A Minecraft Movie And What's Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: A Minecraft Movie And What's Making Us Happy

Hosted by NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, this episode delves into the recent adaptation of the beloved video game Minecraft into a feature film. Alongside discussing the movie’s reception and intricacies, the hosts explore sources of happiness in their personal lives.

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Adapting Minecraft: Challenges and Execution

Stephen Thompson opens the discussion by outlining the ambitious endeavor of adapting Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, into a cinematic experience. He highlights the inherent challenges, noting that unlike Minecraft's sandbox-style gameplay, the film requires substantial character development to engage audiences. "A Minecraft movie is the first attempt to adapt the blockbuster video game Minecraft for the big screen," Thompson explains (00:20).

The movie features Jack Black as Steve, the default player character, and Jason Momoa as Garrett the Garden Garbage Man Garrison, a washed-up gamer. Thompson articulates concerns about the transition from game to film, comparing it to successful adaptations like The Lego Movie and Barbie, while cautiously noting that not all IP extensions achieve similar success. He remarks, "This is designed. There is a certain mercenary quality to this project that is to be expected and that is only really rarely exceeded" (06:40).

Guest Perspectives: Regina Barber and James Mastro Marino Weigh In

Regina Barber, host and reporter for NPR's Science podcast Short Wave, shares her initial skepticism about the Minecraft movie. Coming into it with "basically zero expectations," she was pleasantly surprised by the film's humor and entertainment value. "I was laughing a lot more. The one liners were great," Barber states (02:31). She recounts her personal experience with Minecraft, including attempts to bond with her daughter over the game, which initially led to frustration but ultimately helped her appreciate the movie's ability to translate gameplay into a fun narrative.

James Mastro Marino, producer for NPR's Here and Now and leader of NPR's gaming coverage, adds his insights by reflecting on Minecraft's evolution since its indie beginnings in 2011. He appreciates the film's ability to incorporate Minecraft Easter eggs without over-relying on internet culture references. "The jokes land without having to be steeped in Internet culture," Marino observes (13:21). However, he critiques the film's emotional depth, particularly the underdevelopment of female characters, noting, "The female characters had a lot less to do than the three male ones" (09:24).

Direction, Performance, and Animation

The conversation shifts to the film's direction by Jared Hess, known for his work on Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. Thompson praises Hess's distinctive humor, calling it "loud and ridiculous" yet fitting for the Minecraft universe. He highlights Jason Momoa's performance as a standout, humorously noting how his character embodies Hess's signature absurdism: "He is bringing a vibe to it that you would never think you were gonna get from the video games" (11:06).

Barber appreciates the film's commitment to its comedic tone, emphasizing the consistency of its humor throughout. "I think that's why it exceeded my expectations," she says (08:47). Marino echoes this sentiment but points out minor flaws in the animation, suggesting it may not appeal to everyone. "The animation off putting. Because you're translating a deliberately retro, pixelated art style into this glorious HD world," he explains (14:32).

Easter Eggs and Fan Delights

The hosts discuss various Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie that cater to Minecraft enthusiasts. Barber mentions subtle nods like the Napoleon Dynamite reference with Tater Tots, enhancing the film's charm without alienating non-fans. Marino adds that creative elements, such as the chicken jockey enemy, blend seamlessly into the narrative, maintaining the film’s whimsical tone (12:48).

What's Making Us Happy This Week

Transitioning from the Minecraft discussion, the hosts share personal sources of joy:

• Regina Barber reveals her newfound love for the long-running anime One Piece, starting her journey at episode 70. She encourages listeners to dive into the series, stating, "I have no idea why I waited this long in my middle age to watch One Piece, but it is paying off" (18:07).

• James Mastro Marino expresses excitement about the animated film Look Back, praising its emotional depth and beautiful animation. "It had me crying buckets because I at one point in my life wanted to be an illustrator," he shares, recommending it to listeners (19:15).

• Stephen Thompson highlights Jason Isbell’s new album Foxes in the Snow, lauding its raw and stripped-down acoustic sound. He particularly resonates with the song "Don't Be Tough," which offers heartfelt life advice to his daughter. "These songs cut deep and really resonate," Thompson remarks (20:27).

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with the hosts expressing gratitude towards their guests and encouraging listeners to engage with their recommendations. The balanced discussion provides both critical analysis of the Minecraft movie and heartfelt personal anecdotes about what brings each host happiness.

