“Minecraft,” a popular sandbox game beloved by many who grew up in the 2000s, has inspired many books, spin off games, and fan-created works. “A Minecraft Movie,” released April 4, continues to add to the forever-growing franchise. It has earned millions in the box office and has gone viral among teen audiences.
Despite having the room to explore Minecraft’s lore, community and open-ended nature, “A Minecraft Movie” fails to give a compelling story that lives up to the game’s values.
It does its job as a silly movie for a younger audience, but it could have been better and fails its older audience that grew up with the game. Instead of telling a meaningful story about creativity, character arcs are rushed, and bonds between the five main characters are superficial and forced.
The movie follows an unlikely group of four as they get sucked into the overworld of Minecraft and are forced to work alongside each other and a man named Steve to get back home.
The main character, Henry, is shunned in school for wanting to use his creativity and be a rocket scientist. Though he’s upset by bullies, Henry shows no internal struggle and never questions his creativity. Over the course of the movie he never wants to stop creating or reflect different views about being creative.
The other main characters don’t add much value into the creativity theme as well. Much of their dialogue is painfully obvious for trailer shots and cheap jokes. Malgosha, the main antagonist who strives to stop all creativity, was also shunned in her youth for being creative. However, neither she nor the people she rules were taught to be creative or express themselves by the end.
This kind of story, the one highlighting the endless possibilities in an endless world, had the potential to shine and be great. After all, we’ve seen it done before.
“The LEGO Movie” walked a similar path back in 2014: a movie based on a product without an inherent narrative, just building things to build things. Yet it managed to build something sincere and heartfelt. It balanced humor with a thoughtful story about imagination and the conflict between order and creativity. Most importantly, it celebrated the people, especially the kids, who made the toy what it was.
In the end, “A Minecraft Movie” plays it safe in a world that was built on creative freedom. What could’ve been a celebration of creativity and community ended up feeling like a cash-in that lacked the magic it deserved. It might entertain younger fans, but for those who grew up on the game and all of the things it inspired, it feels like a missed opportunity.
