Minecraft Fans Are Reacting To The First Trailer - And It's Not Good

Bringing beloved video game franchises to the screen is a difficult task for filmmakers. It's about finding a balance between honoring the source material while appealing to the tastes of moviegoers who might be unfamiliar with the games. That isn't always possible, and all of the poorly ranked video game movies on Rotten Tomatoes prove that they have a tendency to upset fans and critics alike. Unfortunately, 2025's "Minecraft" adaptation looks destined to join the list of blunders — that's if the early reactions are anything to go by.

Starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Matt Berry, and Steve Carell, "A Minecraft Movie" boasts an all-star cast of beloved Hollywood superstars. However, the general consensus from fans after seeing the trailer is that the movie looks terrible. X (formerly known as Twitter) user @Kriniois summed up the opinion of many gaming fans, writing, "Anyone could've guessed this but this is very clearly a movie worked on by people whose kids play 'Minecraft' and not by anybody who actually plays 'Minecraft.'"

In the filmmakers' defense, the trailer only offers a quick glimpse into what the movie entails, so the finished product might honor the spirit of the games. That said, there are several reasons why "Minecraft" fans can't get behind this project after seeing the trailer. With that in mind, let's look at some of the most interesting reactions.

"A Minecraft Movie" is the latest video game adaptation to mix live-action elements with CGI. As such, the first trailer has drawn instant comparisons to a critically panned Adam Sandler movie from 2015 — you know the one. "It gives me a scent of 'Pixels.'" @SebsterSpeaks observed. "Am I the only one seeing this?" The X user wasn't the only person to highlight the visual similarities between both films, but some fans argue that the "Minecraft" adaptation looks worse than the Sandler vehicle. "['Pixels' is] looking like a masterpiece compared to this," @Nevermore_414 wrote.

"Pixels" isn't the only flick "A Minecraft Movie" is drawing comparisons to. The film follows a group of humans who are transported into a fantastical realm through a portal, forcing them to stave off dangerous threats — zombies, pig armies, etc. — before they can return home. Some fans, including @GPrime85, noted that the plot is reminiscent of another movie starring Jack Black. "Oh God they're Jumanji-ing it," the social media user wrote. That might not be a bad thing, though, as the Jumanji franchise is a box office success story, so why wouldn't the filmmakers want to recreate that formula?

It's one thing to criticize a film for being derivative of other projects, but the trailer for "A Minecraft Movie" has also attracted some angry responses. Some people believe that it teases a blasphemous adaptation with no redeemable qualities.

Some of the more passionate "Minecraft" fans haven't taken kindly to the first trailer, with many claiming that it's an insult to the games. As X user @codybugs eloquently stated, "I love 'Minecraft' with my whole heart. That game basically raised me but this looks like such an abomination, also f**k Jack Black."

Meanwhile, some fans think that Jared Hess' upcoming adaptation was made with no consideration of the countless kids out there who were raised on the games. "Wtf is that 'Minecraft' new trailer," @Gwenimaru exclaimed, followed by some crying emojis. "What the hell did they do to my precious childhood that had raised me for almost my life??? NAH, I DIDN'T BECOME OBSESSED FOR THIS ABOMINATION." Elsewhere, people took issue with the trailer's visual qualities, suggesting that the filmmakers took shortcuts. "It legitimately looks like they ran 'Minecraft' through an AI filter, @SkarlonYGO said. "This looks sooo awful." 

In short, the negative responses appear to outweigh the positive ones, and "A Minecraft Movie" might go down in history as yet another video game movie box office bomb. Here's hoping that the actual movie is better than the trailer.