Seb's Web

When the trailers came out for this film, most people, including me, were reserved but hopeful. Films based on video games tend to fail much worse than those based on popular books (I’m still bitter about Eragon). But this one seemed to be very self-aware of its fanbase and meme potential. If I initially was torn if I wanted to see it in the cinema, a big nail in the coffin were the videos coming out of the noise and the mess kids were making in the theatres.

Well, Easter came by and some kids in the family wanted to see the movie in the 4D cinema. Only after I purchased the tickets did I notice we were going to see it in the dubbed version. I was prepared for the worst. But boy was I not disappointed.

No spoilers ahead: the movie starts with a short exposition that shatters any kind of suspension of disbelief. Call it a MacGuffin, a deus ex machina, or raison d’etre but because it’s in your face, ridiculous and funny, it works well. This is a kids movie so expectations will be low from the start, but this method readjusts your expectations clearly for the next 100 minutes: this is bonkers, it’s a meme machine and we’re going to go on a wild ride. Great for kids, reassuring for the adults.

“A Minecraft Movie” does some things really well. Just like the cartoons of the 90s there are gags and innuendos that work for everyone but some only the adults will really get. And just like Napoleon Dynamite, director Jared Hess’s other big film, there are odd characters with weirder stories where you laugh and you cringe a bit but you leave happy at the end.

The story goes through the real world too but we spend a lot of the time in the Minecraft Overworld and its Nether counterpart. There are constant references for the players and I even saw some of the adults excited about them. I know I was too. It’s not a filmmaking masterpiece and it won’t age well or make the Criterion collection anytime soon. But it’s fun. A lenient 6 as far as movies go, a solid 8 if judged as the meme that it clearly intends to be.

As far as my experience goes… 1. The dubbing was masterfully done and it adapted the jokes and jargon quite well 2. The audience was two-thirds adults and the kids were well-behaved – no popcorn was thrown and only a bit of cheering came out when the big references hit 3. The “4DX” experience was absolutely mad and elevated the movie to a 9/10 experience.

I won’t rewatch it but I had a great experience. 7/10⭐