As I sat in the theater about an hour into “A Minecraft Movie,” I found myself cringing in anticipation as I watched a CGI baby zombie drop onto a chicken and heard the line that had spread all over the internet:
“Chicken Jockey!”
Like some kind of animalistic response, rows of teenagers (and some grown adults) started to clap, scream and even stand up. I could only watch in horror as half the theater started to loudly applaud the terribly cheesy and cliché movie.
Above the hooting and hollering for random moments in the movie that came about every 10 minutes, I came to two realizations: I should have never wasted money on this movie, and what a great marketing strategy.
“A Minecraft Movie,” which came to theaters April 4, is based on the popular game “Minecraft,” which is available on nearly any gaming platform, including mobile, PC, Xbox, and more.
Similar to the most recent Minions” movie, or even the “Sonic 3” movie, “A Minecraft Movie” quickly became an internet sensation, and a well-known meme.
Videos of the movie have circulated on apps like TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms; most with theater experiences like the one I had Monday night.
Some of the recorded reactions range from a few “He said the thing!”’s or a single “Whoo!” to the police being called and people trashing the movie theater. Such a commotion has only brought more publicity in.
After the theaters were left surprisingly empty from the live action “Snow White,” a flood of teens and adults have filled those seats again for another kids’ movie.
“A Minecraft Movie” itself was not memorable in any way, and I recall wanting to leave the theater many times from how awful the movie truly was.
The plot was basic; another “Wizard of Oz.” The characters get stuck in a Minecraft world and must defeat a villain to get back home.
The only difference between these two plots is the bad acting and lack of a present female lead.
Familiar names, such as Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Jennifer Coolidge made their appearances in this movie seem more like a cry for help, quite possibly because of their declining acting careers.
Black may be known as a “timeless actor,” but his acting in “A Minecraft Movie” made me check the time too many times. He was awkwardly over-the-top, and he made the movie even more of a joke without actually delivering a single one. After such a successful career in his youth as a comedian, actor and musician, maybe Black should look for a job that fits his age more appropriately.
Momoa, on the other hand, invoked some pity in me as I saw him on the big screen. Having a kick-ass reputation as one of DC’s greatest superheroes, Aquaman, one might think he’d turn down the offer for such a terribly written film right away. But the Atlantean- hybrid must’ve needed an extra gig before resuming his fight against evil, because Momoa really took his role in “A Minecraft Movie” to another level, making the film seem more like a random improv project with his excessively overdone acting, rather than a clever game-based movie.
Despite both actors being painfully unfunny in the movie, I did enjoy the unexpected dynamic between them and wouldn’t mind if they appeared in another movie together, seeing as they work so well together.
The film is something I wouldn’t recommend, not even as a Minecraft lover, myself, because of the horrible plot and acting. But its marketing makes up for it all, and “A Minecraft Movie” is a deliciously intelligent money-making project.
The film itself, which is technically a children’s movie, is not marketed towards the kids of the 2020s at all and is instead selling itself to teenagers and young adults; the people who were there for the birth of Minecraft and can pay for their own tickets.
The game Minecraft came out in 2009, with a full version coming out in 2011, and the game has not stopped updating since. The game has created fanbases, YouTube channels and remarkable fame, making its name well-known among Gen-Z who were children at the time and the teenagers of the 2010s.
One notably smart way “A Minecraft Movie” has also managed to reel more money in is their partnership with McDonalds.
Although the “Sonic 3” movie and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” both got their posters on Happy Meals, “A Minecraft Movie” offers a new addition: An adult Minecraft meal.
The adult Minecraft meal basically mirrors the Minecraft-themed Happy Meal for children, but with a Big Mac or 10-piece McNugget meal. The Meal also includes a limited edition “collectible,” which is quite literally a non-recyclable hunk of plastic disguised as a colorful trinket for adults.
Yet, the adult Minecraft meal has also gone viral on the internet, and people are rushing to get one before the movie goes out of theaters.
“A Minecraft Movie” is, by no means, a sensation or even remotely good, but the marketing for the film has been impeccable and its audience incomparable to the small crowd brought in by “Snow White.”
After I debated walking out after almost every cheesy monologue or painfully dry character interaction, I decided to stay until the end of the credits.
How often do you get stuck in a theater with screaming adults and quiet children?