“A Minecraft Movie” released April 4, and its success is far beyond the point of any question. It has earned more than $500 million during its first week-and-a-half, becoming the second most successful video game movie of all time, behind only “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (2023).
It has also become a social media phenomenon — my Instagram and X feeds have become quite cubic in nature.
Popularity is one thing. Quality is another. That begs the question — how good is “A Minecraft Movie,” actually? The answer stems from a strange, postmodern phenomenon tied to one of the film industry’s classic establishments — the movie theater.
I saw “A Minecraft Movie” on launch day with about eight of my friends. The theater was full of fellow college-age students (and a few middle schoolers), almost all of whom were aware of the prolific quotes associated with the movie — “flint and steel,” “I am Steve” and the darling “chicken jockey.” These lines gained notoriety during the pre-release phase thanks to Jack Black’s delivery in trailers and online culture.
The movie, therefore, was quite an engaging and humorous experience. Each famed line was quoted by the audience and met by thunderous applause. Even I — what some would consider a “snob” regarding most media — sat on the edge of my seat when my mind registered a scene from the film’s many trailers.
What if I saw the film in a vacuum, though? What if I witnessed it before the social media craze and the post-ironic engagement generated by the clippable lines? Let’s suppose I went off the grid for a year à la Chris McCandless and immediately beelined for the film once I returned. Would I still enjoy it?
Somewhat. But not nearly as much.
The film is not nearly as bad as I first expected from its trailer. Certainly, the computer-generated images and human actors are a poor match and the story rather uninspiring, but the film is infused with a charmingly self-aware sense of humor.
Jason Momoa and Black provide genuinely entertaining and comedic performances. The love story between a recently divorced vice principal (played by Jennifer Coolidge) and a villager turned astray has no right being as ludicrously funny as it is.
The film could certainly do more with its inspiration. There are a few niche references here and there — rest in peace, Technoblade — but generally speaking the film plays it safe with the tools, blocks and mobs incorporated. The cynic in me assumes they hope to reserve more “popular” aspects of the game (the ender dragon, the wither and so forth) for the sequel that the post-credits scene practically confirms.
So where does that leave us? We have a fairly standard video game family film that, while generally faithful to the source material and containing a few strong performances, feels generally uninspired in the current film industry. Yet it miraculously makes for one of the most memorable and enjoyable film-watching experiences in my recent life.
What do we have to thank for this?
First is the post-modern impact of social media. The clips of the trailers, the meme-inspired edits and the pre-release skits — all of these culminate in a cloud of shared ironic enjoyment lingering around younger generations who viewed the film.
The second is the theater experience itself. Though the financial difficulties related with viewing films in theaters is to be bemoaned, Sean Baker’s argument in favor of the “classic” viewing experience was validated and then some by the movie’s integration with the theater.
No, viewers shouldn’t throw popcorn or stand on each other’s shoulders. They certainly shouldn’t bring a live chicken to the film. Yet the behavior in my theater — murmurs of excitement, echoes of notable dialogue and claps and cheers galore — enhanced the experience past its individual value.
Though I only knew eight others watching the film, I felt as though I were in a community of adoring and perhaps slightly ironic fans. Streaming cannot even hope to replicate that experience.
All these factors leave “A Minecraft Movie” in a wholly singular position — perhaps one that can only exist in this year with this culture. A relatively mild film has been elevated by the classic theater experience and the post-modern social media phenomenon.
Quite frankly, I couldn’t ask for anything more.
