Jack Black’s Minecraft Movie Blunders: Heavy on References, Light on Story

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Summary

  • A Minecraft Movie mirrors mistakes of Super Mario Bros, from jarring music choices to over-reliance on references disguised as story elements.
  • Jack Black’s standout performance in A Minecraft Movie adds a highlight, but the film suffers from inconsistent tone and uninspired musical performances.
  • Despite grand ambitions, A Minecraft Movie’s desperate attempt to replicate the success of Super Mario Bros falls short with jarring tonal shifts and lackluster storytelling.

The movie based on Minecraft, titled as such, seems to be the result of contributions from no fewer than six individuals in its storytelling, suggesting multiple revisions over the years due to its prolonged development process spanning nearly a decade. This is evident in the film’s inconsistent tone and narrative dead-ends, making it appear as though the script underwent numerous changes throughout production.

It’s clear that as the film progresses, one point that stands out is the makers’ intense desire for it to be a massive box office success. To achieve this, they drew significant inspiration from the highest-grossing video game film ever made in 2023 – “The Super Mario Bros. Movie“. Yet, this influence didn’t always work in favor of the movie itself.

Minecraft’s 80s Music Tracks Are Lifted Straight from Super Mario Bros.

At first glance, borrowing some elements from a blockbuster that grossed billions seems reasonable. After all, “Super Mario Bros.” was a massive financial hit, even though critics weren’t particularly impressed with it. However, to claim that the film was as creatively successful as it was financially successful would be laughable, considering how poorly the adaptation stuck to its roots. The movie struggled to create a consistent and engaging narrative from decades of source material, which made it difficult to satisfy both hardcore fans and casual viewers.

In the classic game “Super Mario Bros.”, one of the more unusual decisions was the frequent use of ’80s pop tunes as background music, which some players might find annoying. It’s hard to understand why this choice was made, except perhaps because the original “Mario” video game came out in the 1980s. However, the franchise hadn’t previously embraced the typical ’80s style, and its unique identity is defined by Koji Kondo’s memorable soundtrack rather than American pop culture from that era.

It appears that the creators of the “Super Mario Bros.” movie aimed to incorporate familiar tunes that would evoke nostalgia among viewers, similar to other films starring Chris Pratt such as “Guardians of the Galaxy”. However, in this case, the selection of songs seems arbitrary and dissonant. Interestingly enough, a similar tactic is utilized in “A Minecraft Movie”, but without any convincing explanation given its release date being 2011. Despite the involvement of renowned musician Mark Mothersbaugh who created a fresh score for this film, his original compositions are often overshadowed by uninspired 80s music selections instead.

A Minecraft Movie Turns the Jack Black Content Up to Eleven

In the transition from one of the lesser characters in “Super Mario Bros.” to one of its most impressive, Jack Black’s vocal portrayal of Bowser is a standout feature. He fully commits to a gravelly and expressive performance that skillfully combines classic interpretations of the character with his own unique energy. This distinction becomes even more apparent when comparing Black’s performance to several of his co-stars, such as Chris Pratt as Mario, whose acting falls short in terms of articulation and depth. In addition to his impressive acting, the versatile actor and musician also contributes an exceptional original song sung in character during the movie, “Peaches,” which showcases his all-out piano ballad style.

As a movie critic, I must say, the acclaimed performance by Jack Black and the viral song he was part of had me on the edge of my seat. So, it didn’t come as much of a shock when they decided to adapt another video game, A Minecraft Movie, with Jack Black in a leading role. However, this time around, the results fell flat compared to the initial excitement I felt.

In a characteristically eccentric portrayal of Steve, Jack Black delivers an unmistakably Jack Black-esque acting job, marking one of his most distinctive performances in recent years. Working alongside director Jared Hess again (having previously collaborated on Nacho Libre), it seems that Black was given the freedom to ad-lib and improvise extensively. This leads to a performance that is erratic and varied, offering amusement in its unpredictability, yet falling short of contributing anything positive to the movie as a whole.

To add to the disappointment, the Minecraft Movie includes a few musical segments by Black that fail to impress. The most disheartening is “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” which halts the movie’s already faltering pace so that Jack Black can attempt to generate another viral sensation. It comes off as straightforward, unsubtle, and even somewhat disrespectful.

Both Movies Mistake References for Story Elements

It appears that “A Minecraft Movie” may have drawn inspiration from the structure of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” but perhaps not its intended approach for video game adaptations. Both films incorporate numerous references to characters, locations, or game elements as if they were essential plot points. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” strives to establish a connected universe of video game adaptations, rapidly covering many iconic moments from the character’s history. From Mario’s rivalry with Donkey Kong, Luigi’s encounter in a haunted mansion, to even Mario Kart, these scenes are presented quickly, leaving little time for proper development.

Consequently, the movie frequently alludes to elements familiar to video game enthusiasts, yet fails to effectively translate these references onto the big screen. These gaming-related storylines could have stood alone as intriguing films, but in this instance, they’re hastily addressed within just a few minutes of the film. This leaves a sense of wasted opportunity for the franchise’s development.

The creators of “A Minecraft Movie” seemed to focus only on the fact that these game references received applause during its premiere, as they repeated the same tactic. A large portion of the movie’s duration is dedicated to subtle nods to the video game, with Jack Black’s character explicitly mentioning them all, almost creating an Easter Egg video within the film itself. These are paired with extended scenes designed for audience appreciation, which can feel overdone. This tactic is reminiscent of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie“, but unfortunately, it’s not executed well.

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2025-04-06 15:34