AMinecraftMovieis quite a strange name for a film. It seems to suggest that it’s only one of several potential movies aboutMinecraftthat may continue into the distant future. It brings to mindPokémon: The First Movieor maybeA Goofy Movie. Of course, the former acknowledged the existence of the sequel that had already premiered in Japan, and the latter was a joke. Maybe WB and Mojang lack the confidence it takes to upgrade that “a” to a “the.” That’s only one of several lessons they could take fromThe Lego Movie.
When video game movies were all generally horrible, fans cried out for a lone good example that could show studios how to make them work. The truth of the matter is that humanity has finally reached a suitable new era for the genre. Not every video game movie is good, but they’ve outgrown the negative expectations that ledsome to consider them cursed. Finally, video game movies are treated like every other adaptation. Some movies about video games are bad and others are good, but the same has always been true of adaptations of books, comics, toys, or other movies. There’s no reason to single out the newcomers.
Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer
Stars
Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen
Release Date
Jun 03, 2025
The most enjoyable part of theteaser forA Minecraft Movieis the big, loud cut of the Beatles' “Magical Mystery Tour.” The rest of it leaves a lot to be desired. Most viewers compared it negatively to a YouTube experiment to bring a dash of unwanted realism to Mojang’s classic cube-based open world. The most infuriating element isn’t necessarily visual, but the art style is absolutely questionable.A Minecraft Movieseems to approach its source material with the kind of ironic detachment common to adaptations from the 2000s. It feels simultaneously embarrassed to be a video game movie, excited to make a bunch of money on merchandise, and oddly proud of its nightmarish imagery. It’s like watching someone attempt a cover of a beloved song, fall off the stage onto several audience members, and get up only to apologize for the music. They’re ashamed of the wrong thing entirely. Despite some positive attention,A Minecraft Movieseems like the next target of aMorbius-esque ironic meme campaign. While anadaptation of the best-selling gameof all time would make millions under literally any circumstances, it still could have been so much better.
The Lego MovieWas a Perfect Example
When Warner Bros. greenlit a cinematic adaptation of Lego construction toys, it seemed like a total cash-in. The go-to example for a movie based on a toy franchise would probablybe theTransformersfranchise, which became popularly known as the worst film series of all time. The finished product came out three years later and raised the bar for adaptations in general. It’s a delightful romp that somehow escaped the nightmarish IP-driven schlock factor that burdenedReady Player OneorSpace Jam: A New Legacy. More importantly, it was a perfect distillation of everything compelling about Lego as a cultural artifact. Perhaps the most impressive element ofThe Lego Movieis its commitment to visual consistency. Everything is Lego. Every person, place, and thing is made entirely of in-universe colorful bricks. Characters know how to use those bricks to their advantage. Lego isn’t just an aesthetic; it’s the physical and magical system that governs the universe. This level of bold confidence and sincere appreciation of the source material madeThe Lego Moviea classic.
How CouldA Minecraft MovieCaptureThe Lego Movie’s Style?
The answer here should be obvious. A movie aboutMinecraftshould use the distinct art style that madeMinecrafticonic. Imagine them hiring a team of artists to make the most visually striking version ofa world forged in cubes.The Lego Moviewas impressive because it committed to the bit.A Minecraft Movieseems unwilling to treat the game with an ounce of sincerity. The main characters are outsiders who crack insipid jokes and denigrate the quality of the world. Everything feels as if it’s at some bizarre ironic distance, as if the characters are too cool forMinecraft. That’s not to say that the gamerequires a biblical level of reverence, but why would anyone care about the material if the main characters are rolling their eyes?
Remember the main character ofThe Lego Movie? Emmet was a beacon of optimism that engaged with the most banal elements of his Lego world with endless joy. The maincharacters ofA Minecraft Movieseem as confused and unimpressed as the audience. This mirrors the aesthetic choices, which feel close enough toMinecraftto sell toys but just far enough to avoid anything impressive. This was the worst-case scenario fans imagined when WB pitchedThe Lego Movie. It was nice of them to wait a few years before proving everyone right.
