Should We Really Go See It? Our Full Review

After more than 10 years of anticipation and delays, the adaptation of the world’s best-selling video game finally arrives in theaters. Directed by Jared Hess and released on April 2, 2025, “Minecraft: The Movie” takes us into the cubic universe we all know, with Jack Black and Jason Momoa headlining. But then, this film divides audiences as much as it thrives at the box office!

The Story and How It Was Made

The story follows four people – Garrett (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – who find themselves teleported into the world of Minecraft. With the help of Steve (Jack Black), they must learn the rules of the game to survive and get back home.

Adapting Minecraft for the cinema wasn’t easy. The game doesn’t really have a fixed story, everyone does what they want. Jared Hess (who directed “Napoleon Dynamite”) chose to make a family film that fully embraces the game’s cubic side.

The Cast: How Does It Turn Out?

Jack Black plays Steve exactly as one would expect. He brings all his usual energy and enthusiasm, which fits well with the game’s wacky spirit. It’s pure Jack Black through and through, and it works.

Jason Momoa surprises us by performing differently from his usual persona. Instead of the tough guy we know, he leans more into humor and self-deprecation. The duo with Black works well, even if at times their characters can be irritating.

Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks round out the team without performing miracles, but they do the job for a family film.

The Visuals and Special Effects

Visually, the film faithfully recreates the original game. The blocky sets, pixelated creatures, and the vibrant colors of Minecraft are all there. The movie was shot in New Zealand with a crew that had worked on The Lord of the Rings, so technically it’s solid.

But that’s where it stalls. The special effects are controversial. Critics find that it misses the mark and that it’s too obvious it’s digital. It breaks immersion for some. The creatures that blend realism with a cubic style divide audiences: some find it fascinating, others find it odd or even off-putting.

The Story and Originality

The plot follows a classic structure for a game that essentially has no fixed story. The film makes plenty of references to the video game, which splits opinions. Some find it cool to recognize the game’s elements, others feel it lacks originality.

Critics mostly fault the film for leaning too heavily on visual recognition instead of telling a real story. But part of the audience enjoys precisely finding the game’s iconic bits.

A Family Film

The film is rated for all audiences with content suited for children. No shocking violence, no strong language, and the humor remains accessible. It’s clearly designed as family entertainment.

Feedback from families with children is quite positive, especially among younger players who recognize their favorite references. The film does its job as lighthearted entertainment for this audience.

Critics Hate It, Audiences Love It: Why?

The numbers speak for themselves and it’s wild. In France, the trade press gives it a 1.8/5, while in the United States the film posted the best opening of 2025 across all films.

On rating sites, Rotten Tomatoes shows 48% positive reviews from critics versus 84% from the public. Metacritic confirms with a score of 47/100 for the critics.

This huge gap between what professionals think and what the public thinks illustrates something we often see with adaptations of popular franchises: fans of the original universe can overlook technical or storytelling flaws pointed out by critics.

What to Take Away

“Minecraft: The Movie” clearly demonstrates how difficult it is to adapt a popular video game. The film manages to visually recreate the game’s world and offers family entertainment, which seems to work given its box-office success.

But the film clearly divides opinion between critics who point to technical and storytelling problems, and an audience that finds joy in the faithfulness to the original game and the entertaining angle.

The film confirms that adapting a video game remains tricky. Pleasing fans does not guarantee critics will like it, and vice versa.