One Movie Later: A Minecraft Movie was…Surprisingly Good?!?
by James Coulter
So, the Minecraft movie made all the money! It earned $150 million domestically, $300 million globally, and not only was it the biggest opening weekend in 2025, but it became the first movie in history to open with more than $50 million on a Friday and go on to sell more on a Saturday. So, you know sequels are on the way!
But the question is: was this movie worth it? Did it deserve to earn so much on its opening weekend, let alone at all? Aside from it being based on one of the most popular video games, is there anything else about this movie that’s good?
A Minecraft Movie stars a man named Steve, who discovers a magic orb in a mine that transports him to another world called the Overworld, a place where he can create anything he can imagine. Unfortunately, an evil pig sorceress named Malgosha also wants the orb, so Steve is forced to send it back to the real world.
A few years later, a young boy named Henry discovers the orb in an old video game store, and the orb teleports him, his sister, the store’s owner, and a woman named Dawn to the Overworld. Now they need to team up with Steve to fight against the evil Malgosha and her pig warrior minions. Will they save the Overworld? Or is this literally game over?
I never played Minecraft. The game was released in 2011, two years after I graduated college. It was created long after my time. So, I know nothing about it.
And when I saw the trailers and ads for this movie, I rolled my eyes. I thought it was going to be a lazy corporate cash-in of a popular game. So, I went to the theater expecting to hate it.
But I was genuinely shocked that I…actually liked this movie? And it wasn’t that bad? Granted, it wasn’t very good either. But it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, and certainly not the dumpster fire everyone else has been calling it.
A Minecraft Movie is one of those films where I must eat a slice of humble pie and admit this movie was not made for me. This is a movie made for young children who love Minecraft. And admittedly, if I were a kid who played Minecraft, I would have loved this movie.
So, as an adult, what saves this movie for me? Two words: Jack Black.
Jack is a real ham and cheese sandwich of an actor who knows how to ham up his performances. So, if anyone could make this movie work, it would be him. And he did not disappoint. He went over-the-top playing an over-the-top character like Steve. I especially loved the chemistry he shared with Jason Momoa’s character, with each man trying to outmacho the other and bonding as friends along the way.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Jack Black performance without him flexing his musical prowess. And he certainly does that with his “Lava Chicken” number. It’s not “Peaches” from the Mario movie, but it still works.
You know, if I had a nickel for every time Jack Black starred in a video game movie, I would have more than two nickels. Bowser from the Mario Movie. Claptrap from Borderlands. And now Steve in Minecraft. Makes you wonder if he’ll star in the next Sonic movie. (My bet is that he plays Big the Cat.)
Even then, the movie’s real weak point is the humor. It’s real hit-and-miss, with far more misses than hits. What do I mean by that? Well, here are two examples of the movie’s “jokes”:
1. At the start of the movie, the main kid character finds the orb with a letter telling him, “Do not use under any circumstance, especially if you’re a business owner in serious need of cash.” And what do you know? The kid is with a business owner who tags along because he’s in serious need of cash.
2. One character is having dinner with another. Their waitress comes by and asks them, “Are you finished?” The one character replies. “No, I think he’s Swedish. But we’re done.”
If you considered either of those jokes the “height of comedy”, congratulations! This movie is brimming with them.
Another point against the film is its plot. Stop me if you heard this before: a young kid has a special gift but feels out of place because of it. He then gets isekai-ed into another world where he ends up saving the day because of his special gift.
If you consider that trite plot the height of comedy, congratulations. This movie follows the portal fantasy hero’s journey plot to a tee.
A Minecraft Movie is your bog-standard adventure story with a bog-standard moral about the importance of creativity. The main villain essentially wants to destroy the world because they’re an uncreative person who hates creativity. (So, in other words, Elon Musk.)
Should you watch A Minecraft Movie? That depends. Do you have a kid who loves Minecraft? If so, chances are that you were not only forced by your kids to watch this in theaters, but you’re also going to be forced to buy the DVD once it comes out so they can watch it on repeat at home.
Otherwise, if you’ve never played Minecraft or have a kid who plays it, there’s no real reason for you to watch the movie. But if you do, well, there’s a chance you might glean some enjoyment from it. I know I did, and it was pleasantly surprising.
