In A Minecraft Movie, a group of humans are sucked into the Overworld, the dimension where Minecraft is real. A nonplussed Momoa is fresh back from getting his highlights and bangs done at the hairdresser, having accidentally picked up the wrong pink coat. Danielle Brooks from Orange Is the New Black is there with some “kids” (including 22-year-old Emma Myers from Wednesday). Here they meet Steve, one of the default characters from Minecraft, who comes in a light blue T-shirt and jeans and played by Jack Black, who after last year’s performance as Bowser in the Super Mario movie is surely regarded by Warner Bros as something of a success talisman. “This guy is such a toolbag,” moans Myers.

“Anything you can dream about, here you can make,” explains Black to our bewildered heroes, as cuboid pigs fly past and pink blocky sheep go “baa”. To get back home “they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things such as piglins and zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest.” Told you.

The reactions to the trailer have gone from “horrifying”, “devastating” and “expensively naff” to “painful for the parents who are going to be dragged along to see it” and “worst thing to happen in cinema in 2024”. But, like many video game spin-off movies, it isn’t aimed at adult film critics. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, who knows his cinematic onions, was so critical in his two-star review of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros Movie (as was The Observer’s Wendy Ide in her one-star review) that Guardian games editor Keza MacDonald felt moved to defend it as a decent translation of the games, even if it’s not that good a movie.

So what does a real connoisseur think? “I think it looks pants,” says 10-year-old Arlo, whom I rudely interrupt playing some post-school Roblox on the iPad.

  • OhStopYellingAtMe
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    263 months ago

    My kid - a seven year old Minecraft addict - says it looks all wrong but he still wants to go see it. He says he thinks it will still be fun.

    • The Pantser
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      23 months ago

      I’ll wait and pirate it. I refuse to give money to these horrible video game movie cash grabs. They are just destroying the industry so they can go another 10 years saying Videogame-Movies don’t work. They can work if you let the fans do them. Just look at the first season of the Witcher, Cavill was perfect. Give us a Zelda/Link movie and make it good. Don’t cast random celebrities, the characters are already celebrities! Also Metroid if the Zelda movie was good.

  • @Infynis@midwest.social
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    21
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    3 months ago

    “It’s not for adults,” is such a dumb excuse. There are plenty of kids movies that adults can also enjoy, and the kids don’t like them any less. It’s also insulting, because the adult Minecraft community is huge and incredible, and they deserve to like stuff made for the game that they’ve been playing for years

  • @badbytes@lemmy.world
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    153 months ago

    Me: But I’ve been playing it since launch. Want my opinion?

    Mojang Studios: You are not our intended audience.

  • macniel
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    33 months ago

    Arlo, not the muppet that reviews nintendo stuff, has a point. It sure looks like pants.