Warner Bros. has unveiled the first trailer for A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa.
The film is an adaptation of Minecraft, a 13-year-old game which has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. It is difficult to convey the game's popularity and impact.
The game is essentially digital Lego and offers a remarkable canvas for artistic creativity. It has a lovely, eerie soundtrack that is perfect for prolonged listening.
But fans aren’t happy about what they have seen so far about the big screen adaptation.
Many social media users responded to it in an unfavourable way, with some finding the tone and imagery perplexing.
One disappointed fan wrote: “This should have been animated and not live action.”
this should have been animated and not live action 😭
— SETHY 🪐 (@sethspov) September 4, 2024
While another added: “anyone could’ve guessed this but this is very clearly a movie worked on by people who’s kids play Minecraft and not by anybody who actually plays Minecraft”.
anyone could’ve guessed this but this is very clearly a movie worked on by people who’s kids play Minecraft and not by anybody who actually plays Minecraft
— Krinios (@Krinios) September 4, 2024
A third fan said: “not everything has to be a movie”.
not everything has to be a movie 😭😭😭🙏🏼🙏🏼
— delanie (@strongwaifu) September 4, 2024
With first thoughts aside, who is in the cast and what can we expect from the film? Here’s what we know.
Who is in the cast?
Jack Black
Jack Black will portray "expert crafter" Steve. The actor revealed he was cast in the film by sharing a photo on Instagram reading a how-to-guide for the game with the caption "an actor prepares".
Jason Momoa
Momoa plays Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison in the film. The 45-year-old actor is known for starring as the eponymous Aquaman and portraying Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones.
Emma Myers
Emma Myers portrays Natalie in the movie. Although she’s not new to the acting world, she gained popularity in 2022 for appearing in Netflix’s Wednesday.
Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brooks is Dawn in the film. The 34-year-old is mostly known for playing Tasha in the Netflix comedy-drama Orange Is The New Black.
Jennifer Coolidge
It’s not known who Jennifer Coolidge plays but she is well-known for her supporting roles in the American Pie series as well as Legally Blonde.
Sebastian Eugene Hansen
The child actor plays Henry in the film. He is known for Just Mercy and Lisey’s Story.
What did we learn from the trailer?
The trailer, which features a soaring version of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, provides us our first glimpse of Black and Momoa in the movie but reveals very little about the story.
Momoa, accompanied by Brooks, Myers and Hansen, arrives in the pixelated Minecraft world wearing a crazy ’80s-style shoulder-length wig with choppy fringe.
The gang meets a variety of Minecraft characters along their way, including a random man named Steve, wicked piglins, and bah-ing bleats.
Black says in the clip: “Anything you can dream about here, you can make.”
According to the official movie synopsis, Momoa's character Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison and his three other misfit friends "find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination”.
They must "be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative... the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world" in order to complete their journey and return home.
What is the release date?
The movie Minecraft is scheduled to land in cinemas on April 4, 2025.
A specific UK and US release date will likely be clarified nearer the time.