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For more insights and recommendations, listeners can follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Facebook and Letterboxd. Additional resources and links are available in the episode description.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

A Minecraft movie is the first attempt to adapt the blockbuster video game Minecraft for the big screen. The film stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa in a goofy and sprawling adventure of blocky animals and magical MacGuffins. I'm Stephen Thompson. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is Regina Barber. She's a host and reporter for NPR's Science podcast short Wave. Hey Regina.

[Regina Barber]

Hey Steven. This is awesome.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's great to have you. Also with us is James Mastro Marino. He is a producer for NPR's Here and Now and leads NPR's gaming coverage. Hey James.

[James Mastro Marino]

Hey Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

I am thrilled to have you both here. Minecraft is the biggest selling video game of all time, so it's only natural that it would spawn a film franchise. It's true, even ET the extraterrestrial for Atari 2600. But the Minecraft universe in the games isn't really built on characters with discrete personalities. It's more of a sandbox style world building game where you construct elaborate shelters that help protect you from marauding pig warriors and zombies. Turning Minecraft into a movie presents a challenge because the film has a lot of character development to catch up on, but as the Lego Movie and Barbie have demonstrated, it's possible to get it spectacularly right. I'm not saying this one does. A Minecraft movie stars Jack Black as Steve. He's the default blank slate character in the Minecraft games. Here he is an extremely eager adventurer who lives for the mines and is trying to protect a powerful cube that allows its holder to pass through different realms. An army of pigs wants to use the cube for the purposes of plundering, but their efforts are complicated. When the cube the movie does have fun with, the fact that everyone calls it an orb, falls into the hands of a washed up gamer named Garrett the Garden Garbage Man Garrison. He's played by Jason Momoa. Soon enough, Garrett, Steve, a pair of plucky orphans and a realtor played by Danielle Brooks are venturing through different realms. Naturally. Along the way they unveil and deploy various Minecraft Easter eggs and maybe even learn a little something about the value of creativity and friendship. It's in theaters now. Regina Barber, I'm gonna start with you. What did you think of a minecraft.

[Regina Barber]

Movie from the trailers. I did not have a lot of hope. And so I went in with basically zero expectations. And I have to say I had a lot more fun than I thought I was. I was laughing a lot more. The one liners were great. So I have a daughter and she begged me to play Minecraft with her. And I never.

[Stephen Thompson]

And you were like, no, I never.

[Regina Barber]

Could understand just like building things that didn't have great graphics, that everything was so blocky. But. And then like my current partner, and he was like, do you want to play Minecraft together? And I was like, okay. And this enraged my daughter, who was much older, older at the time, no longer playing Minecraft. And I was like, we can play together now. And she's like, no, it's too late.

[Stephen Thompson]

Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon.

[Regina Barber]

That's right. But I have played it. And I started to understand that, like, she. She never wanted to play with like, people attacking you. So like, once that kind of came in, then, then my gamerness, like started to reach out. So I knew it a fair amount, but still I was like, how are they gonna turn this into a movie? And they did an okay job. I was worried it was gonna be like, stupid bad, but it was just stupid fun, so I liked it.

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay. How about you, James?

[James Mastro Marino]

Yeah, it's been in my orbit since like 2011, when the indie game first came out, and I basically take various different times to dip in and see what's going on because I have friends that are way more creative and inventive than I am with Minecraft system.

[Regina Barber]

I'm not agreeing that you're not creative. I'm just saying I can identify.

[James Mastro Marino]

Yeah, well, I mean, you can laugh at me for that too because, like, they'll build whole villages and castles and stuff that I just frankly don't have the patience for. I like the adventuring side of it too, actually. Regina, like, what the film does translate well is the absolute terror of your first night first playing Minecraft, where you know that anything can kill you.

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[Stephen Thompson]

We need to go right now.

[James Mastro Marino]

I'm very mixed on the movie because I was holding it up to the Barbie movie and the Lego Movie and these other things that used really blank slate properties to kind of actually pretty interesting stories. And on the one hand, the Minecraft movie might have more constraints because it can't be entirely about a product that's been around for decades and been in people's minds for generations. It has to kind of check a bunch of boxes.

[Stephen Thompson]

It has to establish what Minecraft is for the benefit of some parent in the audience.

