April 12, 2025 – I went to see this movie mainly because I liked the look of the trailer, and I like Jack Black and Jason Momoa as actors. What I did not expect is the sheer nonsense of the story. Seriously, it makes no sense at all.

According to news reports about the nature of audiences viewing this movie at theaters, the “chicken jockey” commotions in particular, it seems to indicate the popularity of this movie is based largely on those who really like the video game it is based on. I have not played this game, so I have no idea why this movie would generate any excitement, so bear that in mind as you read this.

I have watched a lot of movies based on video games, and most, such as “Prince of Persia the Sands of Time” and the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies make sense, even to those of us who have never played the games. Sure these are fantasy stories about impossible things, but they have an internal logic that is fairly consistent.

“A Minecraft Movie,” on the other hand, has characters acting arbitrarily in an arbitrary, inconsistent plot. As far as any kind of internal logic goes, or any consistency within the rules of the Minecraft world, there is none that I could see. This seems to be a gamers-only movie. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was a model of logic compared to this.

Jack Black stars as Steve, a doorknob salesman who has a lifelong urge to explore a particular mine for some reason. He finally does so and there discovers the key to the “Overworld” where he can use his imagination to magically create incredible structures, all based on the shape of cubes.

Here is an odd coincidence: Jason Momoa stars in this film as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, who gets accidentally transported to the Overworld. It so happens that Momoa also starred in another movie as Flip, a character also trapped in an alternate reality. In the movie “Slumberland” (2022) Flip is the alter ego of Philip, a doorknob salesman, much like the doorknob salesman Steve in A Minecraft Movie. One difference is that Slumberland is a really good movie, while A Minecraft Movie is not.

Along with The Garbage Man, youngsters Natalie (Emma Myers of “Family Switch”) and Henry (Sebastian Hansen of “Just Mercy”) are are accidentally transported to the Overworld, along with a real estate agent, Dawn (Danielle Brooks of “The Color Purple”) via magical objects called “The Orb of Dominance” and “The Earth Crystal.” The Garbage Man acquired the objects in a storage sale.

After the Earth Crystal is damaged, the group must find a replacement in order to get back to the real world. Steve, who is the only other human in the Overworld, and the only person who knows his way around in it, helps the group recover the extra Earth Crystal from a heavily-guarded Woodland Mansion. There is an additional danger. If the evil Malgosha is able to get the The Orb of Dominance away from them, she can lay waste to the Overworld.

The quest for the Earth Crystal results in many adventures involving many magical creatures, including Malagosha's evil hordes from the Nether realm. Meanwhile, another story is taking place in the real world, as a local school vice principal, Marlene (Jennifer Coolidge of “Riff Raff”) meets, and falls in love with Nitwit (no kidding, his real name) a non-human character who escaped from the Overworld. This broadly comic subplot is entirely superfluous.

Overall, this is not a bad movie since the characters are all engaging. Jack Black gets to use his considerable music talent, singing songs in this movie. Jason Momoa is very good at physical comedy, and can even sing in tune. Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Coolidge all turn in solid performances in this nonsensical story. These actors make this movie tolerable.

The production design and art direction are also top notch. The Nether World and Overworld may not make any sense, but they look great. If I was a fan of the game, I might think this is a good movie, but evaluating it as a non-gamer, it rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2025 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at