer Coolidge. It was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Mojang Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, and On the Roam. This movie was disliked among critics, as it got a score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.8/10 rating on IMDB. While the film was poorly received by critics, it still made $930,127,597 in the box office.
A Minecraft Movie shows many aspects of the game: creative builds, complex contraptions, and combat. The ending of the film echoes the same idea found in the game’s credit sequence: the creativity expressed by players in Minecraft should be used in the real world. The computer-generated effects were blocky, emulating the cubic style of Minecraft. Some members of the Minecraft community were mentioned in this film. For example, the late YouTuber Technoblade, whose in-game avatar was a pig wearing a crown, was referenced in the form of a regular pig wearing the iconic crown.
While critics disliked this film, teenagers and young adults flocked to movie theatres to see it. The young demographic makes sense, as Minecraft has been popular with this group for over a decade. People on the Internet would repost Steve saying lines from the trailers. Some iconic lines included “Flint and steel,” “I am Steve,” and “Chicken Jockey.” Whenever one of these lines would play in theatres, crowds would cheer. Unfortunately, these crowds of teenagers and young adults would become increasingly rowdy as the film progressed. By the middle of the film, when Steve pointed out a baby zombie riding a chicken (better known as a chicken jockey), the theatres would become loud enough for the police to be called inside. When I saw A Minecraft Movie locally, the entire first row of people was escorted out of the theatre.
At this point, A Minecraft Movie has slowed down in box office sales. However, the celebrations and chaotic moments in theatres will keep this film in memory for years to come.
