Jared Hess is not a good filmmaker; he never has been. The director rose to prominence when the offbeat Napoleon Dynamite became a success. That film is not well directed, but it had a talented cast and an idiosyncratic sense of humor. Said comedic sensibilities have followed everything he has touched since, only to see diminishing returns; again, the commitment of the cast is what makes that early title work. So what made Warner Brothers think Hess would be a good fit for A Minecraft Movie based on the popular video game? Does the filmmaker finally find a style and make an entertaining film?
Written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, and Chris Galletta, the adventure comedy starts with voice-over narration from Steve (Jack Black). Since childhood, he wanted to be a miner but was never allowed to. As an adult, he’s stuck in a soul-sucking job until that mining passion reignites. Whilst picking away with his axe, Steve uncovers two strange objects and combines them. This whisks him away to the Overworld, where anything Steve can imagine, he can build. But the evil pig creatures from the Nether, led by Malgosha (Rachel House), seek to destroy anything creative or imaginative. So, to keep things safe, Steve has his dog hide the two artifacts that create the portal to Overworld.
“…get sucked into Overworld and soon find themselves fighting off Creepers and other dangers.”
Back in the real world, siblings Natalie (Emma Myers) and Henry (Sebastian Hansen) are moving to Chuglass as the older sister has gotten a job as the potato chip factory’s social media manager. Her awkward but brilliant school-age brother befriends down-on-his-luck Garrett (Jason Momoa), a former arcade game champion deep in debt. After a fiasco, the trio, alongside real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks), get sucked into Overworld and soon find themselves fighting off Creepers and other dangers. Steve saves them, and the foursome hatch a plan to get back to the real world before Malgosha and her army can destroy everything.
Jumanji is a fun adventure flick with questionable special effects, even upon its release. Its decades-long sequel, Welcome To The Jungle, is a perfect blend of humor, adventure, drama, and spectacle. In that film, Jack Black plays a high school beauty queen trapped in an overweight male video game character. He brought a lot of sincerity and sweetness to the part, allowing the emotional arc of the part to work (Madison Iseman’s work as the other half of that role should not be discounted either). So it makes sense that he’d be cast as an awkward outcast who has been away from the real world for so long that he’s strange in A Minecraft Movie. Unfortunately, Black plays it way over the top and is just obnoxious in the part.
"…not funny, exciting, or clever."
This was a legitimately bad review. I appreciate that you’re sharing your opinion, but I’m genuinely surprised at your caustic take.
The movie delivered on its premise a thousand times better than virtually any previous movie about a video game.
The pacing and storyline match the game very well. It’s silly, a little incoherent, and based on audience reviews, a real crowd pleaser.
I can’t imagine anyone better suited to this than Jared Hess, whose “peculiar” sense of humor was perfect for this. I feel bad that you couldn’t simply enjoy this fun, genuine, and light hearted movie.
I’m sure you’ll probably find it annoying as it grows to become a favorite of many over time