A Mincraft Movie lives up to Internet hype

By Staff Writer Michael Qu

“Chicken jockey.” The moment American actor and comedian Jack Black uttered the line, the crowd erupted into cheers, spraying popcorn over seats and giving the theater screen a standing ovation. The notorious “Chicken jockey” trend circulating social media platforms like Instagram and Youtube was one of the many viral reactions stemming from the release of A Minecraft Movie. While the film heavily leans on fan service and meme-able moments, it surprisingly captures the chaotic charm that made the game engaging and  iconic. 

Released to US theaters on April 4, A Minecraft Movie offers a fresh take on the 2011 smash-hit Minecraft by Mojang Studios, a game in which players can express their creativity and imagination by building and exploring a cubic world. Reflecting the popularity of the game, the movie has performed well in the box office, making $909 million worldwide as of May 11 with a budget of $150 million and becoming the second-highest grossing film of 2025.

A Minecraft Movie follows Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), orphaned siblings navigating high school life and struggling to fit in and earn a living. Their world takes an unexpected turn when they meet Garrett (Jason Momoa), a middle aged man reliving his glory days as a competitive arcade player, and Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a kind real estate agent. By chance, the group stumbles through the Earth Portal into the Overworld, a blocky world filled with fantastical creatures and hidden secrets. After meeting the veteran Minecrafter Steve (Jack Black), the motley crew embarks on a journey to find a way back home.

The plot is overly simple, as expected of a film directed towards kids. The character development is shallow and cheesy, with moments like Garrett moving away from his materialistic greed and learning to appreciate the value of his friendship with Henry, or the evil piglin Malgosha playing the stereotypical villain bent on conquering the Overworld for riches. 

However, what the movie lacks in storytelling, it makes up for in humor and nostalgic callbacks. The movie is packed with action and riddled with references to Minecraft, like when Henry built a contraption using the crafting table, or when Steve put on an Elytra to fly off a cliff. The soundtrack also plays a crucial role, featuring nostalgic tracks like “C418 – Minecraft Volume Alpha” from the game’s title screen to viral songs like Jack Black’s “Steve’s Lava Chicken” that elicited cheering from the audience. Even the corny dialogue has its charm, with overly dramatic one liners making simple exchanges between actors hilarious and memorable.

Overall, A Minecraft Movie is a trip down memory lane, allowing viewers to bond over their love of the classic game from a new perspective. Despite its major shortcomings in plot and character depth, the film’s ability to evoke nostalgia and offer a fresh take makes it, in its own right, peak cinema. 

Grade: A