13 hours Ago By Mid-day
Film: A Minecraft MovieCast: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachel House, Matt BerryDirector: Jared HessRating: 3/5Runtime: 101 min.A creative game gets turned into a film experience and its not bad at all. It may have been quite a challenge for the writers - Chris Galletta, Gavin James, Neil Widener, Hubbel Palmer, Chris Bowman, to make this a fun and involving experience and they managed to do just enough to keep it fluid.
“A Minecraft Movie” is likable because it is quirky and goofy enough, plus it has actors that play up to keep the fun going. If you’ve never played Minecraft it wouldn’t make much of a difference to the film experience because the writers and directors have managed to adapt the game appropriately for the static medium. It’s not a great experience but it has enough game moments to keep you entertained.
It may well fall short of its potential but it manages to overcome most mistakes that other like minded game-to-screen efforts wallow in.The opening exposition sequence is a long one - Steve (Jack Black) was a curious kid who stumbles on a glowing blue cube in a mine, and gets transported to a magical place called the Overworld, a block based landscape where he can turn his imagination into reality. Overlord is a rather bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.
Later, Steve and his trusty wolf-dog Dennis, get sucked into the Netherworld, a vicious place run by a malformed pig named Malgosha (Rachel House), who rules it with an army of loyal porcine creatures.Steve gets stuck in the Netherworld but Dennis manages to escape to the real world and hide the cube under Steve’s bed. Cut to the present, where the cube is now in a storage unit bought by an aging gamer named Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa).
One day, Garrison happens to meet the new kid in town, an inventive teen named Henry (Sebastian Hansen), who has recently moved to the area with his sister Natalie (Emma Myers). They discover what the cube can do and promptly get sucked into the Overworld along with a local realtor/zookeeper, Dawn (Danielle Brooks). Steve, Garrett, Henry, Natalie, and Dawn have now the onerous task of having to stop Malgosha before her quest for dominance takes over.
The movie manages to highlight the game’s potential. The production design by Grant Major and the effects, present a bleak world but there’s childlike wonder to offset it. Steve’s world and the movie’s underlying sentiment are beautifully rendered.
Black’s goofy persona and Momoa’s being the butt of the jokes is entertaining. But a large part of the plotting and themes lack clarity. A few fun set pieces, can’t really offset the underlying monotony.
And the complicated plotting makes it difficult to care about. The movie may fail to replicate the creativity inherent in the game but it does give the game nerds a chance to live in a substitute world as heroes..
