As someone who has never played Minecraft the game, and is only vaguely familiar with its building premise, to say there was a major detachment – and perhaps an unenthusiasm – towards A Minecraft Movie would be an understatement. But in that uninitiated mentality is perhaps the perfect embodiment to review such a film as this, as I’m looking at Jared Hess‘s feature completely objectively, away from the sheen of fandom and simply as a patron wondering, “What the hell is, in fact, a Minecraft movie?”
The answer, shockingly, is that it’s a lot of fun. Absurdist, non-sensical, random fun that very much speaks to the comedic temperament Hess has demonstrated across his previous, divisive efforts Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, and Masterminds. It’s a film that takes the simplest of premises – four misfits enter a magic portal, shenanigans ensue – and dials up the lunacy to 11, peppering in more than its share of Easter eggs for the devoted fans (many of which I was privy to during and after the screening itself), but maintaining a level of accessible humour for those willing to go along with it all.
“This place makes no sense,” is a phrase uttered by one of our travelers, and it’s the perfect summation of the Minecraft world. But given that it’s based off of a video game – one where its players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and machines – a little bit of grace can certainly be extended towards screenwriters Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta, given that they manage to make something of a narrative around such a premise.
The aforementioned four misfits that are at the core of the narrative are brother/sister duo Henry and Natalie (Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers), their eccentric real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and has-been, 1980s video game “legend” Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), who, through situational plot steps, are thrust together in the throws of navigational curiosity. In the opening 10 minutes of the film (which are arguably its most chaotic), we’re given all the backstory necessary to catch us up to speed when we meet Steve (Jack Black, playing for the back of the room with every theatrical body movement), a lonely, expert crafter who has found himself in the Minecraft world through the discovery of a magic orb. He has very much made himself a home in the Minecraft scape, but he also made himself an enemy in the odd pig-like witch Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House), who wants the orb for herself so she can transform the entirety of the cubic wonderland into a hellscape. You just got to go with it.
With five voices on hand as screenwriters, it does make sense that there’s a certain looseness to proceedings, with A Minecraft Movie flitting between a variety of personalities throughout. It all culminates in a “We’re all in this together”-like battle between the humans and the Minecraft monsters, but in the lead-up we’re treated to Jack Black-lead musical numbers, a truly bizarre backstory for Malgosha that centres around an America’s Got Talent-ish dance dream gone wrong, and a seeming fascination with the posterior of Mr. Momoa.
On the mention of the hulking actor, A Minecraft Movie, if nothing else, gifts us with his true comedic genius. Fast X let us in on his abilities, and there were even glimpses across his duties as Aquaman, but the full-tilt commitment he brings to “The Garbage Man” ignite every minute he’s on screen here. Adorned with the actor’s seeming signature pink, a mop of hair that shouldn’t work (somehow he even pulls off bangs), and fingerless gloves that allow even his digits to become their own character, Momoa livens up A Minecraft Movie so much so that the movie suffers when he isn’t comically screaming or sprouting such wisdom as “Paper doesn’t grow on trees.”; and that’s saying something when he’s playing opposite a full-tilt Black.
A Minecraft Movie is ultimately a goofy, celebratory production that has no interest in taking the higher, more sophisticated road on its comedy journey. The family market will easily have their fill across all aspects, with those parents in attendance unaware of what exactly is taking place likely to find some enjoyment factor in the randomness of it all; there’s even a whole subplot around Jennifer Coolidge‘s dippy high-school principal and her seeming bad luck with men that offers up too many laughs for its own good.
Jack Black and Jason Momoa are the comedic duo we didn’t know we needed, and their one-two punch of camp theatrics and unwavering commitment to the cause make A Minecraft Movie, ridiculous as it is, far more enjoyable than it has any right to be.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
A Minecraft Movie is now screening in Australian theatres.
