So it's the male complement to The Barbie Movie, then, which carries the same implicit message about growing up and entering the real world, etc.? Awesome.
The Barbie movie was made for me. A millennial career girlboss who quit to be a stay-at-home mom. Barbie rejects Barbie world and chooses to live in the real world, where she'll have the opportunity to have children and grow old. America Ferrera's character isn't in on the joke of the movie and it seems the actress might not have been either. All the feminism stuff said in Barbie world is rejected by Barbie, because following that advice only turns you into America Ferrera's character, who married a useless Ken, has a dumb corporate job that's not fulfilling, and didn't spend enough time with her daughter who now hates her. The "What was I made for?" song at the end is full of families with children and old people.
They're not exceptional for that, they're typical.
Exceptionally, they are massive blockbusters and breakout films for IPs which have not previously had any cinematic success. "First" movies are particularly for a franchise, and each has set the tone with the same implicit, sugar-coated message of growing-the-fuck-up.
Also interesting: on the topic of advertising, McLuhan often noted that advertisements most resonate with people who already own the products being sold. Few of the opening week audiences were innocent to playing Barbie or Minecraft before seeing the respective films; they were already loyal to the brand. What is being "sold" is not the product, but the affirmation of the identity which is already nascent in the movie-goer for having already owned the product. They are "legit" fans because they get the references (the gay cock ring necklace Ken, the rooster whatever nonsense in Minecraft).
This makes it sound like the movie is a way for the product to shape the user's identity (at risk ofc, of the user breaking away, kinda like in Joker 2).
Which is actually an incredibly important thing to know.
I took my son to "Minecraft" and watched as the kids in the theater yelled “chicken jockey” and danced to the birthday rap. The movie is a Gen Alpha cultural moment. I hadn’t thought about it on a deeper level and enjoyed your analysis.
I took my 6 years old and my 12 year old. The entire left side of the theater EXPLODED when the Chicken Jockey happened. We have been singing about Steve and his Lava Chicken all month.
The last time I had that much ultra fun in a theater was when “Blade 2” came out. I saw both movies with a theater full of its intended audience and got wrapped up in that audiences’ excitement.
Zoomer Henry needed a speech coach and not to kick Ubermensch Mamoa when he was down. Could have done without the weird ass villagers subplot and possibly the femoid plot as well. Otherwise agreed, entertainment peaked with laughing at fat people and the Minecraft movie embraces this fact, I hope more movies do.
I played Minecraft when it came out over a decade ago and was always saddened at how empty and hollow it was. An infinite world but it's dead and lonely. You can build a world but you will never share it with anyone. Multiplayer helped a bit but even those servers died as people drifted off and again you're left with a small patch of land that humans breathed some soul into in a vast sea of procedural death. Being stuck in there would be a good metaphor for hell
This is such a good comment. Vidya addicted people are in hell, hopelessly trying to breathe humanity into the binary code. My brother is stuck there, may he come back one day.
This was my take…I had quite the opposite reaction. I live with quite a handful of Gen z…who watched it with me. I’ll have to ask them if they saw it that way.
Thank you brilliant write up. Let's hope all those zoomers pick up "Infinite Jest" coz David Foster Wallace saw the soul-crushing anxiety of endless entertainment coming 30 years ago and articulated it in a wonderful way (on some 1000 pages I KNOW I KNOW!). Can Jack Black be redeemed though? YES: READ THE NOVEL, JACK! IT IS NOT TOO LATE ALL CAPS :)D
It’s a cheaply made Microsoft money glitch, no? Where are the Steve Plushies?
So it's the male complement to The Barbie Movie, then, which carries the same implicit message about growing up and entering the real world, etc.? Awesome.
...as children. And then, as adults, they should remember that Barbie was a working professional and go get a skilled, high-paying job.
what? There’d nothing particularly “male” about this movie lol
Haven't been to the cinema to see it, but lets just say I'm willing to bet the audience isn't a fifty-fifty gender split. :P
The Barbie movie was made for me. A millennial career girlboss who quit to be a stay-at-home mom. Barbie rejects Barbie world and chooses to live in the real world, where she'll have the opportunity to have children and grow old. America Ferrera's character isn't in on the joke of the movie and it seems the actress might not have been either. All the feminism stuff said in Barbie world is rejected by Barbie, because following that advice only turns you into America Ferrera's character, who married a useless Ken, has a dumb corporate job that's not fulfilling, and didn't spend enough time with her daughter who now hates her. The "What was I made for?" song at the end is full of families with children and old people.