[James Mastro Marino]

It's not as immediately evident to a toy that you can pick up and handle, even though it is very akin to Lego in terms of giving you a wide canvas to build your own dream. And the first, like, 15 minutes of the movie are Jack Black telling you exactly what is appealing about this world?

[Stephen Thompson]

Jack Black shouts a lot of exposition in this movie.

[James Mastro Marino]

Yes. It's bookended by him doing that.

[Regina Barber]

I kind of liked the intro. I don't know why. I just. I found it funny.

[James Mastro Marino]

It felt a little bit like the Lord of the Rings intro because it's setting up like this epic world, but instead of doing it with gravitas, it's doing it with Jack Black offbeat humor.

[Stephen Thompson]

I basically had a similar relationship to this movie, I think, that you guys did, which was coming in with relatively low expectations based on a combination of the trailers, which weren't necessarily blowing my socks off, and just a general sense that this is a massive blockbuster IP extension. This is designed. There is a certain mercenary quality to this project that is to be expected and that is only really rarely exceeded. Right. Like, we keep mentioning Barbie in the Lego Movie, but, you know, you haven't heard us mention the emoji movie. Oh, God, right? There are many, many, many, many IP extensions that do not work as well as those films. To me, this cleared a relatively low bar. I thought that it's very lively. Everyone involved is very committed. My relationship with Minecraft is entirely based on. At least one of my kids played it, but it was not an obsession in my house to the extent of something like Toontown or Poptropica or later Roblox.

[Regina Barber]

Right, Roblox.

[James Mastro Marino]

That movie's coming out eventually.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a nostalgia vehicle built around Poptropica and or Disney's Toontown at some point down the line to tap into Gen Z nostalgia.

[James Mastro Marino]

Gen Z nostalgia already.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's a thing, man. Death comes for us all. But it's worth noting that this film was directed by Jared Hess, and Jared Hess did Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. And Jared Hess's you know, kind of narrative stamp is a certain kind of humor that is very loud and ridiculous.

[Regina Barber]

And I like that.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, it's ridiculous, it's absurdist, but it is not necessarily like sliding jokes subtly under the door. And the fact that you have Jack Black, who, as I've kind of alluded to, Jack Black basically screams every line he says.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah, who are you?

[Stephen Thompson]

I, I'm Steve. And everything is just like pitched to the farthest rafter. And you know, Jason Momoa is going very, very big here. The animation is big. They're kind of playing off of the limitations of the Minecraft animation in the way that the Lego Movie plays off the limitations of Lego animation. It's very committed. It's throwing a lot at the screen. If you have a headache, don't go to this movie. But if you want just like a fun, big, loud, silly kids movie and maybe you have kids who are excited to go, you could do a lot worse.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah, I think that's the key when you keep on saying committed and the actors were committed and the storyline was committed to being loud and consistently all the way through. I think that's why it exceeded my expectations. There's so many movies that try to do something and then they like halfway through or 2/3 of the way through, like, you know, and I think the one liners, they didn't stop. They kept going in a nice pace. I don't know how somebody who loves Minecraft, who's younger would want more.

[James Mastro Marino]

Yeah, I mean, it's funny that you say it's so loud because Minecraft isn't loud. It's like actually pretty understated. It's often credited for this really quiet and like immersive soundtrack, for example. That's true. But you can't replicate that sort of experience of like discovering Minecraft for yourself on a big screen. So they have the most enthusiastic stand in tell you exactly why the Overworld is cool and worth protecting. And then I think for me, ultimately it felt like it didn't quite deserve its like emotional payoffs. Like I didn't quite believe everyone's character arc.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah, that's true.

[James Mastro Marino]

The female characters had a lot less to do than the three male ones. But I still am laughing internally at some of the things Jack Black and Jason Momoa say. Like, particularly those two and their bromance is actually pretty great. I mean, I kept on thinking to myself, is this a movie that's actually about male loneliness and it isn't not about male loneliness. It's not.

[Stephen Thompson]

Not about male loneliness.

[Regina Barber]

I think that's a really good point.

[Stephen Thompson]

And this is where I want to give a little bit of credit to Jason Momoa, whose level of commitment to this role. And let's just say like Jason Momoa is not having to emulate a character from the Minecra. He's just a guy. He's like a washed up. He was like the world champion in some street fighting game from 1989. And he's never let go of that triumph in his life. What he is very, very much to his bones is a Jared Hess character. He is a Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho libre style, silly character stuck in the past. Yeah, who's stuck in the past? Late 80s washout. He runs a retro video game stor in which I wish to live.

