A Minecraft Movie review: Strikes a neat balance for aficionados and newbies

At times, A Minecraft Movie feels like a comedic scrap between the three Js – Jack, Jason and Jennifer.

Led by Jack Black, he’s joined by the muscle-bound Jason Momoa and The White Lotus’s comic goddess Jennifer Coolidge, each bringing their own brand of lunacy to the Minecraft universe. Their combined energy powers this film through, even when the plot flags or gets bogged down by visual effects.

Harnessing it all is Jared Hess, the director who worked on Mexican wrestling comedy Nacho Libre with Black, but is still fondly remembered for his cult 2004 debut Napoleon Dynamite (those 'Vote for Pedro' T-shirts? Hess is to blame).

Indeed, the Uncle Rico character from Napoleon Dynamite, with his nostalgia for times past, feeds into Momoa’s Garrett 'The Garbage Man' Garrison, a former arcade game champion whose life has taken a turn for the worse.

Garrett is one of several characters who gets sucked into the Minecraft universe – known as the Overworld – via a portal that opens when the powerful Orb of Dominance comes into play.

Joining him are brother and sister Natalie (Emma Myers) and Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and friend Dawn (Danielle Brooks), who really doesn’t know what she’s letting herself in for. Already there is Black’s Steve, who has long been inside the Overworld.

Of course, an enemy needs to be vanquished: a foul sorceress named Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House) who comes armed with an army of pig-like guards. Arriving from a place called the Nether, Malgosha is desperate to get her hands on the Orb.

Nor is she the only danger: there are skeletons riding big spiders as if they were on horseback (it’s really creepy) and green-faced zombie-like creatures that look like a squashed down version of Frankenstein’s monster.

Echoing the nature of the game, where players mine materials and craft tools to build structures, the gang need to learn the rules of this universe to survive. "Anything you can dream about here, you can make," says Steve, who acts as the guide through this frequently bewildering world.

Thankfully, despite all the Easter eggs for the gamers among you, there’s plenty of other things for non-players to enjoy. Like the joke set in Malgosha’s world around 'Nether’s Got Talent'.

There is a nominal mission – the characters have to get to the Woodland Mansion (another key nod to the game) to beat Malgosha. But in truth, the crazier the film gets, the less this seems to matter.

Particularly odd is the subplot involving Coolidge’s character, Vice Principal Marlene, the head of Henry’s school. In the real world, she runs over one of Minecraft’s Villagers, who gets sucked through the portal. Then, in a bizarre twist, divorcee Marlene is going on a date with him in a restaurant. The cult of Coolidge will only surely get bigger with this.

With Jack Black going full Tenacious D (yes, he sings) and the long-haired Momoa looking amusingly lame in retro outfits (leather jackets, with tassles), there’s something quite loveable about A Minecraft Movie.

The final act loses its way, with a boring battle that feels inconsequential, but for the most part, this strikes a neat balance for aficionados and newbies. And however wayward the last portion is, there’s a voice cameo from a well-known comedian that is truly a moment of beauty. Game on.

A Minecraft Movie hits UK cinemas on 4th April.

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