April 11, 2025 by Daniel Hancock (‘26)
Just last Friday, a movie many fans have wished for their whole lives was released. A Minecraft Movie. After trailers and countless memes, the movie was finally released for everyone to experience. With such excitement, did A Minecraft Movie truly live up to all its hype?
For anyone living offline for the past 16 years, Minecraft, the sandbox video game, takes the cake for the most popular video game of all time. With over 300 million copies sold, as of late 2023, it stands as the most sold single video game ever. A game based on, as the name suggests, mining and crafting, in a block world, where the player can build whatever they want, only limited by creativity. It has cemented itself as a staple in the video game world and to children everywhere.
Based on that alone, A Minecraft Movie seems like it would have no problem with success. And it hasn’t. Despite analysts predicting the movie would only gross $60 million, the movie managed to gross $162.75 million domestically. And that’s only from its opening weekend. The movie hasn’t had any problem selling tickets, with such a massive IP backing it. But is it worth going to see?
If you’ve been on social media over the last weekend, you may have seen clips of theaters packed, with fans eagerly awaiting and applauding the various catchphrases and memes that had sprung up prior to the movie. No more popular than “CHICKEN JOCKEY,” which fans are rioting for, when Jack Black’s character Steve says it. So much so that some theaters have put in policies and asked patrons not to. But maybe Chicken Jockey is just that exciting. Whether you think so is up to you.
As for the plot and the movie’s characters, we are introduced to the 5 main characters through various means, until they all end up adventuring together. Without revealing any spoilers, the movie follows a typical adventure format, with the characters going on a quest to find something and ending in a climactic final battle against the “bad guys”. Typical, forgettable story. And the characters aren’t much more memorable. Even in the movie, they poke fun at not remembering the characters’ names. There’s bits of exposé and character development throughout; to try and give the characters some amount of depth, but some parts of the movie just weren’t as memorable as one might expect.
But what did leave a mark on the movie’s overall impression was the countless jokes and comical scenes in the movie; it shines more as a comedy than an adventure. From start to finish, the characters make jokes and create humorous situations. There’s no better example than Jack Black breaking out into song in various scenes. While it might’ve seemed out of place, it helped add an overall light mood to the movie. The movie has so many jokes for all ages that it could appeal to anyone watching, from the kids to parents to die hard fans. A Minecraft Movie was over the top funny, especially seeing it in theaters.
To sum it up, the movie is worth seeing for the jokes, not so much the story. While it might disappoint some fans hoping for a serious and maybe even intense movie, the movie is full of jokes and funny scenes. It’s best to see it in theaters, especially when it’s full, so you can experience the audience’s applause and excitement, which only made the movie that much more amusing. Whether you are a fan or not, if you’re looking for a lighthearted and entertaining movie, A Minecraft Movie is worth seeing.
A Minecraft Movie movie showtimes at an AMC Theatre near you.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67105983
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/business/minecraft-movie-box-office/index.html
Photo source:gamingbolt.com