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The road toA Minecraft Moviehas been long and full of twists and turns that a lot of projects forced into the infamous Development Hell face. Development of a film based on the sensationalMinecraftvideo game was first announced onDeadline in 2014. Most likely, the impetus to make a film based on the open sandbox game derived from executives witnessing the success ofThe Lego Moviethat same year. Ten years ago,The Lego Moviewas a surprise smash hit. Most audience members were skeptical of how a movie could be made based on a toy that doesn’t have a core story, but rather the stories kids come up with.Phil Lord and Chris Millerbrilliantly embraced what it feels like to play as imaginatively as a child in conflict with the rigid way adults do.
The result was a movie that thoughtfully examined storytelling and identity as a whole, while still embracing the joy that comes with playing with Lego blocks. It seemed like aMinecraftmovie was a no-brainer to follow in its footsteps. After all,Minecrafthas a similar block aesthetic and the fun of the game comes from building. After all,The Lego Moviewiselycommitted to everything in the movie as Lego, barring the surprise live-action segment. But as it turned out, theBarbiemovie has been the closest filmin recent memory to achieveThe Lego Movie’s heart and themes of identity. As forA Minecraft Movie, its recently released trailer has left many fans more than a little skeptical.
The first gripe has to do with the aesthetics. The trailer displays ahyperrealisticMinecraftworld with characters that have strange textures. Then there are the live-action characters who look as if they are just in front of a green screen and, for some reason, are all backlit, making the world feel less lived in. Aside from just the look of the film, fans are also concerned that the writing appears to be stealing ideas from other successful video game movies, but the execution looks like it leaves much to be desired.
Casting Jack Black as Steve
There’s no denying that Jack Black has charisma. As a comedic actor and on half of the duo Tenacious D, he’s been delighting audiences for decades. Hestole the show as Bowser inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.Although a lot of his scenes played to his strengths of being comedically lovesick for Princess Peach, even singing the sone “Peaches”, what was great about Black’s performance is how he branched out. He gave Bowser the menace he needed to be a believable antagonist. Similarly, inJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, instead of playing himself, the avatar Jack Black embodies, Professor Shelly Oberon, takes on the teenage girl mannerisms of his player, Bethany. In the sequel,Jumanji: The Next Level, he plays Fridge’s, Martha’s, and Bethany’s mannerisms. Unfortunately, forA Minecraft Movie, it looks as if Jack Black’s Steve won’t be making use of Black’s acting skills, but will instead be relying on his real life persona.
Using Non-Game Characters as a Way to Introduce the World
Sonic fans may not be huge fans of the human characters that were added toSonic the Hedgehog,but many understood how they might be utilized to introduce Sonic to a film-going audience not familiar with the games. It helped that James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are good, committed actors that could sell the dialogue. Additionally,Sonic was wisely the focal point of the film.Sonic the Hedgehog 2took this even further by focusing mainly on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, while positioning Tom and Maddie in a side plot in Hawaii. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like mostMinecraftelements are going to get their shine when in comparison to the human characters, which doesn’t make the film look like it’s made with the same love.
Juggling Conflicting Tones
Wreck-It Ralph, while not based on a video game, is inspired by many video games. Because of its premise of taking place in an arcade,Ralph jumps between various video games, starting with his own vintage Fix-It Felix console to the ultra violent Hero’s Duty, to saccharine kart game Sugar Rush. Yet, the tone never feels off. Elements are scary when they need to be and silly in other places.A Minecraft Movie’s trailer looks like it’s trying to achieve something similar. There are goofy animals, but also creepers, piglins, and zombies. However, the goofiness far outshines the creepiness. While it could be argued that this was done in order to appeal to the target demographic, children,Wreck-It Ralphhad the same audience and still delivered with creepiness and action.
The days of believing thatmovies based on video games are cursedis over. There have been plenty of great video game movies that have delighted old fans and new fans alike. Unfortunately, despite its decade-long trek to the screen,Minecraftdoesn’t look like it will be joining that pantheon. Jack Black, new characters, and different tones can be great elements to a film, but if executed improperly, the final product will just feel like a mess. Most of all, though, the trailer lacks the one thing that makes these adaptations work, which is heart. Not just love for the source material, but love for the film itself, for what it can do. That said, it is possible thatA Minecraft Moviehas some surprises and may end up delighting and surprising fans after all. Audiences will just have to see when it arrives in theaters.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox video game that puts players in procedurally generated worlds and offers them no guidance whatsoever in where to go or what to do, creating a sense of freedom that was unparalleled in 2011.Minecraft has gone on to become the highest-selling video game of all time.
