On Friday, April 4th, the long awaited and beloved adaptation of the video game Minecraft was released in theaters as a movie. Minecraft is an open world game that was released in 2011 by Mojang studios and has carried a large fan base ever since. In the game, you can play in either survival, where you fight to survive and gather materials, or play in creative where you are able to do anything you want. Minecraft allows you to express creativity, which was a common theme carried on into the movie.
When the trailer for the movie dropped, it became a hit with how quickly scenes were turned into memes and how unexpected the adaptation was to some. Memorable Minecraft youtubers were also featured in the movie, reminding fans of how far they’ve come. Jack Black plays as one of the main characters, Steve, in the movie who was modeled after the first default character released in the game. The movie follows Steve, who is originally from Earth, who finds an orb and crystal that opens a portal that is able to transport him to the Overworld, a world inspired by Minecraft with everything made of blocks. Steve builds anything he wants and even befriends a dog named Dennis. Further exploring the world, Steve enters a portal to the Nether where he meets the piglin leader, Malgosha, who hates creativity and wants the orb in order to control the Overworld.
Steve manages to get Dennis to hide the orb and crystal, but in the process gets imprisoned. We are then introduced to the four other main characters with a past video game champion Garret, the siblings Henry and Natalie, and the real estate agent, Dawn. The four end up through the portal after combining the orb and crystal again, but end up trapped in the Overworld after breaking the crystal. In a new unfamiliar world, the four must find a way out with the help of Steve while also being hunted down by Malgosha for the orb.
The movie’s release has been a hit at the box office, making over $300 million globally with its opening weekend, which is the highest-grossing opening for a video game movie adaptation. Mcdonalds has also collaborated with the Minecraft movie with limited meals and toys available.
With the release into theaters, many moviegoers make the experience memorable with some cheering for when certain lines were said in the movie like “chicken jockey” or “I am Steve.” Though these can be fun, make sure to remain respectful throughout the movie.
With the success of the Minecraft movie, more adaptations of video games are sure to come!