A Minecraft Movie Might Just Be Stupid Enough to Enjoy
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
By Luis Zonenberg
Ever since the first trailer debuted back in September of last year, audiences have been fascinated by how bonkers this film looked. Not since the trailer for Madame Web had people been obsessing over how bad a movie looked, with many already mocking the infamous line, “My name… is Steve!”. Since then, many have waited to see what this would amount to and now I can safely say…it is just as bad as one would expect.
The story, if you can call it that, focuses on Natalie (Emma Myers) moving to Idaho with her brother, Henry (Sebastian Hansen), after the loss of their mother. While in town, Henry encounters Garret “Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), a video game store owner who takes Henry under his wing. While at his local shop, they find a magic orb which ends up transporting them to a strange place known as the Overworld!
The story is very overstuffed and jam-packed with numerous characters and easter-eggs made for fans of the game. So many characters feel shoe-horned in, moving from one thing to another with no sense of rhythm or motive. And while I laud that the movie teaches a rather wholesome lesson about the power of creativity, it is hard to overlook other family films (like the Lego Movie) that did this so much better.
The acting was definitely hit or miss with Jack Black leading the charge; his overacting bounced back and forth from enjoyably silly to downright annoying. The only two actors that seemed to “elevate” the material were Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge, with both having good comedic timing and showing they had a blast acting on-screen. Sad to say that the rest of the cast barely left an impression, though.
The VFX though definitely stood out like a sore thumb. I cannot blame the animators for the rendering of the creatures and animals; in fact, the textures of them looked pretty sleek. It was applying the real-life actors into the overly CGI world where it all fumbles. It is so easy to see where the green-screen tricks were used on set, and whenever they had to do a difficult action, it just looked flat and lifeless.
The comedy of the movie seems to be almost like a joke in itself. The movie seems to be aware of how badly the jokes are written, with the cast even joining in as well. It clearly has fun embracing the cringe humor and banks on the audience laughing at how poorly constructed the jokes are. I am sure that some kids will laugh and have a fun time, but I doubt the adults in the family will partake in the fun.
While this easily ranks among the worst I have seen so far this year, I can’t quite bring myself to say it is the worst one. The animation of the Overworld and the creatures are weirdly but still uniquely designed that it held my interest throughout. Even the overall lesson is nicely appreciated, especially in such a soulless market like this one. The film’s heart is in the right place, but A Minecraft Movie is too overstuffed and poorly executed to satisfy even the most casual moviegoer.
A Minecraft Movie is now playing in theaters.
Rating: ★ ½ of five
