As a long-time gamer and parent of two Minecraft enthusiasts, I must say that the trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie has nothing on this one! Growing up, I had my fair share of adventures with pixelated blocks and creepers, but nothing compares to the excitement my kids showed while watching this trailer.
Frankly speaking, I won’t sugarcoat it. After seeing the trailer for “A Minecraft Movie” with my children, I must admit that it didn’t leave a strong impression on me.
To put it in my own words as a devoted fan, let me share my initial reaction: “Gosh, I was left scratching my head and saying, ‘What on earth is this?’ When it comes to video game movies, I’ve seen them all – the crème de la crème. And when I lay my eyes on something that truly embodies the greatness of the original Mortal Kombat movie, there’s no mistaking it. However, when I come across its less-than-stellar sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation – well, it might still be fun in its own way, but let’s just say it doesn’t live up to the original.” In essence, I can tell the difference between a good video game movie and a bad one.
Given my lack of enthusiasm for Minecraft, it’s likely that I’m not the ideal viewer for this trailer. In fact, many others seem to share this sentiment. However, there’s a group who are quite impressed – my two children, die-hard fans of the franchise. Upon asking them what they found most appealing about the trailer, here’s what they shared with me.
They Both Think It Got The Look Right
The first time I encountered Minecraft was years before my children were born. My friend was playing it in his dorm room and I initially assumed it wouldn’t be successful because it seemed unattractive to me. After all, just look at it – the blocks are so prominent!
Growing up in the ’90s, I can’t forget about the legendary console wars. In a way, I was right in the thick of it all, always standing up for Nintendo whenever I could, whether it was during recess debates or face-offs on the playground. For instance, when some Sega enthusiast would boast, “Genesis does what Nintendon’t,” I often found myself serving detention for getting into scrapes.
Grew up debating which system had superior graphics, it astonished me that my kids found enjoyment in a game resembling one from three generations of consoles past. I mean, aren’t they aware of what I endured to protect the Nintendo 64 from the allegedly inferior 32-bit PlayStation?
However, I’ve strayed from the topic. My children are captivated by the graphic design of Minecraft, and according to them, the trailer truly captures its essence. The moment it began, they couldn’t help but smile, as it seemed like a realm that they could have crafted within the game themselves.
Additionally, everything looked as expected in terms of plant and animal life, and they were pleased with their decision to animate it all. Interestingly, I had anticipated my children might dislike the non-blocky characters in the movie, but instead, they found that aspect appealing in the trailer, a point I’ll discuss further later on.
They Like That The Film Is Going To Be Meta, Believe It Or Not
At first, when I found out that Jason Momoa and Jack Black were set to appear in the Minecraft film, I was taken aback. I mean, were they referring to their voices being featured in the movie? Was it going to be an animated or live-action production?
From watching the trailer, it can be concluded that they are correct; the human characters appear real, yet they seem to be interacting with a world that closely resembles Minecraft.
Initially, I believed it might feel just as unsettling to them as it did to me. To be honest, apart from the Sonic the Hedgehog films, which I’m quite fond of, I generally don’t appreciate the combination of animated and real-life characters on screen.
In numerous aspects, I find myself resembling the unique blend of live-action and animation seen in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” and only the Sonic films have managed to achieve this effectively. Consequently, my idea for the movie was that it would be entirely animated, similar to the latest version of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Yet, it turned out that my children found intriguing the idea of human figures infiltrating the realm of Minecraft, and they seemed puzzled by how peculiar everything appeared to them.
In simpler terms, my daughter might find it easier to understand or connect with the situation since she frequently imagines stepping into one of her Minecraft universes.
My son’s sole criticism was that he felt the character Steve, portrayed by Jack Black in the movie, should have looked more block-like, given that he’s the main character from the game. However, he didn’t let it bother him much, as…
Both Of My Kids Like Jack Black As Steve
It’s really weird to me that both of my kids not only know, but also love Jack Black. This is only because my kids haven’t really seen many of Jack Black’s best movies.
Sure, they’ve certainly heard his voice, since they’ve seen all of the Kung Fu Panda movies, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Movie. But, I haven’t shown them movies like School of Rock, the recent Jumanji flicks, or hell, not even Nacho Libre.
Despite this, both of my children are avid fans, and they’re delighted that Steve, who appears rather bland in the game, will be replaced by someone as charismatic as Black.
When I inquired as to the reason behind their enthusiasm, neither of my kids could provide a detailed explanation other than saying “He’s amusing.” It seems humor is a significant factor for them, as they also expressed satisfaction with other elements of the trailer.
They Found The Humor To Be Funny
In this trailer, there are several scenes featuring animals, which brought on laughter from my kids in every instance. They also chuckled when the human characters were conversing, with my daughter particularly enjoying the occasional humorous swearing, such as the “What the hell?” line. Overall, they found all the playful shenanigans promising for a fun and entertaining movie experience.
Currently, I find myself dozing off while my son plays Minecraft, its calming music being the culprit. To be honest, I don’t typically connect “humor” with Minecraft. In essence, as an open-ended game, Minecraft can be as humorous or serious as one chooses to make it.
That said, my son does like to lure villagers outside their homes and then bury them alive, and my daughter likes to beat characters with a sword if she finds them sleeping in her house, so I guess they like the more humorous side of it themselves, which might be why the attempts at humor in this trailer worked for them.
It Looks Like It’s For The Fans
Currently, it appears that numerous fans of the show are expressing their displeasure with the recently released trailer. In fact, many have taken to social media platforms to express their negative views about its quality.
But, do you know what? I honestly couldn’t care less what those people think since my kids were utterly giddy at all of the references they saw in this trailer. When a Creeper approaches Momoa’s character from behind, my son definitely let me know when he pressed pause on my phone. When there was a Nether portal behind the characters, my daughter alerted me to it.
Even though I’d seen many symbols from having watched my children play the game for hours on end, they still felt the need to explain various details when they noticed something new.
Sure thing! I truly wish they’ll appreciate all the hidden references (easter eggs) in this movie as much as I did when I watched them in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie“.
Just as I’ve often pointed out, Minecraft serves as the beloved Super Mario Bros. of our current era – an engaging adventure game that offers a fun, safe environment suitable for children of all ages. So, it brings me great joy to see this trailer resonating with my kids. Perhaps, in sharing their experience through watching it together at the cinema, I can relive some of that childhood excitement once more.
Hey there! I’m curious about your thoughts. Did you fall into the group that found this trailer not to your liking, or were you among those, like my kids, who really enjoyed it?
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2024-09-09 01:38