STACK #249 July 2025

FEATURE MOVIE

Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Eugene Hansen

Jason Momoa and Director Jared Hess

make in the game are lasting,” says the director whose films include Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre . “When you play the game, you can really click into your creative superpower, and that's something that happens with the characters in the film. The crazy thing about the game is that there’s no story. Anyone who plays it – and there are billions of players worldwide – creates their own story.

Grab your pickaxes and saddle up for a wild and wacky ride-along with A Minecraft Movie . Words Gill Pringle

“So, there are billions of stories out there, and this is one Minecraft story. It's absurd, it's funny, it's just one of the most outrageous adventure movies you'll ever see,” says the director whose film also features Jermaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Matt Berry and Jennifer

FUN FACT

There are several cheeky Napoleon Dynamite easter eggs hidden throughout the movie. See how many you can find.

I f naysayers doubted popular video game Minecraft ’s cubic world could even be translated into live-action, the enormous success of the movie proved them wrong. “I think there were a lot of people out there who couldn’t believe it was really happening, that it was really real,” reflects Jack Black, who always believed the film’s ambitious concept could work. “I could feel it when I first posted about it, that, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be in Minecraft ’ post where I just did a photograph of me reading a Minecraft

Coolidge. “None of the characters in the film are your typical heroes. All the characters comprise a group of unlikely heroes that are all underdogs in their own way, but who are really coming to their own on this adventure,” adds Hess, who encouraged all his cast and crew to play Minecraft while working on the film. A Minecraft Movie isn’t aiming for Oscars, but it is aiming to make friends with the next generation of moviegoers. With its infectious energy, memeable moments, and pure fan service, it’s a big-screen love letter to creativity, block-building, and fandom. The story might be thin, but for anyone who’s ever lost hours to Minecraft , it’s a joyfully chaotic ride.

a villainous Piglin queen ... and maybe find their way home. Black and Momoa are simply camp-tastic, their on-screen chemistry and unfiltered energy fueling much of the fun. Director Jared Hess was always confident that Minecraft ’s devoted gamers would make this a huge cinematic hit. “When you play the game

for Dummies book, and it got millions of likes, and it was,

‘Oh, it’s bubbling out there’,” says Black who plays Steve, a world-renowned ‘expert crafter’. “It’s a phenomenon; this game has been loved by millions and millions all over the world for years now, and I think this movie is a big deal for

• A Minecraft Movie is out July 2

Minecraft , it's total community. There’s so many people that play it worldwide all the time, and the friendships that you

a lot of people, because now it’s generational. There are kids who have grown up and are out in the world working and living and have families of their own. It’s been that long that the game has been part of our world, so it was cool to finally bring that universe into cinemas,” he says. A Minecraft Movie follows four misfits – siblings Henry and Natalie, plus quirky adults Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – who are whisked into the blocky Overworld, where they team up with Steve to survive mobs, outsmart

Could A Minecraft Movie be this generation’s Rocky Horror Picture Show experience? No sooner had it hit cinemas than teens and tweens began losing their minds at the sound of the now-iconic “Chicken Jockey” war cry. The cue prompts chaotic outbursts, with popcorn flying and audiences erupting in gleeful mayhem. In some cases, screenings were even paused and police were called. Much like Rocky Horror before it, A Minecraft Movi e has quickly become an audience participation phenomenon – one that some cinema owners embraced as it brought a new wave of moviegoers back to the big screen.

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