IR Film Review: A MINECRAFT MOVIE [Warner Bros.]
The aspect of a video game adaption comes down to just what a film wants to do. If it is just entertainment with some semblance of sarcastic character structure thrown in, it can do well. "Super Mario Bros Movie" knew what it was but it was a series of sequences. The rainbow race had its point but not really narratively. "Borderlands" wanted to be something grand but seriously lost track of itself and maybe the tone despite some interesting performances but perhaps not enough control. "Minecraft" involves something in between. But they all share one thing: Jack Black. This is the only one where he is in live action and literally he acts like a cartoon but the odd thing is so does Jason Momoa. Now granted after some heavy characters I can see Momoa wanting to take a fun run and make fun of his image. And he does...and he can also allow himself to be a little pudgy in this and play a loser of sorts who thinks he is the man. But Jack Black is just playing Jack Black.
Now director Jared Hess who directed Black in "Nacho Libre" (and is best known for "Napoleon Dynamite" knew what he was getting into. The problem is that the movie, despite some stylistic touches, looks like anyone could have made it. The sequences make sense and lead up to a final showdown but the McGuffin for the whole thing is very weak, not unlike "Sonic The Hedgehog" and its franchise. But again these video games (the simpler ones) were really not originally built to be a feature length film. The real motivators in the story are a sister and her brother who she cares for. We never quite get his background story...just that he is a dreamer and she is trying to bring him to reality...or what happened to their parents.
That context populated some of the best films of the 80s from "The Goonies" to "Explorers" to "Gremlins." But those had Spielberg behind them in his heyday. This feels way too garbled and the CG just removes one from it. Maybe it is a generational thing but this is more built so it can be repackaged into another world at a Universal theme park. That is not bad but the sheer "throw-it-at-the-wall" narrative nature (even though it is planned) is a little too flippant. Granted it is made more for kids but there is a degree where there needs to be a reflection. The film shares a lot in common with "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" but that did have a basis in a book. However this reviewer might be missing some of the specifics from the actual "Minecraft" video game but even so, the structure is a little loose. Ultimately it is supposed to be a fun ride and not take itself seriously at all and yet there are some elements that have the potential to be dark. The ironic thing is that they don't stay around for long and there is a thematic resonance buried in the melee though it is a bit superficial. "A Minecraft Movie" may be fun in a way but it is also like cotton candy, tasty at times but mostly unfulfilling. C+
By Tim Wassberg
