“Chicken Jockey!”
These two words became viral on almost every social media platform following the release of “A Minecraft Movie.” The movie has been receiving loads of attention since before its release, but fixation has skyrocketed with the growing popularity of the “chicken jockey” meme. However, putting aside pure jokes and memes, audience reactions were widely varied.
“A Minecraft Movie” premiered on April 4th, 2025, and since its release, has accumulated over $720.8 million worldwide. Starring many prominent members of the film industry, such as Jack Black and Emma Myers, this movie faced high expectations. However, it currently has a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.9/10 on IMDb. Viewers have stated that the plot does not go anywhere, while also moving at an abundantly abrupt pace for the movie to be enjoyable. One viewer even commented online that the male characters in the movie seem to do the fighting while the female characters build a house and tame dogs, which sparked a minor controversy. However, the biggest complaint was the fact that the movie was strikingly different from the game. Some did not like how there were real-life people inside of an animated world, while others expressed their dislike for the animation itself.
The movie has no doubt suffered criticism, but many still highly enjoyed it. CHS junior Jami Rahman, an avid Minecraft player, shared his thoughts.
“I have two sides,” Rahman said. “As someone who plays Minecraft, it was one of the greatest movies of all time. It contained references that I loved to see, like Technoblade. But on the other hand, it was kind of mid. The storyline was fast-paced with many plot holes. To be honest, a movie like that was supposed to be, like, cringe, fast, and funny. I think Jack Black and the other characters played that aspect really well. However, I think a big reason why so many people watched it was because, well, it’s Minecraft. It holds a lot of memories.”
Rahman’s statements echo the sentiment of many. Although the movie has gotten its fair share of backlash, nobody can deny the memories it holds for the millions of Minecraft players worldwide. Hate it or love it, “A Minecraft Movie” has gained both reputation and revenue. Whether through its slightly inaccurate portrayals of the Minecraft video game, or the iconic meme references, “A Minecraft Movie” reminds millions of their favorite childhood game.
