A Minecraft Movie Parent Guide

Life isn’t going so well for Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison’s (Jason Momoa), a washed up 80s arcade superstore. Now he’s the owner of a failing used game store and is in danger of being evicted.

Across town, Henry’s (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) life isn’t going so well either. New to town after his mother passed away and his sister, Natalie (Emma Myers), became his guardian, he’s having a hard time fitting in. When Henry and Garrett meet, they form an unlikely connection – and stumble across a mystical orb that opens a portal to another world. Joined by Natalie and her friend Dawn (Danielle Brooks), the group find themselves in the Overworld, a cubic land where creativity reigns supreme.

While trying to find their way back home, the group encounter Steve (Jack Black), a master crafter who knows his way around the Overworld. It will take all of Steve’s expertise to find the missing piece they need to open the portal back home – as well as bravery and creativity from the four friends.

I’m just a little too old to have played Minecraft as a kid - it released just as I was finishing high school. But thanks to its enduring popularity, my eight-year-old son has been playing it for a few years, so I have been subjected to many a story about his cubic exploits. Although a fan of the game, he wasn’t excited about the movie adaptation (a good sign for his developing media evaluation skills). However, he agreed to accompany me to the theater, and since he is the target audience I think his review holds more weight than mine. As the credits rolled, he looked at me and declared “it wasn’t too bad”.

Overall, A Minecraft Movie is funny. I laughed out loud many times and the chemistry between Jack Black and Jason Momoa is electric. Most of the performances are good, and the animation is well done. However, the story surrounding the jokes is flimsy at best, with shallow characters, underdeveloped relationships, and a boatload of plot contrivances. I did have a good time watching it, because when it’s good it’s really good, but everything in between ranges from boring to cringe.

With slightly higher levels of swearing and violence than I expected, I wouldn’t recommend this film for very young viewers, especially ones who are easily scared. For the intended audience, which based on our theater seem to be people from ages eight to twenty, A Minecraft Movie has some fun to offer, but not a lot of substance – if that’s what you’re looking for, this flick will work for you.