A Minecraft Movie

It takes a lot to make Jack Black unlikeable and, boy howdy, did the makers of A Minecraft Movie overachieve in this regard.

This overly esoteric collection of video game references and Tiktok videos that are mysteriously driving Gen Z viewers wild fails to engage average audiences the way such fellow product films as The Lego Movie and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves so marvelously did.

Featuring one of the wordiest and most whiplash-inducing cinematic introductions of our time that establishes the alternate dimension predicament of Steve (Black), A Minecraft Movie loops in a rag-tag group to join him in fantasyland and realize their potential — or some patronizing shit like that. It’s tough to be certain.

Other than an early exchange between egomaniacal former champion gamer Garrett (Jason Momoa) and a storage unit auctioneer played by Jemaine Clement, there are zero laughs to be found here. Once the humans link up with Steve, Black lets loose a steady stream of what feel like rejected Tenacious D bits, earning a matching amount of eyerolls and groans. No stranger to one-note humor, director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) encourages the riffing, prioritizing visual and quotable easter eggs over any semblance of character development or compelling storytelling. 

As our “heroes” continue their quest to obtain a magic object so they can return home, the action remains constant. But the character and world design is so abhorrent that maintaining focus becomes a chore.

Add in embarrassing tangents involving Jennifer Coolidge's school administrator romancing a clueless villager who's crossed over into Earth and this dumpster fire can't end soon enough.

Grade: D. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Warner Bros.)