Commentary: ‘Minecraft’ Cracks The Code For Video Game Adaptations

It’s no secret that video game films have struggled since their inception. Although the games themselves are hugely popular with audiences, they haven’t found the right way to be adapted to the big screen. In recent years, video game television shows enjoyed a lot more success. This is in large part due to having time to fully develop the characters and the storylines, which usually take hours — just like the games themselves. The same can’t be said for A Minecraft Movie, which doesn’t have any sweeping storylines. But the film has resonated with young audiences by simply dropping characters into the Minecraft world and allowing them to act as players themselves.

The film is about a man named Steve (Jack Black), who becomes bored with his everyday life. He decides to pursue his childhood dream of mining, discovering a mystical artifact in the process. This device transports him to a magical land named Overworld, where he can build extraordinary things. Unfortunately, there’s a rival world named the Nether, where a grueling sorceress named Malgosha (Rachel House) hopes to invade Overworld and take it for her own.

A lot of speculation surrounded Minecraft when the film was first announced as the game itself doesn’t have a clear cut story. It just allows players to build while exploring it’s unique world. However, the film’s appeal to its fan base has very little to do with the plot. The movie works precisely because it doesn’t think too hard or take its plot too seriously. Instead, it attempts to bring the world of Minecraft to life as authentically as possible. It basically has a cast of characters dropped right into a Minecraft world, where everything from cooking chickens to exploding creepers are featured. It’s almost as if the players themselves were dropped into the game that they love so much and have to navigate it. It’s a lesson more video game adaptations should follow.

A Minecraft Movie is now in theaters.