Key Takeaways
- The Minecraft Movie has released a first look at the adaptation of the game’s various mobs.
- The zombie in the movie is drawing a lot of criticism for how disproportionate it looks.
- We have no idea what to expect from this movie.
The Minecraft Movie is currently regarded by many with cautious curiosity. Though the property is an exceedingly popular one, and there are beloved actors in the cast, everything we’ve seen from the movie so far is puzzling, from the lighting, the dialogue and the overall design choice, which is a weird mash-up of surreal CGI and live-action.
Ahead of a trailer tomorrow, the official Minecraft account released a behind-the-scenes look at the production, including our first look at the zombie, skeleton and creeper. The animations are… strange. The zombie is the biggest offender, shambling around exaggeratedly. It’s hard to put into words how watching the zombie makes me feel, but there’s something eerily off about it… it’s disproportionate and the way it moves isn’t quite right.
The Strange World of the Minecraft Movie
The skeleton isn’t as jarring, fitting better with the strange visual style of the movie. It also appears to be wielding a sword instead of the creature’s trademark bow. Perhaps it spawned in a Nether Fortress? We don’t see as much of the creeper, but it looks… haunted.
“The zombie looks like a weird B movie creature,” writes tehbeard on a Reddit thread about how “cursed” the mobs look. “The zombie looks too much like someone that’s just wearing a cube zombie mask on its head. It barely looks like it comes from the Minecraft Movie,” concurs sadzells. There’s more love for the skeleton among commenters, but with the caveat that a lot of people are saying that it looks good in comparison to the zombie, which is generally being panned.
The reception isn’t completely negative, with some people expressing that aforementioned cautious optimism and curiosity. In the trailer, Jack Black called the movie “a joyful celebration of everything about Minecraft and creativity.”
The behind-the-scenes video showcases the production’s use of practical effects, with the effects crew building out a lot of the landscapes and objects we see in the film. Minecraft was always going to be a difficult thing to adapt outside of animation, only time will tell if the creatives behind the movie have managed to balance disparate visual elements, or have ultimately created something that looks uncanny. A full trailer airs tomorrow.
Minecraft
The best-selling video game of all time, Minecraft is a sandbox title developed by Mojang that bridges the gap between video games and education. Whether you want to raid dungeons and build whatever you choose, there’s something for everyone across almost every gaming platform you can think of.