Writing humour is not something I have a lot of experience with, although I have always loved Terry Pratchett’s well-timed comedic dialogue. I’m therefore at a loss to explain what I just experienced.
I took my middle girl and her friends to see the new Minecraft movie, sitting a few rows back from the kids and looking forward to being able to chill out for an hour or two with my wife. I did not expect this to be a good movie. I was correct. I also did not expect this to be a rip-roaring, side-splitting, laugh out loud adventure.
I was wrong. The Minecraft movie was frikkin’ hilarious.
Let’s get the plot out of the way. Stock characters from our world are trapped in the Minecraft world and must work with long-time resident crafter Steve to defeat an evil piglin sorceress and return home. That’s about it, I’ve seen Hanna-Barbera straight to VHS cartoons that had greater depth.
What about the dialogue? Mostly pointing out the object of each scene, emphasised by Steve yelling each tool combination at the top of his voice like he’s one of the goddamn Power Rangers.
Pacing? Uneven. One of the longest, bulkiest block expositions I’ve seen in a while, followed by the obligatory ‘day in a life’ sequences as to why our adventurers have been thrown together.
Then why was this movie so much fun? The atmosphere in the cinema was electric, and every time Steve yelled an iconic line, there was hollering and rounds of applause. I haven’t felt anything like it since Tobey Maguire stepped through the portal in Spiderman: No Way Home. There was a lot of scene-by-scene references to various parts of Minecraft lore, delivered with a nod and a wink to the audience. Hell, the Chicken Jockey scene almost got a standing ovation.
But I think this might be the answer. There was no pressure here to create Shakespeare. This was literally just a fun movie, made for fans of the game. It also helped that the actors were all obviously having a blast, especially Jack Black chewing the scenery as Steve and Jason Momoa hamming it up as a washed-up 80s video game celebrity.
So perhaps the lesson is this: stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You can write beautiful, intricate works of art that inspire an entire continent. But every now and then, perhaps just kick back and write something silly, disposable and fun about a subject you enjoy. From what I can see, a lot of people will probably enjoy it just as much.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below!
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