Okay I had some time to think about the minecraft movie trailer and I'm going to dump my essay of thoughts below.
I know all we have so far is a trailer, so that's all we can go off of right now. That being said, it killed any hope I had for this movie being good. This isn't a controversial take; basically everybody's clowning on it right now, but I really want to dissect why it doesn't work (other than the diseased pink sheep)
The easy stuff to point out would be the production quality. Someone already pointed out the inconsistencies with where the light is hitting the characters (thus breaking immersion), on top of how poorly greenscreened the characters are. I don't have a problem with the design of the mountains and trees personally, but the lighting is just so bad that everything looks kinda. gross.
But set aside production quality, design choices, etc etc. Because my main problem is with the tone.
Obviously I can't know for sure what the movie's tone will be based purely on the trailer; I mean hey, maybe they wanted to try capturing the attention of kids by making them laugh so they'll go see it, and the movie will be a totally different vibe. I don't know. My problem is that Minecraft is has such a rich, melancholic, connected tone, and based on the trailer, it looks like they've watered it down into a cheap comedy.
It's all so... cynical? It feels like the game is being mocked. This isn't a labor of love, it feels like a couple of people trying to make a cash grab on a game they don't understand. It really feels like Hollywood is allergic to being genuine and authentic.
And then I saw the Minecraft Storymode Fan Remake Trailer
If the Lego Movie could exist, stylized as actual legos, and still tell a profound and funny story, why couldn't they do the same with Minecraft? This fan-made trailer made me feel so much more compared to the one Hollywood put out. It feels genuine. It feels unafraid to embrace the game it's depicting and love it authentically without holding back. Sure some people might find it cringe if they're not into the games, but that's the risk of being authentic right? I'd personally rather a production that celebrates the game and the community that loves it than a lukewarm "safe" adaptation trying to appeal to everyone.
I wish this production was done by people who have a genuine love and understanding of the game and its themes. I'm not convinced anybody leading production knows about the end poem. I will be shocked if they do.
And like I said, this is all based on one trailer. I'm not going to pretend I know how the entire movie is going to go. I'll wait until I see it myself. But for now, I don't have high hopes. I just miss authenticity. It would be nice if the movie is better than I expect, but I won't hold my breath.
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