“A Minecraft Movie” Mines Nostalgia

Warner Bros’ “A Minecraft Movie” was released on April 4th and has already surpassed $500 million in box office worldwide. This milestone marked the video game adaptation as the highest grossing domestic movie of 2025.

The movie follows four misfits that get pulled into a cubic land called the Overworld that thrives on imagination. Garett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, Natalie, younger brother Henry and their realtor Dawn have to travel the Overworld and master the terrain and skills needed for them to get back home. During this, they meet the character Steve, who helps them learn crafting and how to truly understand the world of “Minecraft.”

The adaptation has been highly anticipated by many Minecraft players, as an announcement for the movie was posted by Markus Persson, better known as Notch, the creator of Minecraft, on X in February of 2014. The announcement read, “Someone is trying [to] leak the fact that we’re working with Warner Brothers on a potential “Minecraft” Movie. I wanted to be the leak!”

Because this movie has kept so many people on their toes for over a decade, the initial reactions to the movie were not as highly regarded as some had hoped.

Faith Ashworth, Commerce resident and “Minecraft” player for nearly a decade, went to the Commerce Cinema’s opening night. Ashworth shared that she initially had low hopes for the film.

“The acting was subpar at best in the beginning, so my hopes just weren’t very high for how the rest of the movie would turn out,” said Ashworth.

Though she ended up thoroughly enjoying the movie, Ashworth wished there would have been more originality when it came to the storylines.

“The nerdy kid, the washed up cool guy, the overworked older sibling that gets custody of her younger sibling when their parents perish, they have all been done time and time again. I just feel like they could have done more with that, it seemed as though there was no thought put into it,” she said.

On the other end of “A Minecraft Movie” reviews, William Chapman, movie reviewer and longtime fan of “Minecraft,” said, “This isn’t just another game-to-film adaptation, it’s a heartfelt celebration of Minecraft’s spirit, creativity, exploration and limitless imagination.”
“It’s a visually breathtaking, emotionally rich, and wildly entertaining adventure that speaks to both hardcore fans and total newcomers alike.” – William Chapman, movie reviewer and “Minecraft” lover
Since the film’s release, movie theaters across the nation have been seen getting damaged due to the “Chicken Jockey” scene. During the intense moment in the Woodland Mansion with Jason Momoa’s character, Garett “The Garbage Man” Garrison and Jack Black’s character, Steve, distracting the “Evokers,” Steve is seen screaming “chicken jockey.”

The scene circulated social media before the movie’s release and has now inspired rowdy groups of teenagers to throw their popcorn and yell at the top of their lungs as the scene approaches in the theaters.

Before the screening of the movie at a Los Angeles theater, Jack Black made his appearance initially inconspicuous, disguising his voice when he said, “For today’s presentation of ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ please no throwing popcorn.”

When Black started speaking in his own voice, the crowd instantly recognized him, eliciting excitement across the theater. In videos spreading like wildfire across social media, Black is seen waving his main prop from the movie, a pickaxe.

Despite the movie’s mixed reviews, the traction “A Minecraft Movie” has received is still topping charts across the nation.