Minecraft, The film on Canal Plus: bad choice (review)
The long-awaited live-action adaptation of Minecraft by Jared Hess falls flat due to a poorly constructed storyline and unlikable characters.
One of the three biggest hits in world cinema in 2025 arrives this Friday evening on Canal Plus (and streaming on MyCanal). The adaptation of the famous video game Minecraft, however, did not attract critics when it was released in cinemas last April. Starting with First…
After the unexpected success of Super Mario Bros, The Movie, Warner logically jumped at the opportunity to produce a live-action adaptation of the best-known and best-selling game in the world… Minecraft ! The studio entrusted Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) with the task of immersing us in the cubic universe of the Surface, a dimension with azure blue skies in which each player begins their adventure and where creativity is limitless: everyone can build whatever they imagine.
A brother and a sister (Sebastian Eugene Hansen and Emma Myers), a real estate agent (Danielle Brooks) and a former fallen gamer (Jason Momoa) will be propelled into this fantastic world threatened by the terrible Malgosha, Pigling Queen of the Nether, a sort of world on the other side of the game. Alongside Steve (Jack Black), the original Mr. Minecraft in the turquoise polo shirt, they will do everything for the light to triumph…
That’s it for the plot. What is immediately obvious is the success of the digital visual effects, totally faithful to the video game. There we find the famous zombies and creepers, who pursue you at (rapid) nightfall, the sheep and even the villagers with long hanging noses. But that’s not enough to prevent disappointment from setting in: despite a promising cast with its Black-Momoa duo, the characters never really touch us, because they are trapped in a caricature without nuance.
Which is a shame for Garrett – the loser of the group – constructed against the grain of the virile men that Jason Momoa usually plays. Once the deliberately ridiculous look of the pink fringed jacket is established, its appearances on screen full of heaviness only leave us with a bitter smile… And the feeling of a missed opportunity to think outside the box.
All these defects can be explained by one thing: the weakness of the scenario, the big downside of this adaptation. The game invented by Markus Persson is characterized by an absence of narration which is also found in the film. From the start, we are shown in a few seconds, through absurd elements, the way in which Steve passes through the magic portal of Minecraft. And from there, the adventures follow one another and go nowhere. Everything goes too quickly and nothing takes the time to exist: the brother and sister relationship – orphans, moreover – is barely exploited, the same goes for the friendships that form.
Special mention for Malgosha – a character who still gives us the pleasure of hearing Laura Felpin’s voice in the French version – whose nastiness is explained… by a failed America’s Got Talent competition! Even if we can justify these script choices by Jared Hess’ affection for fairly absurd and offbeat humor, we must admit that for Minecraft, The Movie, it does not always work. The message about creativity, which is the identity of this game, then falls flat. Quite a symbol…
By Jared Hess. With Jason Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks… Duration: 1h41. Released April 2, 2025
