IAN PARK '25//THE LOYALIST
STEVE POSES at theatre with his army of Cubs
Making a video game movie seems like one of the worst decisions a studio could make, almost as bad as investing one’s entire life savings into the latest cryptocurrency of a popular influencer. A group of older filmmakers desperately attempting to adapt a trendy product they don’t understand into a 90-minute feature film, all for an audience they know nothing about, is a recipe for disaster. So, when I saw the 163 million dollars that “A Minecraft Movie” managed to generate on its opening weekend of April 4, I was intrigued.
The story follows siblings Henry and Natalie, who, upon befriending a videogame store owner named Garret, discovers a secret orb that transports them to the Minecraft world. There, they meet the iconic character Steve and embark on a journey to defeat the piglin queen Malgosha, with the hopes that they can return back to the real world.
The plot is really nothing more than an excuse for the characters to mess around in the Minecraft world, but that sandbox experience is what makes the movie great in the first place. Director Jared Hess knows what the audience comes for; the movie wholly embraces its silly, childish nature, and it never stops to take itself too seriously.
Emil Mejia ‘26 agreed, saying, “I think the movie was obviously aimed at kids…most jokes are hit or miss, and if you haven’t played the game, then you won’t understand the humor.”
Thankfully, as soon as the corny Minecraft references start to drag, the story perfectly concludes with a happy ending that not only leaves viewers satisfied, but with an abundance of popcorn in their laps too.
It’s very rare that an actor’s standout performance creates controversy online, but in the case of Jack Black, his comedic flair has almost worked too well for Gen Z. He was an essential part of the marketing campaign, creating viral TikTok videos in which he triumphantly exclaimed the name of various Minecraft items, like “Flint and Steel” and “Ender Pearl.” For virtually free, this trend converted the excitement of the youth into hundreds of millions of dollars in box office sales.
Still, some jokes went too far, like the Chicken Jockey trend, in which moviegoers began yelling “Chicken Jockey!” throwing their overpriced popcorn buckets into the air upon hearing the infamous line on the big screen. Austin Lee ‘26 shared his own experience with the trend: “As soon as [Jack Black] said it, the whole movie theater exploded… it was crazy!”
In one theater in Utah, there was the notorious instance of a spectator bringing an actual chicken to the theater just for the “Chicken Jockey” scene. The stunt became a viral TikTok sensation, with multiple videos from different points of view amassing millions of likes. Unfortunately, for the movie enthusiasts in that theater, the movie was abruptly shut down by employees following the scene, which has been a trend around the country.
“A Minecraft Movie” may not have the best plot or the most nuanced characters, but it’s absolute movie marketing genius. Whatever the producers paid Jack Black for his role as Steve is not enough, as his sense of humor finally managed to bridge the gap between boomer movie-makers and the kids who love the films so dearly.