On paper, it’s form of wild that “Minecraft”—the highest-selling online game of all time—has by no means gotten the big-screen therapy till now. Launched in 2011 by Mojang Studios, the sport has outlined a complete era, immersing gamers in a world of villagers, creepers, and, uh, zombified piglins. Happily, “Napoleon Dynamite” director Jared Hess appears to grasp the mechanics of this world properly sufficient to ship “A Minecraft Film”—a wonderfully serviceable, and surprisingly not nauseating, movie adaptation.
Most of its success rests on Jack Black, who, like “Minecraft” itself, has managed to transcend generations and construct an everlasting legacy (severely, he ought to have gotten an Oscar nomination for “The College of Rock,” and I’m not even joking). For teenagers and adults alike, Black is a magnetic power, injecting whip-smart, zany vitality into all the things he does. He’s additionally a strong singer—one thing “A Minecraft Film” properly capitalizes on, very similar to “The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film.” With out him, I’m unsure Jason Momoa’s star energy alone may have carried this factor, regardless that that is, unironically, the very best efficiency of his profession.
In contrast to most video video games that get tailored into movies, “Minecraft” doesn’t have a set narrative. It’s an open-world, sandbox expertise the place gamers create their very own adventures amid 3D-generated blocks. The sport’s philosophy is straightforward: in case you can think about it, you’ll be able to construct it. Assume LEGO, however digital. No objectives, no missions, no targets—simply an infinite playground the place you form the story.
That freeform spirit isn’t fully misplaced in “A Minecraft Film,” which kicks off in small-town Idaho, the place a lately orphaned brother-sister duo—Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Meyers)—group up with washed-up Nineteen Eighties gaming champion Garrett Garrison (Momoa, having some enjoyable). On the verge of dropping his storefront arcade and resale store, Garrett joins forces with the youngsters, in addition to native realtor-slash-portable-zoo-owner Daybreak (Danielle Brooks), to save lots of the Overworld. Collectively, they monitor down Steve (Black), a legendary “Minecraft” participant who way back deserted the true world in favor of the block-building panorama, selecting to pillage and create his personal future. You realize, like within the recreation.
Visually, the Overworld is a deal with—surprisingly immersive for a online game adaptation and refreshingly freed from that over-polished green-screen look (“Spy Youngsters 3D: Recreation Over,” anybody?). I saved serious about how the Overworld seemed extra plausible than something within the final “Captain America” film—however I digress. The character designs—zombies, goats, bees—really feel ripped straight from the sport, and whereas I’m not well-versed in “Minecraft” lore, the youngsters in my theater have been completely geeking out over the Easter eggs that screenwriter Chris Bowman sprinkled in. At the same time as a novice, I felt the film did a strong job of explaining the mechanics of the world.
Alas, our heroes should band collectively to cease an evil pig’s plan to destroy the Overworld without end. The plot revolves round a Tesseract-esque MacGuffin that serves as a portal between worlds, however truthfully, it doesn’t make a lot sense. “A Minecraft Film” is at its finest when Black and Momoa are bouncing off one another or when a weird but hilarious subplot involving Jennifer Coolidge romancing a villager unfolds. Since this model of “Minecraft” is framed as Steve’s story, the narrative is everywhere—which form of is smart. In spite of everything, the guts of the sport is crafting your individual journey, regardless of how messy or nonsensical it will get. That doesn’t at all times translate into a fascinating film, however issues may have been a lot worse.
As a substitute, “A Minecraft Film” by no means takes itself too severely, leaning into Hess’ signature goofball sensibilities (“Gents Broncos,” “Nacho Libre”) to clean over the movie’s clunkier points (a facet quest involving Daybreak and Natalie goes completely nowhere). However once more, all of it comes again to Jack Black, who at all times appears like he’s having essentially the most enjoyable in no matter mission he’s in. Momoa, too, deserves some credit score for nailing simply the right combination of humor and coronary heart as a washed-up gamer with an inferiority advanced.
Who is aware of what number of “Minecraft” motion pictures will comply with this one (one thing tells me fairly a number of). However as a primary foray into this large sandbox, “A Minecraft Film” is a breezy, satisfactory adaptation that captures the spirit of what makes the sport so addictive. Given how disastrous this might have been—particularly after that underwhelming first trailer—that’s a best-case state of affairs.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE opens in theaters Friday, April 4th.