Jack Black has become a recurring star in video game movies, butA Minecraft Movieis the latest film to prove that these projects keep dividing critics and audiences. Jack Black is one of the biggest stars working today, and he has consistently gotten involved with massive video game franchises over the past few years. Since 2023,Jack Black has played major roles inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,Borderlands, andA Minecraft Movie, all three of which were torn apart by critics, with some of these critical receptions surprising general audiences.
When the cast ofThe Super Mario Bros. Moviewas announced, there were some divisive picks, such as Chris Pratt as Mario. However, Jack Black’s casting as Bowser was almost universally praised, ashe had a track record of playing animated characters like Po fromKung Fu Panda. However, many critics didn’t think thatThe Super Mario Bros. Moviewas as good as it could have been, while fans generally liked it. AlthoughBorderlandswas universally panned, a similardivide between critics and audiences is present withA Minecraft Movie, leaving some audience members scratching their heads.
Critics Often Have Higher Expectations For Movies Than Audiences
Since They Are Looking For Different Things
One of the biggest explanations of whyJack Black’s video game movieshave divided critics and audiences is that critics often have higher expectations than audiences. When critics are discussing films that they have seen, they are comparing them to the entirety of their cinematic knowledge. Critics typically see a lot more films than the average audience member, meaning that they have a lot more great films to compare it to. Critics' diverse tastes and vast film knowledge often mean that films likeA Minecraft Moviedon’t fare well when it comes to serious film criticism.
Critics are often looking for different things in films when it comes to their viewing experiences. Critics are always analyzing the story, themes, cinematography, directing, and more, and it is hard to argue that Jack Black’s video game movies excel in these areas.Super MarioandMinecraftEaster eggs and references aren’t enough to sway critics into giving these films a good review. While there are aspects to enjoy,critics who aren’t fans of the franchise could see the narrative and technical aspects of these films as being generic or even poor.
On the other hand, general audiences typically don’t worry about these things. While there are plenty of audience members with vast amounts of film knowledge, this isn’t typically the case. Instead, many general audience members judge a film simply by whether they had a good time watching it. This metric doesn’t typically correlate with good filmmaking. Instead, they are more concerned about fun and spectacle, which is why fast-paced, music-filled adventure films with lots of jokes and Easter eggs may be more well-received by general audience members.
Super Mario Bros. & Minecraft Were More Appealing To Fans Of The Games
Rather Than Focusing On Quality Stories
Based on the aforementioned tastes of general audiences,The Super Mario Bros. MovieandA Minecraft Movieperfectly appeal to them. Since these are two of the most popular video game franchises in the world, many general audience members are fans of the games. Thus, stuffing the movies with recognizable characters, Easter eggs, world-building, and meta moments is enough to make these fans happy. Sequel set-ups like thepost-credits scene ofA Minecraft Moviealso leave audiences wanting more, often ending the film on a high note.
While these video game films put a lot of effort into these aspects, complex stories typically aren’t their biggest concern. It is hard to argue that the stories of these two films aren’t a bit generic.The Super Mario Bros. Movieisn’t much more than the most basic story from the video games, with Mario saving Luigi instead of Princess Peach. Meanwhile,A Minecraft Movieis the dime-a-dozen story of humans getting sucked into a different world, meaning that it is essentially theJumanjistory with a different coat of paint. The themes aren’t complex, and the video game nods are more compelling than the script.
Jack Black Has A Strong History Of Making Movies Audiences Love
Although Critics Aren’t Fans Of Some Of Them
This trend is not unique to video game movies, as previous Jack Black films have already divided audiences and critics. Films likeThe Holiday,Tenacious D in: the Pick of Destiny, and the modernJumanjimovies have a similar divide, with general audiences being big fans while critics aren’t all that excited about them. This is becauseJack Black tends to appear in comedies, blockbusters, and movies with wide appeal. Thus, these films are more concerned with catering to general audiences than moving the medium of cinema forward.
However, Jack Black has made plenty of films that have united critics and audiences.School of Rockis beloved, with it being one ofJack Black’s most popular and well-received films.High Fidelityis another great Jack Black classic, while the first threeKung Fu Pandamovies are one of the best animated movie trilogies of all time. It is hard to argue thatTropic Thunderis artistically more ambitious thanThe Super Mario Bros. MovieorA Minecraft Movie. However, these movies manage to combine great filmmaking with stories that have wide appeal.
Will Critics & Audiences Ever Agree That A Jack Black Video Game Movie Is Great?
Jack Black Will Have To Try Another Video Game Franchise
Critics and audiences have agreed on a Jack Black video game movie one time, and that movie wasBorderlands. However, critics and audiences agreed that it was bad. Agreeing that a Jack Black video game movie is good is a whole different challenge.Sequels toA Minecraft MovieandThe Super Mario Bros. Movieare already in the works, and since the first films weren’t received well, it is doubtful that they will become cinematic achievements in their second outings. There isn’t a reason for the studios to try harder with the sequels, as the first films were box office hits as is.
Jack Black will probably have to join another video game franchise in order to pull off this feat. Some video game adaptations have pulled this off, such as HBO’sThe Last of Usand Netflix’sCastlevania. Jim Carrey found a way to do this with the laterSonic the Hedgehogmovies, so it wouldn’t be impossible for Jack Black to do it. However, he would have to take a big swing with another video game franchise, asA Minecraft Moviewasn’t the one to do it.
A Minecraft Movie
Cast
A Minecraft Movie follows four misfits transported into the Overworld, a cubic world of creativity. To return home, they must navigate its challenges while on a magical quest with experienced crafter Steve, learning to master the intricate environment of this imaginative realm.
