At The Movies: Jack Black, Jason Momoa fail to save blocky misadventure A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie (PG)

101 minutes, opens on April 3 ★★☆☆☆

The story: In the Overworld, everything is cube-shaped and almost any item can be crafted from basic units. Into this bizarre realm enter four people from the normal world: genius adolescent Henry (Sebastian Hansen); his anxious but caring sister Natalie (Emma Myers); their friend, the animal whisperer Dawn (Danielle Brooks); and Garrett Garrison (Jason Momoa), a washed-up video gamer. The bewildered group meet Steve (Jack Black), a refugee from the normal world who has learnt the secrets of the Overworld.

Too weird to be sincere and too sincere to be as bizarre as it hopes to be, this movie is an example of what happens when Hollywood caters to gamer fans, idiosyncratic directors and general audiences all at once.

The result is an awkward hybrid far less than the sum of its parts, because the wants of these three groups are too often incompatible. 

The problems begin with director Jared Hess, the celebrated mind behind the cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite (2004). It was a first feature that established him as a film-maker with a voice all his own.

That was followed up with more comedies featuring idealistic goofballs out of sync with the harsh realities of life, including Nacho Libre (2006, also starring Black) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009). These films showcase the deadpan absurdism and gentleness that make Hess’ films unique.

Based on the popular video game Minecraft (2011), in which players explore a world where they can craft anything from tools to ornate buildings, this movie features three extra-goofy characters, as if to make up for the lack of quirkiness in the others. 

Black’s Steve is an intense man prone to describing his emotions with epic rock arias that describe the joys and agonies of life in the Overworld. He is, in other words, the fan-favourite Jack Black.

Momoa’s Garrett peaked as a teenage gamer and lives his life as if it were still 1989. He is pathetically delusional, but also sweetly caring towards Henry (Hansen). Momoa is fine, if slightly miscast, and it is clear he is holding back because two loud, over-the-top men in the mix would be too much.  

Jennifer Coolidge is in the midst of a career surge following an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning turn in two seasons of dramedy series The White Lotus (2021 to present). And she is one of the film’s saving graces. Like Black, she plays the kind of role that fans adore her for. She is effortlessly funny as vice-principal Marlene, hungry for love and blind to flaws in men. 

Stapled to all this eccentricity are the adolescent and young adult characters that younger audiences will find relatable, as well as a plot that extols the virtues of crafting because creativity is all. None of it is delivered with any conviction. 

Hot take: Director Jared Hess’ deadpan sense of humour gets lost in the cube-shaped Overworld as the film tries to balance goofy characters, relatable young people and a tacked-on message about the virtue of creativity.