Star Cast: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks
Director: Jared Hess
A Minecraft Movie Review Synopsis:
A MINECRAFT MOVIE is the story of five misfits in a mysterious world. Steve (Jack Black) resides in Chuglass, Idaho and is a doorknob salesman. He’s bored with his life and decides to follow his passion and get into mining. He enters a local mineshaft and starts digging. There, he stumbles upon a mysterious cube and an orb. He puts the cube into the orb and he is instantly transported to the fascinating Overworld. Here, he has the time of his life as the cubic wonderland thrives on imagination. Hence, he goes all out and creates magnificent structures. He also befriends a wolf, Dennis and makes him his pet. All is going well until one day, Steve is imprisoned by an evil piglin queen, Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House). She stays in a dangerous portal called Nether. Before getting caught by her guards, Steve instructs Dennis to go to Earth and seek help and also hide the orb. This is because Malgosha requires the orb to fulfil her evil plan. Dennis reaches Earth as instructed. One thing leads to another and the orb gets into the possession of Garrett aka The Garbage Man (Jason Momoa), a former gamer champion who is now in debt. He along with local broker Dawn (Danielle Brooks) and two new residents of Chuglass, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers) get sucked into Overworld. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
A Minecraft Movie Story Review:
A MINECRAFT MOVIE, as the name suggests, is based on the popular video game ‘Minecraft’ (by Mojang Studios). Allison Schroeder, Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer’s story is very entertaining. Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta’s screenplay is fast-paced and peppered with a lot of humour and adventurous moments. The dialogues add to the fun.
Jared Hess’s direction is engaging. He doesn’t waste time at all and in 100 minutes, he packs in a lot while also spending time on the back stories of the principal characters. Though the game ‘Minecraft’ has a huge fan base, there’s a possibility that not many might know about its salient features. Yet, it is not a problem as the director has simplified the goings-on. Also, there’s a lot of madness and humorous stuff happening every now and then. Hence, it’ll be loved by a wide range of audiences. The first half is all about setting up the story and describing how the characters meet each other. The second half starts with a bang. The fight at the Midport village and Woodland Mansion are hilarious. However, the scene where Garrett, Steve and Henry fly towards the Woodland Mansion takes the cake; it’ll bring the house down in cinemas.
On the flipside, despite the plusses in the second half, it is predictable. The twist regarding Garrett in the end is easy to guess. A few developments are convenient and even childish. Steve could have hidden the Orb in Overworld. His idea to ask Dennis to hide it in his Earth residence was far-fetched and difficult to digest. Lastly, the villain track is weak.
A Minecraft Movie Review Performances:
Jason Momoa steals the show with his antics, comic timing and outlandish costumes. Jack Black disappears in the middle of the film but manages to leave a mark. His sudden entry at the midpoint is applause-worthy. However, he goes a bit overboard in some scenes. Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks lend able support. Jennifer Coolidge (Vice Principal Marlene) is the surprise of the film and raises a lot of laughs. Jemaine Clement (Daryl) and the actors playing school bullies are decent. From the voice cast, Jared Hess (General Chungus) is best followed by Rachel House.
A Minecraft Movie music and other technical aspects:
Mark Mothersbaugh’s music is appropriate. Enrique Chediak’s cinematography is functional. The VFX is apt – it matches global standards and also has the feel of a retro video game. Lucy McLay and Amanda Neale’s costumes are fine and quite appealing in the case of Jason Momoa. The action is a bit too gory for a film appealing to kids. James Thomas’s editing is slick.
A Minecraft Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, A MINECRAFT MOVIE is a fun-filled entertainer, aimed at families and kids. At the box office, its limited pre-release buzz may affect collections to some extent. However, the film stands to benefit from a clean release window and a higher-than-expected screen count, thanks to SIKANDAR’s underperformance.