Minecraft Movie trailer is the live-action film no one wanted

A Minecraft live-action movie has been announced for 2025, but the trailer revealing the film has us questioning if this was a movie worth making in the first place.

Minecraft remains one of the most popular open-world sandbox games available on PC and consoles. The vibrant world, perfect for customization via community mods, has allowed imaginations to flourish for over a decade.

As a fan of the franchise, I have spent hundreds of hours building bases, battling mobs, and sometimes just growing crops of potatoes and carrots while listening to podcasts. It wasn’t ever something that I thought needed a movie adaptation.

Minecraft seems to disagree, however, as revealed in its most recent project – a live-action Minecraft movie. While the colorful world and iconic fantasy setting could work for a video-game-inspired film, many are questioning what has been seen in the reveal trailer, which borders on disturbing. The ad showcased distorted sheep, furry Creepers, and Jack Black as Steve.

While information about the Minecraft movie and Jack Black’s role have been circulating for several weeks, with plenty of opinions on the Kung Fu Panda star’s ability to portray the game’s hero, the trailer drop has instilled a very clear opinion among fans: this is not a movie anyone wanted.

One viewer commented in the trailer reveal post, “Yea not gonna lie, I have zero idea why anyone thought making this live action would be a good idea,” while another added, “It better have good writing, because that was very unimpressive.”

Others have commented on the unsettling graphics for the animals. One viewer pointed out, “Since when did they have human teeth?” followed by a screengrab of the Sheep and Llama models from the trailer.

This comment led to comparisons with the original trailer for The Sonic Movie, and a hopeful viewer commented, “Might change the mobs to be more game accurate like the Sonic movie did to generate controversy and hype.”

Other viewers called the trailer “cringe,” claiming they would not be watching it.

The true point of Minecraft can’t be a movie

The biggest question I currently have is how Minecraft could even be turned into a movie. The trailer seems to indicate that, much like the Jumanji remake, a group of unsuspecting players get sucked into the game’s world somehow. After this, Jack Black shows up, hijinks ensue, and less-than-witty one-liners by the cast are delivered.

But these ingredients don’t make a good film. Minecraft lacks a linear story, with gameplay that’s like a can of unopened clay. It’s completely molded and shaped by the player. Because of this, the movie can only rely on elements of the game that are familiar, boiling the movie down to Sheep and Llama jokes, references to tree punching, and encounters with mobs.

The movie won’t ever be able to capture the heart of the game, because that story is unique to everyone who plays it. It’s not something that can be bottled and sold alongside buckets of popcorn and overpriced fountain drinks.

Minecraft doesn’t need a movie, because the magic is in actually sitting down to play it.

Overall, the general reception for the Minecraft Movie doesn’t look promising, and many fans of the game seem intent on sitting this one out when it hits theaters on April 4, 2025.