The Godfather. Whiplash. Minions. What do all of these seemingly unrelated words have in common? They are all movies. Great movies, yes, but movies nonetheless. Now, in this list of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, one may be wondering why the 2025 medium-defining masterpiece A Minecraft Movie isn’t included. A good question, but one that is simple to answer. A Minecraft Movie is not a movie (confusing as it may be, due to the title). A Minecraft Movie is a cultural monument. It is a reminder of a bygone era reminiscent of the Mona Lisa or the Sonic Games.
Directed by Jared Hess (known for other auteurist works of art such as Thelma the Unicorn and Gentlemen Broncos), A Minecraft Movie opens with an intense flashback of the man, the myth, the legend, Steve Minecraft (Jack Black, in a performance akin to that of Robert De Niro in GoodFellas) detailing his both horrid and thrilling past. Among his exploits include several trips to the mines (for which he yearned for as a child) where he finds two items called the Orb and the Crystal which are responsible to transporting him to the world of Minecraft (also referred to as the Overworld), his use of the ever-iconic flint and steel to venture to another dimension known as the Nether, and his gain and subsequent tragic loss of a canine companion named Dennis, whom he loses connection with upon his capture by the evil Piglin Malgosha.
When Steve is captured, he gives the Orb and Crystal to Dennis to hide in the Overworld, which finds its way to one of our leads Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), who the audience sees in a quite devastating predicament. Once a young gaming prodigy, he now is the owner of a struggling store that sells retro video games, hunting around storage container auctions for rare items. Unfortunately, his efforts prove fruitless and he is to be evicted unless he can come up with rent money. At the same time, we watch two more of our main characters, Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), in a similarly gut-wrenching scenario. With their parents both out of the picture, they are living on their own and trying to make a life for themselves, despite Henry’s social ineptitude.
Their worlds collide when Henry accidentally ventures into Garrett’s store, and together with Natalie and real-estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks) use the Orb and Crystal to venture into the glorious world of Minecraft. Using boundless imagination, aerial dogfights, and the help of the pacifist bread-loving Villagers (known to crush a loaf every now and again). Because Minecraft is such an abundant world, the movie makes sure to properly showcase the unlimited potential the Overworld contains, and it makes for a magnificent experience.
A Minecraft Movie is the rare example of perfect cinema. Every line is spoken with grandeur, every shot framed deliberately and with enormous care. Each scene, down to the most minute of movements, is planned in such a way that I truly believe the voice of a higher power was channeled through Hess in order to construct this masterpiece.
However, the true best part of A Minecraft Movie is the community. It’s no secret that this film has been highly anticipated for quite some time, and that anticipation is evident in its gross of $58 million dollars on its opening day. Throughout every screening, the crowd is always deeply invested, cheering at the many legendary lines and even shedding a tear or two. The sheer jubilance of the audience reverberates through the theater and enhances it from a work of art to an experience.
To everyone who worked on this wonder, thank you. From the bottom of the world’s hearts, thank you. May your future projects be even a sliver as magnificent as this.
Leo Dublin can be reached via email.
