Warner Bros. released the Minecraft movie trailer and the fandom was quick to point out the many things it disliked about it.
The Minecraft Movie Trailer Received a Ton of Dislikes
Considering Minecraft is one of the biggest games ever, it’s no surprise that a film for it will finally be made. However, as the first teaser trailer dropped yesterday, it was not received well. In fact, at the time of writing of this article, the video has 640,000 dislikes on YouTube, making up for about two-thirds of the reactions.
Comments about the new film came quickly with some of the biggest names in the Minecraft community slamming the trailer. Ordinary fans also seemed rather dissatisfied with what Warner Bros. showcased, often mocking the trailer or making sarcastic comments about it. Let’s take a look at how fans received the Minecraft movie trailer.
Creators Criticized the Minecraft Movie Trailer Visuals
In just a few hours since the release of the trailer, popular content creators, both within and outside of the Minecraft community shared their opinions on the matter. It seems that many YouTubers had issues with the visuals of the film, one of whom is CaptainSparklez.
The popular YouTuber compared the visuals of the Minecraft Movie Trailer with animatronics rather than CGI Minecraft mobs. He also compared them to the Muppets because the mobs had very highly defined fur and textures. As for the scene with the piglins flaying the gasts, CaptainSparklez compared the shot with Dragonhearted, one of his most popular music videos. “It’s a throwback to something. I don’t know, did the idea come from there, [would] be pretty cool.”
The issue with the trailer’s visuals seems to be omnipresent among other content creators and the fanbase, whose opinion we will get back to later. Popular YouTuber also made a video on the matter, criticizing the art style of the Minecraft movie trailer. He said the CGI doesn’t blend very well with the live-action actors on screen.
In particular, he seemed to have an issue with the “low effort” costume that Steve, played by Jack Black, is wearing. “It’s pretty low effort from the costume department here that people were making fun of. It’d be like if they made a live-action Simpsons movie and I was cast as Homer and this was my costume because Homer also wears a white shirt,” he said. “Like, f*cking porn parodies put more work into the costuming.”
It’s Not Just the Visuals that Got Blasted
Some other content creators criticized the Minecraft movie trailer not for how it looks but rather for what it shows the film will be about. For example, popular technical minecrafter Phoenix SC didn’t seem to like the jokes in the trailer and what they imply the movie will be like.
One thing he pointed to negatively was the joke that was used to introduce Jack Black’s character. Steve, a.k.a. Jack Black, appears on screen and he simply says “I… am Steve”. To this, Phoenix said “If this is the level of humor they [Warner Bros.] have included in the film, then it’s gonna fall flat. This joke is not funny. And then you have another five to ten seconds of them saying ‘ugh, this is boring’.”
Phoenix also stated that the trailer doesn’t give him confidence that the film will have a lot of substance. According to him, the script should be more self-aware, rather than the production “trying to be funny”. He compared the Minecraft movie trailer with “Dawn”, a fan film, that according to Phoenix has way more character and emotion that resonates throughout the entire 18-minute video.
His opinion seems to be shared by many Minecraft fans, as a lot of them also thought that the tone set by the trailer was something unexpected.
What Did Fans Think About the Minecraft Movie Trailer
Speaking of the fans’ opinions, they seem to be in line with what most of the content creators think. Many disliked the visual art style of the trailer, criticizing both the CGI and the live-action aspects of the trailer. “Who was the stylist for Jason Mamoa in A Minecraft Movie? Why does he look like that???” one fan asked. “Looks cringe. I’m not watching that,” another eloquently wrote on Twitter.
A lot of fans also said the actual graphics of the movie simply do not fit the Minecraft aesthetic. They said the entire Minecraft movie trailer looked like an ad for Clash of Clans, or a similar game. Others pointed out how the most iconic mob of the game, the creeper, doesn’t even look right. By lore, the creeper should have an almost plant-like appearance, as it is a stealth hunter that uses foliage for cover. However, the trailer version looked like it was covered in fur.
In addition, fans pointed out how the scale of the trailer seems wrong. Usually, a block should be 1 meter tall, but as seen in the screenshots below, blocks are much smaller. That, or the actors are supposed to be the height of endermen, which seems unlikely.
It’s Not All Negative Views
While it seems the majority of the fan base and content creators outright blasted the Minecraft movie trailer, popular technical minecrafter Mumbo Jumbo has some positive things to say. While he warned that the movie may be bad, he also thought it may be fun to watch. “My hot take – I think this movie will be fun. It looks silly, and pretty absurd at certain points, but I think watching it will be a good time,” – he wrote in the description of his video.
While he admitted that some of the visuals, such as the hyper-realistic fur on the mobs and the weird teeth are strange, Mumbo Jumbo also praised the wide shots of the trailer, saying they look amazing.
Conclusions
Like most other movies based on video games, it seems that the Minecraft film will be one of those that will have differing opinions. While many content creators and fans alike disliked the Minecraft movie trailer, many others seem hopeful that the film will be at least decent.
The movie drops on April 4, 2025. While you wait you may want to play some Minecraft yourself. And a great way to diversify your experience is to play with some mods. Here’s a review of Immersive Engineering, one of the best technical mods out there that allows you to bring the industrial revolution to your world!
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