[Regina Barber]

It was pretty nice, actually.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm the guy who watched the movie five nights at Freddy's and was like, I understand that people get murdered there, but could I live at a Freddy's?

[James Mastro Marino]

You take that risk.

[Stephen Thompson]

I want to live in a haunted Chuck E. Cheese. It's not necessarily like a fondness for.

[Regina Barber]

The franchise, you know, that's an attainable goal, Steven.

[Stephen Thompson]

That'll always be the dream.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

But getting back to Momoa, I think his level of commitment to the bit really helps sell this movie.

[James Mastro Marino]

Free garbage.

[Stephen Thompson]

Fear is just weakness. Hijacking your body's cockpit.

[Regina Barber]

What in the hell?

[Stephen Thompson]

And if that happens, you can say Biocom Diaz to your body plane's navigation system. He's not a nuanced character. It's a Jared Hess movie. But he is bringing a vibe to it that you would never think you were gonna get from the video games.

[James Mastro Marino]

This movie succeeds at making Jason Momoa so deeply uncool, which is a feat unto itself. And he's given, like, basically the best lines.

[Regina Barber]

I just have to say, Jennifer Coolidge had great lines. I enjoyed her lines a lot.

[Stephen Thompson]

She plays the vice principal where one of the kids goes to school.

[Regina Barber]

She has, like, just these random things about her divorce. And like, I will say to our listeners, we were all sitting together in the theater, which is like the first time I've ever done a pop culture happy hour where we're all watching the movie next to each other. We can all hear each other laugh.

[Stephen Thompson]

Or scoff or sigh beleagueredly.

[Regina Barber]

Yes. Yeah. But there's a point in the movie, you know, Jennifer Coolidge, something great happens to her, and she's like this middle aged divorcee, and these little children are cheering for her. And, like, I was just touched. I was like, oh, my gosh, these children are so kind.

[Stephen Thompson]

This movie does give you a few clever cameos. There are definitely people with, like, little bit parts who will come in and liven up a scene or two. Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Concords, just for a second, pops up almost unrecognizably. You know, you mentioned Jennifer Coolidge, and of course there are all The Minecraft Easter eggs. Were there any things that jumped out at you guys as like, oh, that's sweet. That's something I wouldn't have thought to include.

[James Mastro Marino]

The chicken jockey, which is a very strange enemy. It's just a baby zombie riding a chicken. And it's. When the movie's at its most Nacho Libre Momoa has to fight this bizarre and nearly unstoppable miniscule force. So I was afraid that the movie would indulge purely in memes and antics. Mostly the jokes land without having to be steeped in Internet culture. That moment is bewildering, but sort of fits the like. It fits the moment. What can I say?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, it's bewildering. It fits the tone of the film. And the best Easter eggs will delight the people who get them without taking the people who don't out of the film.

[James Mastro Marino]

Yeah. And malevolent babies play really well to stage.

[Regina Barber]

It's true. I think the one Easter egg I did get was a Napoleon dynamite Easter egg. And that's Tots. Right? Like, there was Tater Tots.

[James Mastro Marino]

Can you call it an Easter egg when it's the entire personality of the real world part of the movie?

[Regina Barber]

Yes, exactly.

[James Mastro Marino]

It's Idaho. There are Tots. Nearly every minute has a Tot restaurant.

[Regina Barber]

Yes, that's true. That's true.

[James Mastro Marino]

They've got a tot launcher, and it's pretty important.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's true. Tots are a recurring theme in this film. I kind of like in this film. Is it Barbie? Is it the Lego Movie? Of course it's not. It is more along the lines of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which one made like a billion and a half dollars and 2. As much as that was, like, clearly a very slight film, it did have tons of Easter eggs that delighted Mario super fans and clearly caught on with its audience. And I think this film, for all of the kind of invective hurled at its trailers, I think this film can catch on with the people it's engineered to catch on with. I think it's good enough to do that.

[James Mastro Marino]

There's one stip, and that is. I also went with my wife and she found the animation off putting. And this was another complaint people had is. Yeah. Because you're translating a deliberately retro, pixelated art style into this glorious HD world, kind of glossifying it nonetheless is all blocky.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah.

