A Minecraft Movie is a certified box office success. The Jack Black-fronted comedy earned over $301 million globally in its opening weekend, making it the biggest debut for a video game adaptation since 2023’s Super Mario Bros Movie. That’s not much of a surprise for gamers. Minecraft is one of the very few video games as universally recognizable as Nintendo’s Italian plumber. The added curiosity of how Hollywood would go about adapting a game this open-ended made it a must-see for Minecraft-obsessed kids and nostalgia-filled adults alike.
If you or your little ones walked out of A Minecraft Movie wanting more from Mojang’s world of endless possibilities, or maybe even something that replicates its authentic sense of backyard adventure brought to life, Inverse has you covered. Here are three pieces of media audiences should seek out if they enjoyed A Minecraft Movie’s unique fusion of action, fantasy, and comedy.
Minecraft: Story Mode
When Warner Bros. first greenlit a Minecraft film way back in 2015, what most fans had in mind was an animated feature in the vein of the excellent 2014 Lego Movie. Minecraft’s iconic retro look seemed perfect, fertile ground for a creative and visually stunning CG film, similar to the many fan-made YouTube series set in the popular game.
What many people may not remember is that the animated adaptation we all envisioned essentially happened in 2016 with the release of Minecraft: Story Mode. This ten-episode series, developed by Telltale Games (the award-winning game studio behind The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, and Tales from the Borderlands), marks one of the first official adaptations of Minecraft into a proper narrative. While it’s still technically a video game, following Telltale Games’ signature point-and-click adventure format, playing it is like watching a television show where you decide what decisions its cast of characters will make at pivotal moments. It was enough of a hit for Netflix to add it to its streaming library (before removing it and other interactive shows from its service in 2022).
Like the recent movie, Minecraft: Story Mode is set in a fictional realm known as The Overworld and borrows liberally from fantasy tropes we’ve all come to expect: a band of heroes is racing to track down a powerful Macguffin from evil forces. Where Story Mode does depart is in its star-studded cast. Comedian Patton Oswalt leads, the late great Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee’s Great Adventure), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program), and many more fill out this charming cast. The adventure is also available on mobile devices, Apple TVs, and all major video game consoles. If you missed Minecraft: Story Mode the first time around and love the recent film, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
Minecraft Dungeons
If you want a more action-forward take on the Minecraft mythos, look no further than Minecraft Dungeons. This 2020 game is a Diablo-like action RPG with Minecraft-themed enemies, bosses, and loot. Up to four players start with a classless blocky character that they gradually level up and customize with hundreds of cool weapons, enchanted items, and magical abilities.
Players are combining their efforts in a larger quest to defeat a scorned but powerful outsider looking to put the Overworld (sensing a theme here?) under his authoritarian thumb.
Minecraft Dungeons is far from the open-ended, cozy world builder it's based on. But it’s an easy-to-pick-up yet surprisingly challenging RPG with enough depth to make it a great time for families, couples, and friends alike. Making your way through Minecraft Dungeons’ campaign is like playing through all of A Minecraft Movie’s coolest set pieces. Its meaty, varied combat and swath of gorgeous locales make it a fun and approachable alternate take on what people enjoy about both the recent film and the beloved video game it adapts.
Minecraft Dungeons is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as PC and Xbox via Game Pass.
Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
If there’s one wrong the universe should make right in the world of movies, its that Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves should be one of the most successful and universally beloved movies of the current decade. Based on the most influential fantasy property outside of The Lord Of The Rings, the recent comedy-action adaptation of the popular tabletop game is excellent in almost every way. Between its lovable ensemble cast, its thorough understanding of why Dungeons and Dragons rules, and its genuinely cool action scenes, Honor Among Thieves.
Every single thing A Minecraft Movie does well enough to carry a decent kids movie, Honor Among Thieves does 10 times better. A swashbuckling adventure across an untamed fantasy world? Check. Cool ferocious beasts and lore worth reading into after the credits roll? Check. Hilarious and memorable bits you’ll be quoting for the next decade? It’s got that too.
Honor Among Thieves is as perfect an adaptation as you can ask for, especially if you enjoyed A Minecraft Movie’s fantastical struggle between the forces of good and evil. It’s also more imaginative and suitable for younger audiences despite its more realistic, at times scary visual style. Honor Among Thieves is one of the best movies of the 2020s. And thankfully for everyone, it’s available to stream on both Paramount Plus and Netflix.
