After 11 years of development, “A Minecraft Movie” finally arrived in theaters on April 4. As a long-time Minecraft player, I was excited that the best-selling video game of all time had finally gained a spot on the big screen. However, the film, led by “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” director Jared Hess, managed to stir up controversy before it was even released. Trailers and promotions were criticized for their live action and animated designs and casting choices, most notably Jack Black playing the role of Steve, the game’s iconic playable character.

Even though the promotions generated dissatisfaction and countless memes from the general public, the Minecraft community showed up en masse, helping the film earn $301 million globally during its opening weekend — the biggest movie of 2025 so far.

The movie follows Henry, a creative outcast; Natalie, his older sister; Dawn, a real estate agent and Garrett “The Garbage Man,” a down-on-his-luck former video game champion played by Jason Momoa. The four are transported by a mysterious blue cube to the Overworld, a blocky land with endless creative possibilities. They then meet Steve, a master crafter who guides them through their new surroundings and tries to return them home.

Viewers severely criticized the art style of the trailers, but I got used to the designs rather quickly and grew to enjoy the reimagined look of the Minecraft world. Black and Momoa are an incredibly humorous duo and have the best acting in the film. Hess leaves traces of his signature directing style, with a comedic and unserious tone throughout the film. One particular scene of students drawing in art class feels like something straight out of “Napoleon Dynamite.” There are plenty of references and inside jokes directed towards the Minecraft fandom. The movie even features cameos from famous Minecraft YouTubers including DanTDM, Aphmau, Mumbo Jumbo, LDShadowLady and a tribute to the late Technoblade.

Unfortunately, the movie’s flaws overshadow its positive moments. The plot follows a predictable Jumanji-like storyline where the characters get transported to another world. The introduction of Steve feels rushed and involves too many details crammed into the first five minutes, while the introduction of the other main characters feels much longer than it needs to be and not interesting in the slightest. 

The characters themselves are very one-dimensional and boring, and the use of green-screens that make live-action characters appear in the animated world look lazy and low-quality. The antagonists, Malgosha and her piglin army, were terribly written and are barely an inconvenience for the protagonists to defeat. A majority of the film consists of Steve giving Henry and the others a tutorial of Minecraft, dragging on for far too long. 

Even though the film has several references to the game, it is lacking in terms of Minecraft features. The characters do not build or craft that much, which is ironic due to the largely creative theme of the game and the movie itself. Multiple characters and items from the game are either absent or reduced to a cameo in the film. It is disappointing that there is so much unutilized creative potential.

As much as I loved Black’s acting, it does not fit the character very well. Black often plays a specific role in movies such as “Nacho Libre,” “School of Rock” or “Kung Fu Panda” as a fun and comedic character. However, his performance feels out of place. Instead of seeing Steve on the screen, the character just seems like Black acting his same goofy persona. There is also a moderate amount of mild profanity and adult jokes for a PG-rated movie, which is surprising considering the intended younger audience. 

The Easter eggs and references for Minecraft fans are fun, but the worst mistake the movie makes is focusing too much on the fan-service and not enough on quality storytelling and world-building. My overall rating of “A Minecraft Movie” is a 2/5 because, while it is not an objectively good movie, it is an entertaining experience for Minecraft fans, reigniting interest in the world’s most popular video game.

Verdict: 2/5