Summary
The trailer for Warner Bros. Studios’A Minecraft Movieis turning heads in ways the big studio wasn’t hoping for. So far, it looks to be taking theJumanjireboot route, teleporting real humans into the video game world, with advanced graphics shaders and unsettling renderings of the world’s creatures.
Creepily realistic piglins aren’t the only thing the trailer has, though. Upon closer inspection, several clues can be gleaned as to what the adventure has in store. It also has one or two nods to theMinecraftcommunity’s creative exploits.Here are a few things from the trailer that some viewers might have missed.
6Villagers (0:14)
They Can Be Seen From A Distance
The trailer forA Minecraft Movieopens with a beautiful view of a village against a rock archway. Here, several structures are visible, including windmills, a dock, and what appears to be a chapel on the upper left portion of the archway.
If one looks closely,villagers can be seenroaming in the streets. While it is difficult to make out exact details, this shows that the village is well-occupied, and not one of the abandoned villages that sometimes spawn in the game. Expect to hear a lot of grunting here.
5The Beacon (0:29)
This Might Be The Movie’s MacGuffin
The trailer gives viewers a solid first look at the cast of the movie, including Jason Momoa, Sebastian Eugene Hanson, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Jack Black asMinecraftprotagonist Steve. In his hands, Sebastian’s character is holding a glowing blue cube, which looks a lot like the Tesseract from Marvel’s Avengers.
This object is a beacon. They can be forged withinMinecraftto provide status effects for players, as well as emit a beam of light when placed on a pyramid of mineral blocks. This could bewhat opened the portalthat takes the characters into theMinecraftworld, and may serve as the film’s big MacGuffin.
4Shops In The Village (0:36)
Nods To Player Ingenuity
Thirty-six seconds into the trailer, a mob of piglins stands in the middle of a village street, ready to cause some destruction. In the background, on the left and right are two signs for some of the shops.
These signs are reflective ofMinecraftplayers’ creativity. The sign on the right reads “Steve’s Lava Chicken.” This is not only telling viewers thatMinecraftgames protagonist Steve has a restaurant, but it is also a nod toa machine that instantly cooks chickens. “The Exploding Pig” may be the name of a tavern in the village, but it is also a nod to howMinecraftplayers use plugins and command blocks to make pigs explode in-game.
3Creepers, Aw Man! (0:37)
These Things Are A Minecraft Player’s Worst Nightmare
TheMinecraftworld can be peaceful and serene during the daytime. It creates a sense of zen that puts one in the zone of aMinecraftadventure. When night comes, however, it is a much different story. All kinds of monsters and zombies are lurking around, and anyone who is poorly prepared should be very afraid.
At the 37-second mark, Jason Momoa is standing out in the middle of the night, and sneaking up on him on his left is a slightly blurred mob. The color and shape make it instantly recognizableas a creeper, notorious for sneaking up on players and exploding. Momoa had better look behind him before it is too late.
2The Villain Revealed? (0:40)
An Otherworldly Entity Threatens The Realm
TheMinecraftuniverse is home to many unique entities, or mobs, as they are called. Some are fairly benign, such as llamas, while others are more hostile. At the 0:40 mark, many piglins are wielding torches against a backdrop of lavafalls. One enemy in particular, a silhouetted, humpbacked entity, sits in the background, and its glowing purple eyes are a major clue to its identity.
The purple eyes areassociated with Endermen. These mobs are usually benign, unless attacked or stared at for too long, at which point they become hostile. This Enderman seems to be the mob’s leader, as it looms over the piglins, and carries a staff, which may indicate its status.
1“This Guy Is Such A Tool Bag.” (00:52)
Both Metaphorically And Literally
The trailer forA Minecraft Moviegives viewers their first good look at Jack Black as Steve, who is basically just Jack Black wearing a blue sweater, shouting like a madman surrounded by explosive fire. The cast is bewildered at this, with Emma Myers’ character calling him “such a tool bag.”
This is not only referring to her irritation at Steve.Minecraft’sgameplay requires creating and utilizinga number of tools, which Steve carries with him at all times. They cover the basics like combat and mining, but also more underappreciated purposes, such as shearing sheep and seeing objects from a distance.
