Most video game movies miss the mark, but “A Minecraft Movie” shows that video game adaptations can be both faithful and entertaining, without taking itself too seriously.

“A Minecraft Movie” is a fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jared Hess.

The film is based on the 2011 video game Minecraft. The film’s simple plot, over-the-top characters, and quirky CGI come together to create a fun and entertaining experience. 

The film’s simple plot works to its advantage, suiting the lighthearted tone of the movie. The film follows four misfits who are pulled through a portal into a cubic world, called the Overworld, and must embark on a quest with a man named Steve. 

The energetic and over-the-top characters make the film fun and entertaining. The standout performances come from Jason Momoa and Jack Black, whose comedic chemistry drives much of the movie’s energy.

Momoa plays Garret “The Garbage Man” Garrison who is a struggling business owner looking for some fast cash. When he stumbles upon the Orb of Dominance and the Earth Crystal in a storage unit auction, he takes the orb and crystal to his store.

Garrison and Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) combine the two and in a comedic fashion they find where the portal is to the Overworld, they are joined by Henry’s older sister, Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a real estate agent who sold Natalie their new home.

The four find Steve (Jack Black) in the Overworld who helps them go on a quest to return back to the real world.

The comedic tone of the film is mostly brought by the duo of Black and Momoa. It was very amusing to me when Momoa’s character acted all tough at the beginning of a fight scene, only to become scared moments later. He gave real personality to his character and clearly understood that this was not meant to be a serious movie.

Black’s character added to the humor with his signature over-the-top energy. His comedic timing, paired with his playful line delivery, made even the simplest scenes entertaining. Together, their chemistry elevated the film’s lighthearted feel and made it fun to watch. 

The production team of this film spent a lot of time working on the film’s CGI (computer-generated imagery), especially with the designs of the weapons, terrain and the special effects looked polished and believable in the blocky world.

However, the CGI monsters and villagers’ life-like look was very off putting. There was a lot of detail put into them, making them very unpleasant to look at. That said, the CGI characters are bearable and do not ruin the overall feel of the film. 

The movie has already sparked several memes from the quotes of the film. While I was in the theater many movie goers were already quoting the memed lines during the movie, such as “I am Steve” and “chicken jockey.” They were even cheering and clapping and I have to admit, I also joined in the crowd saying these quotable one liners.

As a fan of Minecraft and a movie lover, this was the exact kind of movie that pairs great with the lighthearted nature of the Minecraft video game, minus the off putting CGI characters. If you want to go see a movie with comedic action I recommend this film, especially if you have spent countless hours playing Minecraft. 

I give this film 4 out of 5 mustangs.