I’m not even going to pretend like I know a whole lot about Minecraft, because I honestly don’t. I grew up back in the ‘90s, so I was there for Crystal Pepsi and even went to see the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie the day it came out (which I despised back then, but will die on a hill defending today).
So, when news broke that there would be a Minecraft movie starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black, it didn’t really register on my hype-level scale. I mean, sure, I was going to see it because I watch every video game movie (And even rank them!). But, I wasn’t super pumped to see an adventure in the Minecraft universe.
However, do you want to know who was super pumped when they heard the news? My two children, as together, they’ve amassed a staggering 300+ hours in the world of Minecraft. THREE HUNDRED HOURS! And, since I sometimes like to live vicariously through them, I asked them what were five things that they definitely wanted to see in this upcoming flick. So, this is what they told me.
Parkour!
I remember the first time I ever saw Minecraft. I was in my friend’s room, and he was playing this super blocky game. I asked him, “What IS this?” He responded with, “Oh, it’s this new game I found. It’s really cool. You build stuff.” This had to be around 2010-ish, so it was when the game was just starting out. He said it was going to be huge, and I laughed, saying “This ugly thing?”
Flash forward several years, and “this ugly thing” is the game of an entire generation. Interestingly, the main appeal of the game back then was actually building things, and there is definitely an audience for that still, don’t get me wrong. But, the game has become so much more than that over the years. For example, my son loves going through pre-made obstacle courses, and doing what he likes to call “parkour.”
Now, I only put that word in quotes because the parkour he does doesn’t look anything like the parkour I saw in that awesome action scene from the James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Instead, he’s jumping around on blocks, and speedrunning in a very herky-jerky fashion. Sometimes, he even jumps into a Nether portal…or messes up, and tries it all over again.
Apparently, my son is not alone when it comes to parkour, as other Minecraft players, like Tenchoblade (RIP), and Dream, are well-known for bouncing around at crazy speeds in the game. So, what my kids (namely my son) would LOVE to see in this upcoming Minecraft movie is the characters using “parkour” to whip around at super speeds.
Sure, it might not look anything like that aforementioned movie scene, but I don’t know of any James Bond films where the characters can craft a random boat at the last second so that they can land without any fall damage.
For It To Be Somewhat Scary And With Multiple Biomes
One thing I really don’t get is watching other people play video games. Yes, I know there’s a HUGE market for it, and some people build their whole careers around it. Because I have so little free time myself, I’d honestly rather play a game, than watch somebody play one.
That said, when my kids aren’t playing Minecraft, they’re often watching their favorite YouTuber, EYStreem. One specific category of his that they love watching is the “scary” Minecraft videos.
Essentially, he plays the game (or maybe he plays a mod, I’m not entirely sure), and all these scary events occur that most likely aren’t a part of the game. I mean, it’s nothing that you would find on a list of the scariest movies ever, but there is some unsettling stuff in these videos, which is surprising, given how boxy the world is.
However, Minecraft has always really had pretty creepy elements to it, like the, er, Creepers, who will come out in droves at night, and explode if they get too close. Or, what about the Enderman, which attacks you when you look directly at him? Or the cave spiders?! It’s kind of fascinating how something that, on the surface, doesn’t look all that creepy, can actually become creepy the more time you spend in its world.
Oh, and speaking of worlds, other than the movie being slightly scary, my kids would also love to see as many recognizable biomes in the film as possible. Because apparently, it’s only in specific biomes that you’ll encounter certain enemies. So, basically, just like in the recent The Super Mario Bros. Movie, my kids want a ton of easter eggs, but Minecraft-related this time.
Mischief With Braindead Villagers
In the Minecraft game my kids play (the PS4 Edition), there are two different modes: Survival and Creative. In Survival Mode, that’s where you’ll be running away scared from the monsters that I was talking about earlier, but in Creative Mode, you can just go nuts and make anything you want.
Now, while my kids sometimes try Survival Mode, they really love Creative Mode, and it’s here where my kids will totally just mess with the villagers. For instance, my son will dig a hole outside of a villager’s house, and then prod him outside until he falls into it…and then bury him alive!
My daughter, on the other hand, will create a pen, and spawn like 50 cats, and then beat any villager if they go even a centimeter next to it (my kids will even call me in from the other room to show me such cruelty, mind you).
However, I’m sure they are not alone when it comes to messing with the villagers, as the NPCs are often quite quirky, sometimes even finding a home you built, and becoming a squatter in it – Even sleeping in your bed! – if you leave the house for too long (only for my daughter to beat them with a wooden sword if she catches them trespassing).
So, my kids would love to see the villagers in this movie doing weird, kooky things. Also, they would love it if the protagonists could mess with them somehow, since apparently, that’s the Minecraft way.
Dynamic Usage Of The Inventory Mechanic
Okay, so while I’m not the biggest MInecraft fan (I tried it a few times and just couldn’t get it), one thing that even I can admit is pretty cool is the inventory system. Now, if you play Survival Mode, you actually have to, you know, craft things in order to survive. When my son does this, I’ll often see him punching trees, and using a crafting table to combine resources to make new items, and my kids would love to see this in the movie.
I feel like they really have to go deep into the inventory aspect, right? I mean, when it comes to Minecraft, that’s such a huge component of the game, that I honestly can’t see them not incorporating it into the movie’s plot. That said, my kids actually want to see a little box appear on the screen, just like in the game, and for items to be combined and used to create things in the movie.
Now, given that Jared Hess (who made my favorite Jack Black movie, Nacho Libre) is slated to direct this flick, I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility to have such meta features. That just seems like his style.
A Bigger Backstory To The Ender Dragon
There are multiple different MInecraft games, such as Minecraft Legends, and Minecraft: Story Mode, so perhaps in those games, you get to learn more about the series’ big bad, the Ender Dragon. But, in the Minecraft game my kids play, the Ender Dragon is kind of just…there.
Let me rephrase that. When I asked my kids what the end goal of Minecraft was, they told me it was to get to the End. When I asked, “Okay, and what’s at the end?” My daughter told me, “No. It’s called the End. That’s where the Ender Dragon is.” So, when I asked her what the Ender Dragon does, she said, “It flies around.”
Obviously, I wasn’t getting much out of her, but upon looking into it, she’s really not wrong. The Ender Dragon flies around and you shoot arrows at it, apparently. Another thing both my kids said they’d like to learn is what the Ender Dragon’s purpose is. In other words, they want a story for it. That really doesn’t seem like too much to ask, now does it?
What do YOU want to see in the Minecraft movie? For more news on it and other video game flicks, be sure to swing around here often!
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