“First we mine, then we craft. Let’s Minecraft.” That is an actual quote from “A Minecraft Movie.” It has been rumored to be in the making for as long as I can remember, but deep down, I never really thought it would come to fruition. Yet, here we are. A Minecraft Movie is in theaters and has, at the time of writing, grossed $729 million worldwide.
Minecraft has been a part of my life for nine years now. Even before I installed the game on my first little Samsung tablet (Yes, I admit it. I was, in some capacity, an iPad kid. Emphasis on was; I’m reformed.), I was reading Minecraft books and watching Minecraft videos, and many have similar experiences. I still play it to this day, building houses, farms, and whatever I put my mind to.
Minecraft has created some core memories for me. One such memory was in the hospital at The University of Iowa in the days after I was attacked by my own dog. It was a tough time, but Minecraft was there to cheer me up. As I was playing, I encountered another player. I don’t know who that person was. But I think about them sometimes. Boy or girl, young or old, dead or alive, that person and I have a connection. A connection that wouldn’t have happened without Minecraft.
What I’m getting at is that “A Minecraft Movie” isn’t just a movie; it’s the culmination of my childhood, and the same goes for thousands, maybe millions, of others. The movie itself is just okay. It’s a typical hero’s journey with quirky characters and a formulaic ‘we’re trapped into a video game’ plot reminiscent of “Jumanji” or “Pixels.” But does that matter? Absolutely not. Because of the context we watched “A Minecraft Movie” in, it was the best movie experience. No matter what came on that screen, we would have seen the best piece of cinema ever made. There’s something surreally beautiful about watching a movie that has your entire life leading up to it with 25 of your friends in a theater full of like-minded teenagers who just want to yell “CHICKEN JOCKEY!”
Even for some people in the movie, it was more than just a job they had to do. Popular YouTubers Mumbo Jumbo and DanTDM, who both made a career out of playing Minecraft in the 2010s, had cameos in the film. A pig wearing a crown paid homage to the late Technoblade, another YouTuber who died of cancer in 2022 after amassing over 10 million subscribers. Jack Black, who plays one of the film’s protagonists (Steve), played Minecraft for over 100 hours in preparation. Jared Hess, the director of the film (who previously directed “Napoleon Dynamite”), noted his experience playing the game with his children in an interview with the UK based company Picturehouse.
The film featured various music, both original and licensed. Paul Russell’s “Lil’ Boo Thang” was featured. The original music was, just like the movie, not very good but very fun. Some of the best were “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” “Ode to Dennis,” and “I Feel Alive.”
So, “A Minecraft Movie” was just okay. It was more of an experience than a movie, but that’s alright. The movie fulfilled its mission very well; it didn’t have to be a Christopher Nolan film with deep themes and a beautiful soundtrack. It had to be a fun movie with silly characters and goofy music. So, Minecraft Movie, I congratulate you. As imperfect as you are, you are all you need to be.
