Hear me out: A Minecraft Movie isn’t terrible. Am I saying it’s good? Well, if you take one look at the film, I think you can come up with that answer for yourself. However, despite the movie’s shortcomings, I am still convinced that the movie is a masterpiece in its own way, and by the end of this article, I hope you’ll feel that way as well.
Before I get started, I would just like to clarify that there are plenty of bad things about the movie. However, in spite of the thin plot and what some would consider lackluster acting from some of the actors, the movie was exactly what I thought it would be: a fun, light-hearted adventure spearheaded by Jack Black acting as Steve. To be honest, after watching the movie on the first day of its release on Friday night, nothing at all that occurred in the movie was an unwelcome surprise.
In the days leading up to the film’s release, my social media accounts were already becoming riddled with memes of the movie. You know what I’m talking about: the memes about the “chicken jockey,” Jack Black explaining basic items in Minecraft—such as how “this is a crafting table,”—and for me, the most overused of them all, the song “Steve’s Lava Chicken” that’s circulating around my head even as I’m writing these words. You can listen to the song on YouTube here; it has great replay value, depending on who you ask.
If I had two words to describe the movie, I would choose the 2024 Oxford Word of the Year: brain rot. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, well-developed plots and sentimental movies are great, don’t get me wrong, but when it comes to unwinding after a month and a half without a long break, watching A Minecraft Movie was perfect for me. When I was watching the movie live, it seemed that the crowd of teenagers in front of me had regressed ten years just for this film; after every meme that appeared in the movie, loud applause and shouting were sure to follow. Adir Shtalryd (‘26), who watched the movie the day of its release, believed that the hype for memes of the movie generated excitement. “When we went to watch the film, everyone just shouted the memes and clapped like in other places; it was crazy,” Shtalryd said.
It made me wonder: has any movie generated this kind of reaction from its live audience? Again, A Minecraft Movie is special in its own way.
In addition, I loved the animation in the movie. It somehow made the block-shaped creatures from Minecraft look realistic in some sense while still preserving their recognizable characteristics. I thought that the creatures in the movie, such as the ghasts and piglins, appeared more threatening in the movie than their counterparts in Minecraft. That just might be me, though. According to the Associated Press News, $150 million dollars was spent on the movie, which should mean that it has to deliver in the animation department, but there have been so many disappointments lately that the movie has, aesthetically at least, exceeded all of my expectations.
Finally, and probably most importantly, the movie struck a chord with me. I’ve played Minecraft for over eight years now, and I know plenty of people who’ve played the game for even longer. I guess part of the reason why I loved the movie so much was the sheer amount of nostalgia that it generated for me. Even if the plot was mediocre at best, that’s not what the moviegoers came for. Perhaps that’s why the movie has been such a commercial success, breaking numerous box office records despite receiving mixed reviews from critics.
To sum it up, despite all of the flaws of A Minecraft Movie, I can’t help but say that I enjoyed watching it. With spring break coming up, I urge you to give the movie a shot if you’ve got some free time on your hands. It won’t disappoint—but don’t take my word for it.
