Film Review: A MINECRAFT MOVIE (2025): A Very Interesting Vision of the Hit Video Game Undermined by Too Much Absurdity

A Minecraft Movie Review

A Minecraft Movie (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Jared Hess, written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer and Neil Widener and starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Sebastian Hansen, Jennifer Coolidge, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Rachel House, Jermaine Clement, Mark Wright, Yvette Parsons, Hiram Garcia, Bret McKenzie, Jared Hess and Amanda Billing.

A Minecraft Movie, directed by Jared Hess, owes a lot of its imagination to the video game it was based on, but the performances by the film’s stars, Jason Momoa and Jack Black, elevate the material a bit above that which was expected from this loose film adaptation of the game. There’s a lot going on here and the hit-or-miss nature of the jokes gets in the way of keeping the movie feeling consistent. When Black’s on screen, anything goes and all his wild material shines bright. Momoa is likable too, but to a point. He’s forced to say silly things here, some of which could have been cut out of the final picture. Nevertheless, this attempt to bring the game to the silver screen can be summed up in one word: Fun.

Hess brings a lot of his unique style to A Minecraft Movie. Jack Black plays Steve, a guy who is fascinated by some mines and gets sucked into a world where you can build your way out of danger with blocks. Then, the picture introduces a pair of young siblings, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers). At the local school run by Vice Principal Marlene (the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge), Henry gets into some hot water when kids mess with an invention of his. Natalie, who looks younger than Henry, is working as a social media manager for a local snack company. Meanwhile, a former video game champion named Garrett (Momoa) is down-on-his-luck and comes into an interesting dilemma when he and the pair of siblings get sucked into the world Steve is stuck in.

All these characters become involved in the battle against the wicked pig warrior, Malgosha (voice of Rachel House). Malgosha wanted to dance for a living, but she was mocked for trying to be creative and, as a result, became evil. She is the one responsible for holding Steve captive for a period of time. Can Henry, Natalie and the older dudes (Steve and Garrett) defeat the wicked Malgosha’s plan to rule the world? These heroes are joined by a woman named Dawn (Danielle Brooks) in their quest to overcome the dangerous Malgosha.

Perhaps, the funniest scenes in A Minecraft Movie revolve around Coolidge whose character gets involved with a character who has escaped the Minecraft world. Coolidge’s Marlene accidentally hits this guy with her Jeep and takes him out to dinner. He looks weird and doesn’t talk, but Marlene is divorced and seemingly pretty easy to please. When they are close to finishing eating dinner, there is a funny joke that Coolidge delivers to perfection. She’s a real hoot.

Momoa is good as the underdog who wants to re-establish himself in the world as he has fallen into a rut. Momoa and the younger performers work well together and keep the action moving alongside some fast-paced action sequences that have zombie-type characters pursuing our heroes who must fight back to save civilization as we know it. Black is really the whole show, here, though. Black plays off his recent turn as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and he gets to sing some goofy songs that are actually pretty funny in their simplicity despite their stupidity. There are silly scenes of Black and Momoa wrestling bad guys, one of whom cries like a baby which makes Momoa’s character feel bad…but watch out! These villains are not easily defeated.

Rachel House does terrifically inspired voice work as the central heavy here while the young stars (and Brooks) have more than enough charisma as well. This film is short on plot, but I asked myself if I would have enjoyed this movie when I was the age the movie is intended for (approximately 14-years old). I think I would have liked it then. Now, it’s too zany for me and too off-the-wall. That’s not to say that kids won’t love this movie, but for me, it gets carried away with one too many non-human characters, some of whom lack any type of personality despite their distinct visual looks.

Still, A Minecraft Movie could make one laugh. A lot. Black is typically over-the-top and every scene he’s in features him giving the role of Steve his all. Black gets an “A” for effort alone. Momoa gets a “B-” and the visuals of the movie are appealing as they are really colorful and quite distinct. I just wish the movie had a better plot. This picture does run out of steam at one point, and it just becomes a bit too mindless for its own good which is unfortunate.

A Minecraft Movie proves video game adaptations can be fun, but with a sharper plot, the movie would have felt more substantial. Don’t take my word for it, though, when it comes to how teenagers will perceive this picture. If a kid loved the game from which this film’s story is derived, that kid is most likely going to love this new picture and that’s the bottom line. I’ll leave it right there and you can decide whether or not this movie is for you.

Rating: 6.5/10

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