‘A Minecraft Movie' Reviews: Are Critics Game For Jack Black's Film?

Forbes

03-04-2025

Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in "A Minecraft Movie."
A Minecraft Movie — Jack Black and Jason Momoa's action comedy based on the blockbuster video game series — is new in theaters. How do critics feel about it?
Directed by Jared Hess, A Minecraft Movie marks the first time the best-selling video game of all time has been adapted for the big screen. A Minecraft Movie — which plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters on Friday — also stars Emma Myers (Wednesday), Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Sebastian Hansen (Just Mercy) and Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus).
The official summary for A Minecraft Movie reads, Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn't just help you craft, it's essential to one's survival! Four misfits — Garrett 'The Garbage Man' Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks) — find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.
'To get back home, they'll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.'
A Minecraft Movie has critics split in reviews posted on Rotten Tomatoes so far.
To date, the film has received a 53% 'rotten' rating based on 53 reviews. The audience-voted Popcornmeter score has not yet been posted.
Peter Howell is among the top critics on RT giving A Minecraft Movie a 'fresh' rating. In his review for the Toronto Star on RT, Howell writes, 'The movie takes a grown-up absurdist's approach to adapting a kid's video game for the big screen, with mostly entertaining results that should appeal to more than just squares.'
Brandon Yu of the New York Times also gives A Minecraft Movie a 'fresh' review on RT, writing, 'There's something almost refreshingly bold in the full-tilt insanity here... In a world of such factory-line adaptations, there's more of an identity here, even if it's a mindless one.'
Mark Kennedy of The Associated Press also gives A Minecraft Movie a 'fresh' review, specifically pointing out Jason Momoa's development as a comedic actor. In his review for The AP on RT, Kennedy writes, 'If it does anything, 'A Minecraft Movie' marks the comedic coming of age of Momoa, who has shown glimpses of his chops in the Aquaman and Fast X movies. But when he's not on screen in this one, it leaves the movie slack.'
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast is among the top critics on RT giving A Minecraft Movie a "rotten' review, writing, 'Block-headed from start to finish, it's cinema in service of nothing more than IP exploitation.'
Also disappointed in A Minecraft Movie is Johnny Oleksinski, who writes in his New York Post review on RT, 'It's the kind of formulaic brand-extension tale a writer could pitch while in a coma.'
Michael Ordoña of The Wrap also gives the film a 'rotten' review, writing in his review on RT, 'The makers of the video game-based A Minecraft Movie know their built-in audience and ruthlessly target them with fan service and slapstick galore. For the rest of us, it's a by-the-numbers Hero's Journey amid colorful digital backgrounds.'
Rated PG, A Minecraft Movie plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters on Friday.