Minecraft Fans Deliver Verdict on Divisive Movie Trailer: 'It Looks Like They Ran Minecraft Through an AI Filter'

Warner Bros. Pictures has shared the first trailer for A Minecraft Movie and fans of the original game series aren't particularly fond of it.

The 83-second trailer, below, gives a first look at Jack Black as protagonist Steve (basically Jack Black in a blue shirt) alongside Jason Momoa as The Garbage Man and myriad Minecraft beasties including the iconic Creeper in an unnervingly realistic art style.

A post simply titled "Minecraft movie looks garbage" currently has 2,000 upvotes on Reddit, and many are sharing their shock and dismay in the comments. "I waited 10 years for this crap?" asked one. "Glad to see we're coming back to that golden era where video games got bad movies which barely touched the game's plot or idea."

The CGI was a main sticking point among fans, who struggled to cope with the disconnect between the virtual and live action. "Dude the CGI is ass," said one, prompting a reply: "Nah the CGI is fine, it's just the people are out of place."

DragonPaulZ322 said on another post: "I have to know how the execs thought a live action cast in an uncanny-valley world made of cubes would look appealing to anyone." And EmreYasdal agreed. "I hate the character design of this movie," they said. "The mobs don't look that bad, but the actors are still real people and that doesn't fit at all."

Other Minecraft fans compared it to the initial Sonic the Hedgehog live action reveal, which prompted such mockery online that the film company changed his design. "Cyberbullying saved Sonic. It can save Minecraft too said ArgoniumCode.

Already, the Minecraft movie trailer has spawned memes and jokes across social media. Here's a snippet of the reaction on X/Twitter:

It legitimately looks like they ran minecraft through an AI filter
This looks sooo awful https://t.co/OszGPtLCqC pic.twitter.com/XlG7DJlcS0— Skarlon, Hound of the White Forest ????️‍⚧️ (@SkarlonYGO) September 4, 2024

https://t.co/fyXN95vPml pic.twitter.com/UgD5Zi4cbt— Opera GX (@operagxofficial) September 4, 2024

this is what that minecraft movie looks like to me pic.twitter.com/lMcSY5aVeb— Carlos (@SomeKirbyFan) September 4, 2024

im crying dude they managed to make it look exactly like this https://t.co/u0FBbAJMBh pic.twitter.com/JaU6DRGsV5— sawdustzone (@paigedustzone) September 4, 2024

first sonic. now Minecraft Sheep. realistic animation will ruin us all pic.twitter.com/ytRVfog0Qz— TommyInnit (@tommyinnit) September 4, 2024

Pixels deserves an apology https://t.co/gMl0xGQ9No pic.twitter.com/9u7EguITwV— MegaDriveBrad (@MegaDriveBrad) September 4, 2024

I can't believe I might have to apologise to Minecraft Story Mode https://t.co/8UzYat0SZX— RTGame Daniel ???? (@RTGameCrowd) September 4, 2024

The Minecraft movie isn't too far away, premiering on April 4, 2025, so it seems unlikely that Warner Bros. will act on any backlash. For as much as this is a Minecraft film, it is almost definitely targeted at kids. The complaints of fans of the original games therefore may not go a long way.

"Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival," reads the synopsis. "Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.