So. A Minecraft Movie. Well it certainly is that - a movie about Minecraft. Or a movie about Jack Black and Minecraft. Although I say that in jest as he is very good in it.
My husband referred to the film as “entertaining”, and yes, it is. The cast are all really good, the scenery / effects are great - vivid and very-Minecrafty. And the story carries you a long, doesn’t get boring and ticks all the boxes of highs and lows and sacrifice and “will he make it?!” etc.
Is A Minecraft Movie funny?
I just wish it had been funnier. I thought a film with Jack Black, with the hype and budget of this magnitude (Minecraft is owned by Microsoft after all), could have been hilarious. And it just wasn’t. It raised a few smiles for me, but only a couple of laughs from all the kids in the audience. I felt the actors didn't have the best script to work from, and that made it fall short of being very good.
Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler’s Mom) was in it to play the character she always plays, but a slightly reined in version that’s more child suitable. But as a result it wasn’t very funny.
My favourite bit though was just as the film finished, with the voice of Matt Berry - so look out for that.
On that note, there is a scene after ALL the credits have rolled. So as they start to roll, there’s a scene with a villager… but don’t think that that’s it. Wait until it absolutely finishes, and all the small print has happened, to see another scene with Steve.
Do you need to know about Minecraft to watch the movie?
Overall, the film is clearly made by people who love Minecraft, and that’s lovely. It’s also a good introduction to Minecraft if you don’t know how the game works, and there are things that make more sense to me now about the game than they have done before. Even the name - how have I never clicked before that you “mine it” and then you “craft it”?
If you don’t know anything about Minecraft, it all makes sense. But if you do know Minecraft you’ll get more from it - such as I wondered why you’d want to make a Creeper Farm and my son explained afterwards that they’re the only source of gunpowder which you need to make TNT. Obviously.
It’s a good advert for the game, but not in a salesy way - the film’s “moral” is that it’s good to be creative, and to find an outlet for your creativity (which the game of Minecraft can provide).
What ages can see A Minecraft Movie?
The film, in the UK, is a PG meaning any age can see it with a parent. I took an 11 year old boy (super huge Minecraft fan), a 7 year old girl, and a 3 year old boy.
My 11 year old hasn’t given me his whole verdict yet. He says he enjoyed it but the fact that he didn’t bounce out of the cinema makes me suspect it wasn’t quite as good as he hoped.
My 7 year old thought it was ok - she didn’t know what was going on, was scared of the zombies (they were the main scary bit, but she just reached across her brother for my hand, she didn’t need to switch places or anything like she would need to if she was really scared) and says she nearly cried when Steve game up his Wolf at the end.
My 3 year old sat through it, although he wanted lots of snacks. I’d say it probably didn’t hold his attention as well as Paddington 3, and he said it was scary, and not funny, but he didn’t actually flinch or cry or need a cuddle. I was surprised as the bad-guy pigs, I thought, were a bit freaky, but overall the young 2 didn’t blink an eye lid at them. Just the zombie scenes, so watch out for those.
Can toddlers watch A Minecraft Movie?
I’d say toddlers can absolutely watch the movie, if you have snacks and they’ve had experience of the cinema before. I’m not sure it’s quite a good enough film to entertain them for 1 hour 45 minutes if they’re not used to sitting still.
What’s different about an Autism screening?
We actually went to an Autism Screening at Vue, because it was the only screening we could get to today. All this meant was that the lights didn’t go off - which we thought was going to be an issue when we found quite how bright it still was at the beginning, especially because we were sat at the back, so nearest the ceiling, where the lights were the brightest, but we soon stopped noticing. It also meant that the volume wasn’t too loud, which was actually handy for the 3 year old (who did actually comment it was loud anyway!), and there were no trailers. Yes you read that right - no trailers! I actually quite like trailers but it did make it about 20minutes less for the young kids to sit through.
Should I go and see A Minecraft Movie?
If you’re a Minecraft fan, you have to see it, just because it’s Minecraft. If you’re not a fan, and being dragged along for the ride, don’t expect too much but it’s inoffensive and entertaining. Oh and Jack Black’s singing is actually very good. We even listened to Lava Chicken on the way home in the car at my daughter’s request. (That’s not a scene for vegetarians.)
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