Why We're Worried About A Minecraft Movie

At long last, "Minecraft" is really getting a movie adaptation. This would seem to be a wish come true for fans, but based on the details we've gotten about "A Minecraft Movie," it may turn out to be a wish in the classic monkey's paw sense. After years and years of waiting to see what a "Minecraft" adaptation might look like, Warner Bros. finally dropped a teaser trailer on Sept. 4, 2024, and it didn't turn out to be the hype engine that the studio probably hoped.

The audience seems to be more than a bit mystified by the teaser. The story in "A Minecraft Movie" appears to be a massive departure from the game, the visuals are looking a bit dicey, and the tone seems off. There are plenty of things in "Minecraft" for adults to enjoy, but it's hard to tell which demographic or tone the movie is aiming at. The trailer is really just the tip of the iceberg, though. When you consider it alongside some behind-the-scenes details, you start seeing a number of reasons to be worried about "A Minecraft Movie."

One of the biggest red flags for "A Minecraft Movie" is how long the thing's been in the works. "Minecraft" creator Markus "Notch" Persson actually leaked the news that a movie was on the way all the way back in February 2014. That long of a production (or pre-production) period usually isn't a good sign for a movie, but it's not just the timeline here that's concerning.

At one point, there was an entirely different director signed on to make "A Minecraft Movie." For a brief period, "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy was set to direct the movie, but he decided to leave the project and Rob McElhenney (of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fame) took the helm for an animated feature. McElhenney had a passionate vision for the movie, which he imagined as being able to highlight how "Minecraft" empowers people to create. He eventually left the project in 2018 due to creative differences with new leadership at Warner Bros.

I notice there are no writing credits on the MINECRAFT trailer or in the press release. That arbitration is going to be insane. The version I read had something like 40 writers or writing teams listed on two full title pages.

— DrewMcWeeny (@DrewMcWeeny) September 4, 2024

People have also noticed that "A Minecraft Movie" has been churning through writers, and the studio will likely have to go through a lengthy arbitration process to settle who all will be credited for the film. From the outside, it looks to be a "too many cooks in the kitchen" situation, which could make "A Minecraft Movie" feel disjointed.

Let's just be honest: The fact that "A Minecraft Movie" is live-action feels wrong. It's clear that the filmmakers wanted to get recognizable big name stars like Jason Momoa and Jack Black, but they easily could have voiced animated characters. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" just proved how effective that strategy can be, creatively and financially. In fact, the previous animated iteration of the "Minecraft" film would have starred the voice of Steve Carell.

As soon as we learned the movie was going to be live-action, "Minecraft" fans over on Reddit started worrying that the whole movie could be ruined by that decision. Some fans were willing to wait and see what the movie actually looked like, but in July 2024, the internet saw some leaks that were even weirder than anyone had imagined. Some were immediately weirded out by the "fuzzy" texture of the Creepers, and when the trailer showed live actors moving through a CGI "Minecraft" world, people were even more bothered. 

"Whoever greenlit this to be a live action was snorting THE FINEST redstone dust," wrote one YouTube commenter in response to the trailer. Another said, "We bullied Paramount into redesigning Sonic, can we bully Warner Bros into redesigning their entire movie?" Even with the off-putting visuals, fans hoped they'd be enchanted by the film's story. Unfortunately, the trailer has failed to convince a huge section of the fandom.

The teaser trailer for "A Minecraft Movie" is naturally a little light on story details, but the hints we got about the movie's plot weren't all that encouraging. It looks like the characters played by Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Sebastian Eugene Hansen and Danielle Brooks have somehow been transported to the world of "Minecraft," where Jack Black's Steve has been living for quite some time. Steve presumably helps the gang get home while they encounter all sorts of game-inspired obstacles, but that's basically the exact premise of a movie that Black has already made twice over.

New #MinecraftMovie probably gonna be like Jumanji. Like come on... pic.twitter.com/W6sSbfRlb2

— Elizu (@Elizuart_) September 4, 2024

Yes, fans are already pointing out that "A Minecraft Movie" feels like it's essentially setting itself up to be the next "Jumanji" movie — and they're not terribly excited.

stuck between the minecraft movie could be dumb fun and this could be like a worse version of Jumanji but with forced Minecraft references because I'm not exaggerating that was a bad first impression one of the worst trailers I've ever watched no joke pic.twitter.com/srDPUepxhV

— Etch Nick Wilde Enjoyer 🦊 (@sketching204) September 6, 2024

It's not the most prominent feature of the game, but "Minecraft" does have lore that the filmmakers could have chosen to adapt. From what we've heard, it sounds like Rob McElhenney's version would have focused on adapting the experience of playing the game (rather than adapting the story directly), but it looks like the version of "A Minecraft Movie" we're finally getting is doing neither. The movie's story could turn out to surprise us, but it's a big reason why fans are side-eyeing "A Minecraft Movie."