A Minecraft Movie

The film’s anarchy might reflect a lot of younger players’ first experience with Minecraft, where destruction can be just as fun as creation. Missing on the big screen, meanwhile, is the odd, remote atmosphere that drew me in.

“A Minecraft Movie” is quirky and goofy enough to make one wish it held together better overall, but it’s also a likable venture.

Jack Black and Jason Momoa together, they're okay; so it's perfectly unremarkable.

It’s got enough personality to make me wish that Hess had had a still freer hand... Don’t mistake my curiosity for enthusiasm. I can’t recommend that anyone see A Minecraft Movie, not even a child.

Jared Hess directed Napoleon Dynamite. This movie is as if Napoleon Dynamite directed it, not Jared.

For a wildly imaginative world-building project, the film is mostly ghastly to look at... if the possibilities of this world are endless, why does it all devolve into violent, ugly, boring warfare?

Here’s a money machine that, despite its bright CGI palate, feels oddly colorless.

I acknowledge that this movie isn’t exactly for me. But I still see the appeal, much of which is wrapped up in the infectious enthusiasm of Jack Black

It may be appealing enough for young children and fans who are not expecting very much from it, but most others will likely be a little disappointed that they didn't try a little harder when it came to telling a more creative story.

Once our party heads into the Minecraft world, the formula begins to wear thin but the off-kilter humor works well throughout. If nothing else, it's much better than it needed to be and I appreciate the effort rather than just cashing a huge check.