A Minecraft Movie
Currently only in theaters
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Rated PG
Four people find themselves on an unlikely adventure together as they are sucked through a portal into the world of Minecraft. Upon reaching the other side of the portal they are saved from zombies by Steve who sucks them into his quest to save the Overworld of Minecraft from the evil Piglins.
Themes:
Minecraft, creativity, retro gaming, family, friendship, teamwork, building, moving, belonging, living in the past, desire, being successful, being liked, owning a business, popularity, making wise decisions, and tater tots.
Language:
A*s - 1 D*mn - 2 Hell - 4 Religious Exclamations - 4
Other words parents may want to be aware of:
Crap - 4 Dang - 1 Heck: 5 Screw it - 1 Sucks - 3
There is name calling such as idiot, tool bag, fool and loser. One character tells another to, “suck butt.”
Stuff to be aware of:
Grossness - If the Piglins don’t drink a potion in the Overworld sun their skin looks like it is burning and some of their bones pop out making them zombies. This is done in cartoon fashion but it is a little more intense than the game.
Scary - All the traditional Minecraft monsters show up. Zombies, spiders, creepers, skeletons, Enderman, and Piglins. If you have watched a trailer you have likely seen most of these guys. They are a little more realistic looking than the game, but still very cartoon-looking. Periodically, zombies get their arms and heads knocked off.
Sexual - There is a brief (and humorous) conversation between two men about wearing unisex blouses. One mentions that he will hand out with the other man to fulfill his, “fanboy fantasies.”
There is a woman who flirts with a man who is nicknamed “the Garbage Man.” She makes the following joke, “you can bag me up and take me to the curb any time.” She also refers to having a lot of “raccoons in there.” This same character mentions to multiple people that she is recently divorced. She also goes on a date with a Villager.
Jason Momoa’s butt is zoomed on and he clenches his butt cheeks. There is also a giant Piglin who has a “plumber’s crack” when he turns around.
There is a humorous scene in which Jason Momoa and Jack Black are sharing a glider and they have to stick their heads between each other’s legs. This is done for humor and there are no sexual jokes made.
Violence - The human (real-life) characters fight a bunch of Minecraft monsters. Early on a zombie gets his arm ripped off and a character slaps him with it. None of this has any blood or gore. Multiple Piglins get stabbed and turn into pork chops.
Sadly, by the end of the movie many Piglins, Iron Golems, Skeletons, and Zombies die.
Overall:
Seeing It With Your Family
There is less cursing than a typical Marvel movie (like Spider-Man) and the violence is way under a PG-13 rating. This is Minecraft but with a more cartoon look. The worst parts are the Piglins becoming zombies, but those scenes are very brief and the camera moves a lot.
What I Thought
The movie was directed by Jared Hess who brought you classics such as Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006). You will witness over-the-top 70s and 80s fashion, see llamas, hear quotable one-liners, and experience tater tot pizza and throwbacks to Napoleon Dynamite. If you do not like his movies, you will likely think this one is stupid. Hess’s humor is infused in it. Personally, I have a nostalgic love for those movies and still quote them today. But, this one isn’t quite as witty.
I was hoping for a spectacular showing like the Lego movie, but it didn’t happen. A big issue with this movie is too many random plot threads. You are presented with the MacGuffin and the quest to retrieve it early on, but then a bunch of random side quests seem to get in the way and muddle the story. I guess if you consider how Minecraft is really whatever you make it, this movie can work. Honestly, I think I would have preferred a CGI movie just set in the Minecraft world, not people from our reality going into the overworld of Minecraft Jumanji style.
On a positive note, the writers and Hess knew their Minecraft. There are plenty of jokes and references to the game that make the runtime feel a little like an Easter Egg Hunt. I also think that if you see this with the right people it makes the movie more enjoyable.
Likely this movie, due to its license, will make plenty of money and spawn a sequel, but other video game movies are better written. If you go in with a group of friends that just want to have a silly time you will likely have a fun and memorable experience. Seeing this in theater with the audience I saw it with made it a more enjoyable. Kids were getting into it and the adults laughed at the nostalgia based jokes.
I don’t see myself watching this one again, unless my kids put it on.
Make sure to stay until the end of the credits for an MCU style end-credits scene.