Block-Buster: “A Minecraft Movie” is an enjoyable experience for people of all ages and successfully recreates the game

“I am Steve.”

The iconic words I was anticipating were beaming through the AMC theater after seeing countless memes of Jack Black dressed up in a turquoise shirt and a diamond sword on every social media app since the trailer came out.

As an avid creative-mode —  the version of the game where your character can’t die — player of Minecraft, I was unironically ecstatic to see one of my favorite childhood games come to life in theaters. 

“A Minecraft Movie” replicated the game almost perfectly. The cast had many memorable actors like Jack Black (Steve), Jennifer Coolidge (Vice Principal Marlene) and Jason Momoa (Garrett Garrison). These three together made an enticing cast, but the rest of the cast’s acting made the experience cringeworthy, even for a movie about this nostalgic game.

Jack Black was a spot-on cast pick to play Steve because of his quirky nature and his backstory in the movie as an average American, to a person living full time in the Minecraft world made it an unusual but pleasant movie.

Sebastian Eugene Hansen (Henry) plays the typical nerdy protagonist —scrawny, an outcast, and oddly smart. This is no less than I would’ve expected for a movie about Minecraft, because it’s a kids fantasy game. But I kept wishing that the part was played a little better with more raw emotion. 

Same goes for Emma Meyers (Natalie). If you’re alongside Jack Black and Jennifer Coolidge in a movie, I feel like your acting should be at least decent, but in most moments of the movie the acting felt very orchestrated from the two. 

When Natalie had heartfelt moments with Henry, I couldn’t help but cringe throughout my body even though it was supposed to be a sweet moment between the siblings. Natalie saying, “I thought I lost you” to Henry was the most cliché they could write in the script.

But nonetheless, these unfortunate cast picks didn’t stray away from my interest in the movie. A lot of the movie was predictable: teenagers getting lost in an alternate universe, they need to go on adventure to find “the thing” that will save them, and they eventually get out but learned some cliché lesson. 

Although this plotline is overused, it was executed well. There was never a dull moment that had me checking my phone to see if the movie was over yet, like other movies that have recently come out.

The small details of the movie are what really grabbed my attention. Such as Vice Principal Marlene falling in love with the iconic Minecraft villager,  or the evil pigs in the nether. 

Not to mention, the visual effects perfectly encapsulated what the actual Minecraft game looks like. I thoroughly enjoyed the blocky, adorable recreations of creepers, pandas, ghasts, Steve’s precious dog, Dennis and literally anything that you could name from playing Minecraft.

Not only was the movie funny, but people of all ages would be able to enjoy this movie by making it relatable for adults and kids, which is hard to achieve.

The whole time I felt like I was reliving my childhood dreams of living in the Minecraft world, and despite the Disney-esque acting, “A Minecraft Movie” is worth watching for Minecraft lovers and anyone who likes fantasy/adventure movies.