[James Mastro Marino]

And that can be very charming. But it also means that characters don't move like you would expect. Blocky characters do. They move just like anyone you would expect to. And so it's weird when a villain example says, oh, you round people, you're so round and therefore you're wrong, you're not fit for this world. When actually beyond like some sharp angles, most things look textured and squishy anyway. So I think the animators did about as good of a job that they could with this assignment. But I do think there's a little bit of a is it an uncanny valley? Sort of. Your mileage may vary with how you approach to that.

[Stephen Thompson]

I do think they glean enough jokes off of that animation that it generally works. The fact that the MacGuffin in the the film is an orb, that is a cube to me. They went back to that joke maybe one too many times, but I laughed basically every other time. So what are you gonna do?

[Regina Barber]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Anyway, we wanna know what you think about a Minecraft movie. Find us on [e-mail] PCHH and on [e-mail] NPRpopculture we'll have a link in our episode description up next. What is making us happy this week?

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[Stephen Thompson]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? Regina Barber, what's making you happy this week?

[Regina Barber]

There's this anime that a lot of people love, and it started in 1999. It's called One Piece. And I was conscious in 1999. Could have watched it didn't. One Piece is about, you know, a group I've only watched the first season. A group of pirates that are traveling around in this mysterious world and they have special. One of them has special powers. They're fighting, but they're also super wholesome sailors and pirates. I started this series and it's like over 20 seasons. It's got over a thousand episodes. I'm in episode 70 something and I am loving it. Like, I have no idea why I waited this long in my middle age to watch One Piece, but it is paying off. So that's one piece that you can watch on Netflix. I say if you've been thinking about it for years, just do it.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice. Thank you, Regina Barber. James Mastro Marino, what is making you happy this week?

[James Mastro Marino]

Oh, man, I feel shamed for not starting One Piece because it's been in my life for a very long time.

[Stephen Thompson]

Do it.

[Regina Barber]

Just do it. James.

[James Mastro Marino]

I have something that has a little less commitment, and it's another anime. We did not plan this.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah, we did.

[James Mastro Marino]

But it is a animated movie called Look Back. It came out last year to critical acclaim and it got on my radar because both the film critics I follow and the anime fans I follow were both raving about it. So I caught up with both it and the original manga it's based off of. And it's a brilliant, really touching story about two aspiring manga artists in Japan and their friendship from elementary school days to young adulthood. I can't really say much more without spoiling it other than that it is beautifully animated and it had me crying buckets because I at one point in my life wanted to be an illustrator and I had a friend who was better at art than me, and I related to this friendship quite terribly. But it is a gorgeous film and I cannot recommend it enough. That's Look Back, which you can watch on Amazon Prime Video.

[Stephen Thompson]

And I should note here that Amazon supports NPR and pays to distribute some of our content. I have to Say, James, I have a daughter who's an illustrator who loves manga, and we are adding that to our queue right now.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah, me too.

[Stephen Thompson]

So for me, it has been an unusually great spring for new albums and I've already heard a ton of records that are gonna be in the running for my favorite music of the year. One of those records came out about a month ago. It's called Foxes in the Snow, and it's by the singer songwriter Jason Isbell. He's one of the biggest stars in Americana music, but his new record is the rawest and most stripped down thing he's ever done. It's just Jason Isbell with an acoustic guitar as he processes a bunch of major life, including his recent divorce from the great singer songwriter Amanda Shires. These songs cut deep and really resonate. And my favorite is a song that's just a bunch of life advice that he's passing on to his daughter. It's called Don't Be Tough and it absolutely clobbered me. Speaking of buckets of tears, tighten up your belt and lace it Feel the pain and feel it pass. Don't be tough until you have to let love knock you on your ass. So that's Jason Isbell. His great new record is called Foxes in the Snow, and that is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended, plus some more recommendations, sign up for our [e-mail] popculturenewslet that brings us to the end of our show. Regina Barber, James Master Marino, thanks so much for being here.

[Regina Barber]

Thank you, Steven.

[James Mastro Marino]

This was great, absolute pleasure.

[Stephen Thompson]

This episode was produced by Liz Metzger and edited by Jessica Reedy and Mike Katzeff. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Stephen Thompson and we will see you all next week.

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