The Minecraft movie’s first teaser is here, and I can’t decide if what’s been crafted looks beautiful or horrifying

A gorgeous looking movie or nightmare fuel visuals that’ll hit you square in the face?

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The first trailer for Warner Bros. Pictures’Minecraftmovie has arrived – and, as this article’s title suggests, I can’t decide if it’s drop-dead gorgeous or the stuff of nightmares.

Officially titledA Minecraft Movie, the live-action-animation hybrid flick has also blocked out an April 4, 2025 release date in US theaters. Ordinarily, that would be the headline news for a movie adaptation of one of the world’s most popular videogame franchises. But, when you watch the 75-second-long teaser trailer below, you’ll see why I’m on the fence about how visually spectacular and grotesque it looks.

Let’s start with the “holy heck, this looks amazing!” side of things. The cube-based aesthetic that the film’s various art departments that authentically captured here is nothing short of breath-taking. I mean, just look at the landscapes that greet four of the movie’s intrepid human adventurers between the eight- and nine-second marks. Take in the blocky goodness! The draw distance! The faithful recreations of the creatures that inhabit this universe! Insert the chef’s kiss hand gesture emoji here.

But then we come to the goofier and even frightening portion of the trailer for one of 2025’snew movies. Where the former is concerned, the blend of live-action performers and their animated world doesnotlook good. At all. Obvious as it is to say, you can just tell that green screen technology, rather than practical effects, has been heavily utilized. As long as it wasn’t used, maybe The Volume would’ve been a better piece of tech to employ for this film.

On the latter front – I mean, just look at the pink sheep, via the image above, to see what I mean by its nightmare fuel visuals. There are other examples of… how can I put this politely… unsettling creature designs inA Minecraft Movie, too, such as the dead-eyed Pigmen, the overly expressive llama, and even the fuzzy, almost tactile take onMinecraft’s iconic Creepers. I can’t be the only person who’s getting flashbacks toSonic the Hedgehog’s original and horrifying humanoid design for his first film, right?

Who’s been cast in A Minecraft Movie? And what’s its story?

Stepping away fromA Minecraft Movie’s visuals for a moment, what is Warner’s movie take on the videogame series – one originally developed by Mojang and now owned byMicrosoft– actually about?

Here’s a plot brief, courtesy of thefilm’s official website: “Four misfits – Garrett ‘The Garbage Man Garrison’ (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastien Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers), and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – 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.

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“To get back home, they’ll have to master this world, and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”

A new kind of block-buster. #MinecraftMovie - only in theaters 2025. pic.twitter.com/lmeb1jvLfLSeptember 4, 2024

As the story synopsis confirms, formerAquamanstar Momoa andThe Super Mario Bros Movie’s Bowser voice actor Black are part of its ensemble, as is Myers, who most readers will recognize fromWednesday,Netflix’s hugely popular spin onThe Addams Family.Just Mercy’s Hansen andThe Color Purple’s Brooks are also part of the main cast, whileThe White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge will play a supporting role throughout.

Jared Hess, who’s best known for co-writing and co-directing 2004 cult classicNapoleon Dynamite, isA Minecraft Movie’s lead filmmaker. Hubble Palmer and Chris Bowman (Masterminds,The Secret Saturdays) have penned its script.

A Minecraft Movie will arrive on April 4, 2025 in the US, and April 2, 2025 in the UK and Australia.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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