‘A Minecraft Movie’ review: Jason Momoa and Jack Black shine in this silly, fun yet forgettable adventure

Jason Momoa stars in the fun and action-packed A Minecraft Movie, perfect for fans of the popular video game.

Jason Momoa was quite funny in Fast X with his colour coordinated purple nails and car, and he is the goofy heart of A Minecraft Movie as the winner of an Eighties videogame, Garrett, The Garbage Man. After his big win, Garrett runs a video game store in Chuglass, Idaho.

Back in the ‘80s, Steve (Jack Black) loved mining, and one day, he walks out of his soul-crushing job to explore an abandoned mine. Steve opens a portal and enters the strangely cubical world of Overworld, where you can build anything out of imagination, including houses from the wool of pink sheep. There is the wicked, piglin ruler of the Nether, Malgosha (Rachel House, voice), who wants to kill creativity and imprisons Steve.

To keep the Overworld safe, Steve gives the Orb (which is a cube) of Dominance and the Earth Crystal to his dog, Dennis (which is actually a cubical wolf), to hide in the real world.

In the present, Natalie (Emma Myers) and her brother, Henry (Sebastian Hansen), move to Chuglass after their mother’s death. On the first day of school, Henry gets into trouble when the jetpack he designs hits the potato chip company mascot. He asks Garrett to pretend to be his uncle and in a series of unfortunate events, the two find themselves in the mines.

Natalie and the Dawn (Danielle Brooks), the real estate agent who rides around with an alpaca (she wants to open a petting zoo), also land up in the mines, and the four reach the Overworld. Malgosha wants to destroy the Overworld because of childhood trauma involving a dancing show, and it is up to the feckless five (Steve joins the gang) and Dennis to save the world and all creative pursuits while fighting zombies, ghasts, and the Great Hog.

There is a bright buzziness to all the frenetic action. Momoa is a lot of fun with his pink, tasseled jacket, rockstar hair and Goth nails. Black is unleashed as ever, running, jumping, brawling, building, singing and providing a zany voiceover. Jennifer Coolidge as the recently divorced vice principal at Henry’s school who finds love in the arms of a Villager she knocks down is good for giggles as always. A Minecraft Movie, based on Mojang Studios’ sandbox video game, is not Picasso, but still fun for fans and newbies alike.  

A Minecraft Movie is currently running in theatres