Swedish video game developer Markus “Notch” Persson founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. On November 18, 2011, Mojang Studios released the full official version of the video game “Minecraft: Java Edition.” The game gained massive popularity almost immediately. The games open-ended nature and its ability to stream on multiple gaming platforms along with the rise of gaming YouTube videos contributed to its major success. “Minecraft” is currently the second best-selling game of all time, following “Tetris.” Now, almost 14 years later, a film based on “Minecraft” was finally created.
“A Minecraft Movie,” directed by Jared Hess, hit theaters on April 4, 2025 and immediately exceeded expectations. The film made $163 million in just its first three days in the North American box office making it the largest domestic movie opening of the year. The film was also estimated to have brought in $300 million globally in just the opening weekend.
In the film, Henry (played by Sebastian Eugene Hansen) and his sister Natalie (played by Emma Myers) move to the fictitious town of Chugglass, Idaho following the death of their mother. On the way to his first day of school, Henry meets Garret “The Garbage Man” Garrison (played by Jason Mamoa). The two of them accidentally come across the Orb of Dominance and the Earth Crystal and place them together, opening up a mysterious portal. The Garbage Man, Henry, Natalie and their real estate agent Dawn (played by Danielle Brooks) get sucked into this portal and enter the Overworld. Soon after their arrival, night time is upon them and they are faced with multiple monsters who immediately attack them. While fighting the monsters, Henry learns how to build in the Overworld and the Earth Crystal gets destroyed in the process, closing the portal to return home. Soon, the monsters become too much for the four to handle. Fortunately, Steve (played by Jack Black), a master crafter, saves them by defeating the rest of the monster. Now, the four, with the help of Steve, have to embark on a quest to find a new Earth Crystal, return home and protect The Overworld from Malgosha, an evil pig sorceress.
Some reviewers have called this film “absolutely life changing,” but that may be such a stretch. The movie’s plot was not exceptionally unique or special, but the film still had many aspects that made it a great experience all around.
The Overworld is based directly on the “Minecraft” game and shares many similar characteristics. The main one being the overall layout of the Overworld. It is a grass landscape with trees, caves, animals and, at night, monsters. The production designer team, whose specific names have not been publicized, did an amazing job on the Overworld set. It felt exactly like you were back in the video game. Additionally, the contrasting of the peaceful feel of daytime in the Overworld, to the chaotic and frightening reality of nightfall in the Overworld was done impressively well. While a lot of the set was real, there was also heavy use of CGI in order to perfectly recreate the game setting.
There were tons of characters in “A Minecraft Movie” that all added a layer of complexity and enjoyment to the film. Steve’s best friend, a tamed wolf named Dennis, is played by a real actor in a wolf suit, but CGI is used to create the wolf head. The idea of wolves and taming them is not new to Minecraft fans. The wolves are a real aspect of the video game and fans were happy to see the incorporation of it into the movie. The blend of CGI and real-life costumes fused together well to recreate the video game character. The movie also featured a variety of Villagers, passive non-player characters (NPC’s) that often live in villages and have specific trades they may offer to players. Villagers were also played by an actor in a villager suit with CGI for the head. Similarly, the main villain, Malgosha, and some of the other monsters featured were created the same way.
While the movie is heavily associated with the video game Minecraft, you don’t need any real knowledge of the game to enjoy it, and this caused both positive and negative reactions. The disconnect between the plot of the film and the storyline of the game was a major point of dissatisfaction among fans. The main plot involving the orb and the earth crystal are not featured in “Minecraft: Java Edition.” Viewers did not react well to this. Many people believed the main villain of the movie should have been the Ender Dragon who is the final boss you have to defeat to “win” the video game, although it never ends. In my opinion, the Ender Dragon is such a widely known part of the game and I would have loved to see it in the movie. On the other hand, the Ender Dragon plot is too shallow and superficial to create an interesting movie. The plot that was actually featured in the movie was more fitting and interesting,
The movie wasn’t just a sizable plot with distinguished acting, though. It was also a comedic masterpiece. One of the funniest aspects of the movie was the inclusion of songs such as “I Feel Alive,” “Steve’s Lava Chicken” and “Ode to Denis.” These songs were light and funny and honestly pretty good for what they were made for.
The film had everything. It featured star actors, it was a comedic masterpiece, it had a rewarding plot and it featured some catchy tunes. Despite some reactions by fans, it did what it was supposed to do. It kept the crowd entertained and laughing the whole time.
