- Villagers look oddly fleshy
- “Possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen…”
- Fans disappointed over portrayal of iconics characters
Fans of Minecraft are horrified by the appearance of Villagers in the trailer for A Minecraft Movie.
Warner Bros.’ trailer features a brief glimpse of two Villagers rendered in an animated style. While Jack Black plays the humanoid character Steve in live-action, the Villagers are animated in the same style as the game’s animals.
Read more: All we know about A Minecraft Movie
However, unlike their blocky counterparts in the Minecraft games, these Villagers appear oddly fleshy – and fans aren’t happy.
Fans reaction to fleshy Villagers
A Minecraft Movie has already come under lots of criticism. Fans are divided over the decision to mix live-action and CGI, and the Villagers is just another disappointment for some.
“What the **** are these things?” asked DinoBoyGamer on a Reddit post discussing the Villagers. Real-Report8490 added “Realism and blockiness do not work together… Possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen…”.
Others are still trying to grasp the concept of the popular game coming to film, with Dudeistofgondor saying “I’m still wrapping my head around the idea of a movie in general. Animated would have been just fine”.
Read more: Will Alex be in A Minecraft Movie?
While some are still on the fence after seeing the Villagers, such as Typhing, who says “I have no idea how to feel about this. One side of me is saying “that’s actually a pretty good interpretation of a realistic villager.” The other side is saying “oh god I could have gone my whole life without seeing the horror of a realistic looking villager”. Making this not a 2D animated cartoon feels like a mistake. Like even if it’s good, what’s the benefit of doing it in this style?”.
Reactions over on X haven’t been too kind either, with @jwcrapuchettes commenting “that belongs in a horror movie”. Others ridiculed the Villagers’ appearance and one user even asked for it to be un-released.
Is director Jared Hess aware of the criticism?
Jared Hess is well aware of the heavy criticism from fans that the film is facing.
Speaking to IGN, Hess and producer and Minecraft senior director of original content Torfi Frans Olafsson revealed they’re not shocked by the reception.
“I mean, look, we knew this game represents so many different things to so many different people,” Hess said. “We knew that whatever we led out with, there was going to be strong opinions across the spectrum of what people were expecting, what they wanted it to be. Everybody brings their own special personal connection to the game. So we were ready for everything.”
Olafsson acknowledged fans’ criticism that the film is in live action and so loses the charm of the video game. One fan even remade the trailer in animation, which was widely well-received by the community.
Hess and Olafsson are encouraged by the more positive response they’ve had from early test screenings. “People are like, ‘This is nothing like the trailer. This movie is awesome,’” Olafsson said.
A Minecraft Movie hits theaters on 4 April, 2025.
