The latest IP to be mined into a Hollywood blockbuster is appropriately a video game that celebrates digging:
Like and before it, 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie鈥� centers on four misfits who enter a mysterious portal that pulls them into a strange land, this time cubic, like Lego only on shrooms.
The Jared Hess-directed action-adventure artfully straddles the line between delighting preteen gamers and keeping their parents awake. It's an often-bananas adaptation, with bizarre digressions into turquoise blouses and tater tot pizzas. It has being very Jennifer Coolidge. Need we say more?
If you鈥檝e never heard of 鈥淢inecraft鈥� 鈥� or its denizens like Creepers, Piglins, Villagers and Endermen 鈥� you are in big trouble. Consult with the closest 10-year-old immediately. (I have one and he noticed a sweet nod to the late YouTuber Technoblade, an Easter egg of sorts.)
The movie is faithful to the world of the game, while adding some things 鈥� orbs and crystals 鈥� to aid the plot. But if you come in cold and spot pandas and folks punching through earth, you'll likely side with one human character who says: 鈥淭his place makes no sense.鈥�
Our travelers 鈥� a sweet brother and sister (Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen), their nutty real estate agent and a deeply dumb, washed-up pro video game player 鈥� are guided by playing an expert crafter named Steve stranded in the world.
If it does anything, 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie鈥� marks the comedic coming of age of Momoa, who has shown glimpses of his chops in the and movies. But when he鈥檚 not on screen in this one, it leaves the movie slack, which is saying a lot when you have Black being his full-force, over-the-top Black.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no 鈥榠鈥� in 鈥榯eam鈥� but there are two 鈥榠鈥檚 in 鈥榳inning,鈥欌�� Momoa says as Garrett 鈥淭he Garbage Man鈥� Garrison, who is fond of fingerless gloves and a leather jacket with a fringe. In another scene, he notes: 鈥淧aper doesn鈥檛 grow on trees.鈥�
The screenplay written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta is as loosey-goosey as you'd expect from five different voices, with a traditional Marvel-style battle at the end fueled by plenty of 鈥淟et's do this!鈥� declarations but with a surprisingly goofball first half.
Like countless films before it, 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie鈥� is all about the quest to go home, which in this case means navigating zombies, skeletons shooting fire-tipped arrows and a place called The Nether, a perpetually dark hell where horrible creatures mine for gold. For some reason, the ruler there, a piglike witch, has glowing eyes and a British accent.
The writers make some 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Got Talent鈥� jokes, Black has a few songs 鈥� including a bizarre 鈥淪teve鈥檚 Lava Chicken鈥� 鈥� and we spend an inordinate of time focused on Momoa鈥檚 butt, but it all ends in a dance party. The movie has a 鈥淒ark Crystal鈥�-meets-鈥淭ransformers鈥� vibe, a too-subtle message about financial failure and something about friendship.
The filmmakers do have characters throw eggs 鈥� is that smart? 鈥� but they don't lean enough into the celebration of creativity this movie seemed to promise when it started.
Hollywood鈥檚 embrace of gaming has been yielding hits such as HBO鈥檚 and Amazon Prime Video鈥檚 series adaptation of the Microsoft-owned 鈥淔allout.鈥� More adaptations are on the horizon this year: 鈥淯ntil Dawn,鈥� 鈥淢ortal Kombat 2鈥� and 鈥淔ive Nights at Freddy鈥檚 2.鈥�
As for 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥� the advice is this: Come for the Piglins, stay for Momoa, whom you will see spectacularly failing at being bilingual and jujutsu-ing opponents dressed like a member of Skid Row. It's everything you ever needed.
鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥� a Warner Bros. Pictures release that's in theaters Friday, is rated PG for 鈥渧iolence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images.鈥� Running time: 101 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
