At some point in the last thirty years, someone decided that video games would be fertile ground for extracting stories – there were a few made in the decades preceding it, but distinct video game adaptations are a uniquely modern phenomenon, which is obviously due to their rise in popularity during the 1990s, which continues to the present day. However, this is not necessarily a development that has been received well – the vast majority of these films range from painfully mediocre to outright abysmal, with the few bright spots that appear on occasion being exceptions rather than a signal of a shift in the industry and how they handle these works. Ultimately, they are films that are easy to produce, can immediately be associated with a brand and facilitate a kind of symbiosis with the creators of the original game, with the tie-ins and crossovers being mutually beneficial. The most recent victim of this trend (or rather, the perpetrator to the audience, who are more akin to victims in this scenario), is Minecraft, the wildly popular sandbox game that has captivated players of every age for well over a decade, and become arguably the defining video game of the 2010s, remaining as popular today as it was when it was first introduced. Unfortunately, like any popular work, it didn’t take long for Hollywood to sink its claws into the property, with A Minecraft Movie being the very definition of why these films are not only terrible, but outrageously unnecessary, with all of its ideas being quite pandering and deeply unnerving, and representing everything that is wrong with a genre that has never really left much of an impression outside of making audiences scratch their heads in absolute bewilderment in the vast majority of cases – a dreadful sign for many films that claim to be innovative, but in reality lack any substance or nuance beyond the surface.

There is a common belief that all a film needs to be successful is a good concept and a creative team on both sides of the camera that are wholeheartedly dedicated to realising this particular vision. This is a generally good rule of thumb when it comes to assessing quality, but when we look at video game adaptations, which are almost always defined as opportunistic attempts to turn over a profit as quickly as possible, we start to see how this is not always universally applicable. Video game adaptations are perhaps the one genre that we can wholeheartedly agree should not exist, since even some of the more divisive categories of films, such as superhero films and westerns, contain towering masterpieces, with all criticism being attributed to the change in how the public perceives these films. Even though there have been some decent video game adaptations (some even bordering on great), none of them feel essential, and it is more a case of luck that the few critically acclaimed films under this genre (such as the recent Sonic the Hedgehog series) were surprisingly good. A Minecraft Movie demonstrates that this is not only a genre in which the premises are rarely complex enough to justify entire narratives being built out of it, but also just how lacking these works actually are in artistic merit. The fact that the majority of discussion around this film since the moment it was announced as being in development had the public questioning just how they could fashion a coherent narrative out of a game known for its sprawling, freeform structure, was perhaps the first indication of trouble, and the warning should have been heeded from the beginning. The fact that A Minecraft Movie was conceived and directed by Jared Hess, who has made a number of great films, is only more worrying, since he’s clearly competent as a director, leading us to wonder why he wasted his time with such an insane premise. 

It’s always a harrowing moment when we watch a film and wonder why a particular actor chose to take on a role. For some, it’s done for the sake of younger viewers or because they have an interest in the material, whereas for others it’s purely for the paycheque. A Minecraft Movie is a film in which we become increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that we can consistently see the desperation in the eyes of these actors, who seem to be regretting participating in this film just as much as we are watching it – perhaps hyperbolic, but it is truly bewildering to witness what they are forced to endure throughout this film. The film’s main attraction is Jack Black, who has previously collaborated with Hess on the well-liked Nacho Libre, and whose own status as a self-proclaimed video game aficionado made his participation somewhat understandable. Yet, as talented a performer as he may be, Black has always been someone who requires a director who can reign him in, since he can sometimes go a few steps too far and cross over the border being eccentric and unhinged, the latter being the very core of his performance here. He’s playing to the rafters more than ever before, and while no one expects nuance from him in such a film, it’s worrying just how poorly it showcases his gifts as an actor. Jason Momoa is coerced into appearing in another major role, as is Danielle Brooks (who has been rising in acclaim as a performer for years, making her participation bizarre), and neither of them is given anything even vaguely substantial to do; they’re outright wasted and achieve nothing with these roles. The younger actors Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen are far too stiff and unnatural, and while it isn’t fair to judge newcomers so harshly, it says less about their talents (since they do put in a significant amount of effort) and more with the lack of guidance they received from the director and the rest of the team. This isn’t even saying anything about what this film forces Jennifer Coolidge to do, who does her best to make the most of this dreadful material but can’t even use her inherent charms to elevate an already dismal character in a consistently poorly-made film.

Whenever a divisive film such as A Minecraft Movie is released, there is always some resounding defence that states “it’s a children’s movie”, as if the opinion and perspective of those who fall outside the target audience are not valuable or worth taking seriously. As much as this could be true, and it is very likely that those within the demographic that this film aimed to please are going to be enamoured with it, there is no excuse for some of the creative decisions made with this film, especially since the concept of family-oriented fare requires a concerted effort to appeal to everyone viewing the film, not only younger members of the audience. Unfortunately, the idea that a film is meant for children and therefore makes it immune to criticism is a weak, flaccid excuse and one that bears very little relevance when we realise that the quality of a film has absolutely nothing to do with who the target audience is. A poorly-made film remains the same regardless of who it intends to entertain – and while it may be true that some could see it as a fun tribute to this iconic game, this is a film intended to reach a wider audience, and it is extremely lacking when it comes to making this concept not only accessible, but entertaining at the most fundamental level. Every potential flaw we could imagine emerges throughout the film – the writing is abysmal (likely the result of having over half a dozen credited screenwriters), the worldbuilding is extremely lacklustre and it has some of the worst continuity in recent memory, with certain narrative decisions existing without even the slightest attempt at giving some sense of context. The film also lacks identity – the plot meanders in frustrating ways, and the complete lack of character development is a profound nuisance and something that simply should not have been sacrificed in favour of whatever this film chose as its core identity. As a whole, A Minecraft Movie is quite dismal in terms of its creation, and it goes off the rails from the start, which is certainly far from ideal for something that purports to be this attempt at an engaging adventure comedy for the entire family.

There comes a point in A Minecraft Movie where we find that it is working our last nerve – and it’s difficult to note the exact moment, since it’s likely to be different for every individual viewer, which is essentially the reason why this film is such a misfire. There are hardly any elements that warrant any real praise – the film lacks substance in terms of its story, being shallow to the point where it takes more effort to predict where it is going, since everything is so obvious and almost insulting to the audience. The filmmaking itself is hollow and quite unappealing – for a film based on a game in which imagination is the main priority, it feels extremely limited and restrictive, lacking any real creativity or even implying the epic scope that even the most novice of players recognise. The acting is atrocious, oscillating between great actors being wasted and subpar actors not being given much guidance in terms of how to handle the material, and it almost becomes an uncomfortable experience to see just how lacklustre the film is in practice. It’s simply not a good film, and every ounce of potential it had is wasted, never even coming close to reaching any of the goals it sets for itself. The bright colours and broad humour may be good for a chuckle and will certain entertain the youngest of viewers, but for everyone else, A Minecraft Movie is a waste of time, resources and energy, and represents some of the worst qualities of a genre that simply doesn’t need to exist, with this film doing very little to persuade us otherwise.