Let me begin this review by saying that I’ve never played Minecraft and my eight-year-old son who got here to see “A Minecraft Movie” with me, has also never played it. He did by some means pay money for “The Unofficial Bible for Minecrafters”, which apparently tells biblical stories via Minecraft, but except for this, we’re each Minecraft virgins.
The film is clearly made on some level for Minecraft fans. At multiple points throughout the showing at my local cinema the audience would laugh, cheer or clap at what to me seemed very random moments. Clearly you have got to be a Minecraft player to get the joke.
Despite this, “A Minecraft Movie” continues to be pretty fun, even for non-aficionados like myself and my son. The plot is a reasonably standard adventure quest i.e. undergo the forest and over the mountains to retrieve the precious item after which we are able to all go home. It’s not Shakespeare, but it surely’s not meant to be.
The characters and the best way they’re performed are perfectly superb, although I have to admit, I can’t remember any of their names aside from “Steve” (Jack Black) and “Garbage Man” (Jason Momoa). Jack Black, as usual appears to be having loads of fun within the film, although there may be very little functional difference between Steve and Po the Panda, arguably Black’s most famous performance.
A Christian perspective (very minor spoilers ahead)
From a Christian perspective there are some real points of value which are made in A Minecraft Movie.
First of all, now we have Jason Momoa’s character. Garbage Man is a loser and a has-been who consistently acts like he’s actually the world’s most successful and beloved celebrity. The glamourous façade he shows the world hides a deep emptiness inside.
Momoa’s character spends a lot of the film attempting to be the alpha male, leader type but eventually his failures pile so high that he’s forced to confess that he’s a fraud whose life goes nowhere.
It is from this point that his “redemption arc” begins. Much just like the prodigal son, it is just when he realises the complete extent of his sin and failure, that he can begin to walk the correct path.
Secondly, now we have an encounter between a young boy (Sebastien Hansen) and a few type of evil Minecraft stick man wizard (my apologies to Minecraft fans for not knowing the precise technical term). Much just like the devil, this creature attempts to deceive the boy by telling him he’s neither loved nor valued by those around him. It’s only by seeing through the lies of evil that the boy is in a position to achieve his quest.
Finally, and I think that is the important point of the entire film, is the concept that all and sundry has a talent and that this have to be used for the good thing about others. Every character within the story begins the film with a talent or passion that’s mocked, under-utilised, under-appreciated and even unknown.
By the tip of the story every character has found their talent.
The final message of the film is a surprisingly good one. The characters are presented with the alternative of staying inside the security of the fantasy video-game world of Minecraft, or of going back to the actual world, with all its mundane difficulties and where life is difficult, and using their talents there. I won’t give the sport entirely away for many who have not watched it yet but I’m sure you’ll be able to guess where it’s going.
For me this had echoes of Jesus’ parable of the skills. That parable teaches us that each one of us have God-given gifts and skills. It also tells us that the best tragedy is the failure to make use of those gifts for the good thing about God’s kingdom and for those around us.
It may be very tempting to bury one’s talent in the bottom and to remain on the planet of Minecraft resulting from fear of failure or fear of engaging with a hostile world. But as Christians, we’re called to “go forth and multiply”, to play our part in making the world a greater place and ultimately, to make use of the gifts God has given us for his kingdom.
We all have value and all of us have something to contribute, nevertheless small it could appear.
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