‘A Minecraft Movie’ Builds Too Close to the Sun

Directed by Jared Hess, “A Minecraft Movie” nearly digs itself free from the mineshaft its marketing campaign buried it in.

Announced in 2014 on Minecraft creator Markus Persson’s X account, “A Minecraft Movie” has gone through over a decade of rewrites and director changes to finally release in 2025.

The film’s unnatural hybrid look of live-action actors in a CGI world reflects the tumultuous process it took to bring the famed video game to the silver screen.

After discovering a mysterious portal, four misfits become stranded in the Overworld — a cubic wonderland where imagination is the only limit. To return home, the group must stop the Piglin sorceress Malgosha (Rachel House) from transforming the Overworld into a hellish landscape called the Nether.

Despite not being marketed as such, “A Minecraft Movie” is a quasi-musical, with four sporadically placed songs all performed by Steve (Jack Black). The songs themselves are adequate but distracting, appearing randomly without furthering the story.

While a hallmark of “Minecraft” is its lack of storyline, “A Minecraft Movie” attempts to craft anything reminiscent of the game. The film roughly follows the plot of “Minecraft: Legends” — a failed action-strategy spinoff released in 2023 which first adapted the Piglins as Overworld invaders.

However, the half-baked plot takes a backseat as “A Minecraft Movie” focuses more on game-inspired laughs than real world logic.

The film opens with lengthy narration from Steve. Abandoning his life as a doorknob salesman, Steve achieves his childhood dream of mining and inadvertently discovers a gateway into the Overworld where he can be himself.

As the game’s mute, nondescript protagonist, characterizing Steve is a complex hurdle the film surprisingly overcomes. Unfortunately, Black’s (“Kung Fu Panda,” “School of Rock”) one-note performance surrenders nuance for the sake of hammy delivery.

Black delivers every line as if he’s ready to burst into song, keeping the audience guessing as to when he finally will.

Before reentering the Overworld, “A Minecraft Movie” explores the struggles of its four remaining main characters — with lackluster success. Unlike Steve, the quartet are original to the film.

Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and his sister-turned-guardian Natalie (Emma Myers) rarely receive attention, despite supposedly being the main protagonists.

After their mother’s death, the two move to a potato-obsessed town for a fresh start. Still a teenager, Natalie looks after her younger brother, who’s ridiculed at school for his eccentric personality.

Being the only character with emotional depth, Natalie’s struggle to balance her childhood with surrogate parenthood is developed in just a single conversation. Natalie and Henry rarely bring up their recently deceased mother, usually mentioning her for grim laughs.

Their real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks) is similarly underutilized. Spending most of her screentime with Natalie, the pair’s chemistry is undeniable, but the film fails to justify her presence as her personal motivations aren’t realized until the final act.

Instead, “A Minecraft Movie” diverts all its attention to Garret “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), the former 1989 Gamer of the Year. 

Facing bankruptcy, Garrison discovers a portal key to the Overworld at an auction, ultimately trapping himself and the others in the block-spanning dimension.

While the other protagonists feel wasted, Momoa (“Dune,” “Aquaman”) makes the most of his presence. Garrison’s tough-guy persona and insecure rivalry with Steve is where the film’s comedy excels, convincingly blending humor and intensity.

Despite drawing backlash for its uncanny, semi-realistic world, the visuals eventually grow on the viewer.

Inconsistent block dimensions and constant overhead lighting only pose a problem with wide shots of the environment and characters moving across long distances.

The only thing holding back the visual immersion is the misaligned soundtrack. Blending new compositions, the game’s soundtrack and popular hits like “When I’m Gone” by Dirty Honey, the lack of cohesion makes each note largely forgettable. 

Through its glaring problems, the purpose of “A Minecraft Movie” is clear — to have fun.

But while the film is enjoyable, it’s ultimately buried under lofty mountains of missed potential. Regardless of the movie’s comedic priority and don’t-think-too-hard mentality, most characters lack depth and the plot feels like an afterthought.

Even down to its name, “A Minecraft Movie” doesn’t feel confident enough to be a faithful take on a beloved franchise. Instead of focusing on the material it’s adapting, it comes off as a generic comedy built inside the “Minecraft” sandbox.

“A Minecraft Movie” comes to theaters April 5.