“Minecraft” is a sandbox, creative building game that was released in 2011, published by Mojang Studios and created by Markus ‘Notch’ Persson. Since its release, it has become a cultural phenomenon. People of all ages have come to love the game, whether they’re playing in creative mode or survival mode. “Minecraft” has become more than just a game—it has official merchandise including clothes and toys. As of April 4, “Minecraft” has entered another genre of entertainment, the movie industry.
“A Minecraft Movie” was directed by Jared Hess and stars Jason Momoa as Garrett, Jack Black as Steve, Sebastian Hansen as Henry, Emma Myers as Natalie and Danielle Brooks as Dawn. Other actors include Jennifer Coolidge as Vice Principal Marlene and Rachel House as the voice of Malgosha.
The movie starts with the history of Steve and shows how he finds the orb of dominance and the earth crystal. When combined, the two pieces open a portal to the Overworld, the “Minecraft” realm. Steve builds himself a home and gets a dog named Dennis. One day, Steve builds a portal to the Netherworld, and this alerts Malgosha, the gold-obsessed, creative loathing leader of the Nether, to go after him for the orb. She captures Steve, but he manages to get Dennis to escape to the real world and hide the orb and crystal under his bed, destroying the portal between the Overworld and the real world.
Years later, we meet the other main characters. In Chuglass, Idaho, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison owns a failing video game store on the brink of foreclosure and turns to storage auctions to find gold. He doesn’t find gold, but he does find Steve’s orb and the earth crystal. In another area of Chuglass, siblings Henry and Natalie are moving into their new home, with the help of their realtor Dawn, due to their mother’s passing.
After Henry meets Garrett and some misfortunes, Henry gets his hands on the orb and earth crystal, combines them and all four of them end up in the Overworld. In the Overworld, Steve meets the four, and they go on a journey to protect Overworld from Malgosha’s takeover.
Throughout the movie, there are multiple references and cameos, including “Minecraft” YouTubers like DanTDM, Aphmau, Mumbo Jumbo, LDShadowLady and the late Technoblade. There’s also cameos of people who were intrinsically involved in “Minecraft” creation, such as Jen “Jeb” Bergensten and Torfi Frans Olafsson.
I loved the movie. As a longtime fan of “Minecraft,” it gave the game justice and honored those who made it what it is today. I’m hopeful for a sequel, since an end credit scene introduced Alex, the first official female character in “Minecraft.” The movie is definitely worth a watch, especially for those who grew up playing it and watching YouTubers play this iconic game.
