A Minecraft Movie

Grade: B-

I’ve never played Minecraft, but I certainly remember various action figures and plush toys, like that big head with the dangling tentacle-like things. I used to think that was a tooth. What is it – a creeper? Or is a creeper something else? I’ll also never ever forget a professional YouTuber who made a career out of covering the game – a British guy who goes by Dan TDM. I call him Dan Tedium. A Minecraft Movie didn’t convert me or make me want to play the game, but it at least made me want to visit the Overworld – particularly Steve’s World.

Jack Black is Steve. He’s had a lifelong dream of exploring a local mine. Now that he’s a 50-something, that “no children allowed” sign no longer applies to him, so in he goes. He finds two glowing cubes, and combines them, which creates a portal to the Overworld. We are introduced to a few other characters, who don’t have anything to do with each other, but soon will. We have Jason Momoa as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, a gamer whose arcade-related store is in danger of being shut down. Also in the mix are teenage siblings Natalie (Emma Myers) and her younger brother Henry (Sebastian Hansen), and Dawn (Danielle Brooks from The Color Purple), a realtor/“traveling zookeeper.” Just go with it.

They find themselves in the Overworld, which is a cartoonish fantasy place where you don’t have to worry about jobs or money. You can spend your life in this fantasy world, creating literally whatever structure you want out of magic cubes. Meanwhile, Steve has been imprisoned in a hell-like place called the Netherworld. It’s up to the rest of the crew to rescue him, and get back home to the real world.

We don’t get anything new from Jack Black. He has been playing this role for at least 25 years. The actor who surprised me the most was Jason Momoa, who has sneaky-smart comedic timing and delivery. There are borderline homophobic jokes that made me feel disappointed and uncomfortable (Black and Momoa keep making references to how weird they feel grasping onto each other while flying around the Overworld in a chase sequence), but otherwise, there are laughs to be had. The other diamond in this minecart is 23-year-old sweet-faced Emma Myers as Natalie, the protective big sister. Director Jared Hess brings much of the same offbeat quirky creativity as his Napoleon Dynamite.

The action, particularly in the climax, is boring and made me check out. However, it’s worth tolerating to get to a sweet, upbeat happy ending that affirms that life – real life – is worth living, even with all its struggles. Jack Black does the Jack Black thing once again, there are inexplicable unnecessary musical numbers, and I got tired of the green screen after a while – but otherwise, A Minecraft Movie manages to build just enough humor and heart. I still have no interest in playing the game, though.

Grade: B-