‘A Minecraft Movie’ Review and 4K Review

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
“A Minecraft Movie” is the highest grossing film of 2025 so far, and it’s easy to see why. It’s based on a popular video game, so it has a built-in audience with teens, and even young adults who grew up playing the game. It’s a family-friendly movie which is inoffensive, harmless and silly. For someone like myself, who is nearing his 40th birthday, I understand I’m not the key demographic. I never played the video game, and I’m not at all familiar with the source material. The jokes are also not my cup of tea, as they seem to be aimed at a younger demographic who find things such as “Chicken Jockey” hilarious. This became mainstream news when teenagers would lose their minds throwing popcorn in the air and making a mess in local theaters. This was another reminder of why I prefer to watch my movies from the comfort of my couch.
“A Minecraft Movie” was directed by Jared Hess of “Napoleon Dynamite” fame, and his sense of humor is on full-display here. The humor is juvenile, goofy and over-the-top. Jack Black stars as Steve, a doorknob salesman (is that a thing?), who is looking to make up for lost time by breaking into a mine. When he was younger, kids were forbidden from doing this sort of thing. While in the mine, he discovers the Orb of Dominance and the Earth Crystal. When they are put together, a portal is created to the Overworld where cubes can be molded to your desire, and Steve creates three houses for himself in the process.

We are also introduced to a World Champion Video gamer from 1989 by the name of Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, played by Jason Momoa. He looks like professional wrestler Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and he’s struggling to stay relevant with his video game store, which is about to go out of business. In an effort to keep his business afloat, he tries to win the contents of a storage unit which he believes houses Atari Cosmos. Instead, he gets his hands on the Orb and the Crystal, which once belonged to a young Steve. Garrettt doesn’t know what he has his hands on, but he’s in for quite a rude awakening.
During all of this, Garrett befriends a young boy named Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) who has moved to Chuglass, Idaho with his sister Natalie (Emma Myers) after their mother passed away. Henry is looking to fit in at school, and Natalie is looking to keep a roof over their heads. Little do they know that they are about to enter a world which is beyond their wildest dreams when they are sucked into a portal and enter the Overworld. They must team up with Steve in order to fight off Malgosha, a piglin ruler of an evil world known as the Nether. Henry is very creative and full of ideas which he will need to use in order to help them fight off various creatures and obstacles along the way.

Even though my rating of this film will be harsh (ONE STAR), my overall review is not that harsh because this film isn’t poorly made or a waste of time. Instead, it’s just not for someone like me. The audience for this movie is young boys who are looking to laugh, have a good time and be entertained without thinking too much. They are also familiar with all the jokes, characters and the world in which those characters inhabit. For me, I understood what was going on and the rules of the world, but I didn’t connect with it as I simply didn’t care about what was happening on screen from a story perspective. I found Jack Black to be loud throughout, and I found it very grating and tiring after a while as this was Jack Black on steroids and screaming throughout. Momoa was an aloof goofball who was in love with himself, and he does provide a few laughs.
I liked the brother/sister relationship and how close they were after the passing of their mother, and I wish the film would have given this storyline a little more time on screen. Jennifer Coolidge also appears as the vice principal, and she does her best, but the material doesn’t do her any favors. Even with Jason Momoa, he seemed to know the assignment, and he was game, but before long, everything and everyone got lost in the world of Minecraft. I know that is what the audience is paying for, and they give them plenty of goofiness, silliness, and wild action. If that is what you are looking for, I imagine “A Minecraft Movie” will be right up your alley. If you are looking for a little more to the story and to the film, you won’t find it here.
* out of * * * *
4K Info: A Minecraft Movie is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. The film has a running time of 101 minutes and is rated PG for violence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images. It also comes with a digital copy that can be redeemed online.
4K Video/Audio Info: This is, so far, the best-looking 4K of the year. Wow. The colors are bright and full of life. This is a terrific transfer that features eye-popping visuals. The Dolby Vision transfer gets an A+. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack also gets an A+, as this film is a true theatrical experience in the comfort of your own home. Subtitles are included in English, Spanish, and French.
Special Features:
Building the World of Minecraft: Block Party – featurette (14:19)
Creepers, Zombies, and Endermen Oh My! – featurette (13:14)
A Minecraft Movie: Block Beats – featurette (9:01)
A Minecraft Movie: Pixel Pals – featurette (14:02)
Marlene + Nitwit – featurette (5:07)
Should You Buy It?
If you enjoyed this movie in theaters, and plenty of people did, you couldn’t ask for a better home video release than Warner Brothers has put together for “A Minecraft Movie” on 4K. I couldn’t believe how amazing it looked and sounded in 4K. Even though what was happening on screen wasn’t connecting with me, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, as it was so colorful. There are also some interesting special features included on this 4K release. Again, this falls under the category of “This was not my cup of tea.” However, I can acknowledge this was a labor of love and people enjoyed the film. Who am I to be the Grinch and ruin their good day? I’m just here to tell you that this film is only for Minecraft fans and for families. For everyone else, there is little to like here and a lot that will annoy, especially Jack Black’s boisterous performance.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.