You have given this hermit hope! That this perfidia is for the other guys. God Bless you and your beautiful children
both movies are hours-long product advertisements that consumers paid to go and see
They're not exceptional for that, they're typical.
Exceptionally, they are massive blockbusters and breakout films for IPs which have not previously had any cinematic success. "First" movies are particularly for a franchise, and each has set the tone with the same implicit, sugar-coated message of growing-the-fuck-up.
Also interesting: on the topic of advertising, McLuhan often noted that advertisements most resonate with people who already own the products being sold. Few of the opening week audiences were innocent to playing Barbie or Minecraft before seeing the respective films; they were already loyal to the brand. What is being "sold" is not the product, but the affirmation of the identity which is already nascent in the movie-goer for having already owned the product. They are "legit" fans because they get the references (the gay cock ring necklace Ken, the rooster whatever nonsense in Minecraft).
This makes it sound like the movie is a way for the product to shape the user's identity (at risk ofc, of the user breaking away, kinda like in Joker 2).
Which is actually an incredibly important thing to know.
I took my son to "Minecraft" and watched as the kids in the theater yelled “chicken jockey” and danced to the birthday rap. The movie is a Gen Alpha cultural moment. I hadn’t thought about it on a deeper level and enjoyed your analysis.
I took my 6 years old and my 12 year old. The entire left side of the theater EXPLODED when the Chicken Jockey happened. We have been singing about Steve and his Lava Chicken all month.
The last time I had that much ultra fun in a theater was when “Blade 2” came out. I saw both movies with a theater full of its intended audience and got wrapped up in that audiences’ excitement.
I realized that as well when I took my 11 year old son. Crowd was into it.
Zoomer Henry needed a speech coach and not to kick Ubermensch Mamoa when he was down. Could have done without the weird ass villagers subplot and possibly the femoid plot as well. Otherwise agreed, entertainment peaked with laughing at fat people and the Minecraft movie embraces this fact, I hope more movies do.
I played Minecraft when it came out over a decade ago and was always saddened at how empty and hollow it was. An infinite world but it's dead and lonely. You can build a world but you will never share it with anyone. Multiplayer helped a bit but even those servers died as people drifted off and again you're left with a small patch of land that humans breathed some soul into in a vast sea of procedural death. Being stuck in there would be a good metaphor for hell
This is such a good comment. Vidya addicted people are in hell, hopelessly trying to breathe humanity into the binary code. My brother is stuck there, may he come back one day.
Fantastic review; makes me want to go see the movie.
Would a 50-year-old-woman who’s never even set eyes on Minecraft enjoy it?
before you go, I’d look up some vids of what’s happening in the theaters for this movie.
LOL WTF 😂
If you're with a kid age 5 -12
I'd never thought I'd read such a piece on such a subject and think to myself: "this is absolutely brilliant".
This is making me want to watch the movie, sadly
Spot on. The three most reactionary movies ever made imo are Birth of Nation, 1900, and Minecraft Movie.
I’d add Angry Birds I.
This is satire, right? Why are the comments not acting like it’s satire and joining in on the joke?
Because it's a truth nuke
It had no right to be as good as it was.
Chicken jockey!
https://open.substack.com/pub/micah619/p/minecraft-the-movie?r=3jvjcw&utm_medium=ios
This was my take…I had quite the opposite reaction. I live with quite a handful of Gen z…who watched it with me. I’ll have to ask them if they saw it that way.
Thank you brilliant write up. Let's hope all those zoomers pick up "Infinite Jest" coz David Foster Wallace saw the soul-crushing anxiety of endless entertainment coming 30 years ago and articulated it in a wonderful way (on some 1000 pages I KNOW I KNOW!). Can Jack Black be redeemed though? YES: READ THE NOVEL, JACK! IT IS NOT TOO LATE ALL CAPS :)D
that's a good take
Yeah.... No. https://youtube.com/shorts/oOuBPaUNWHk?si=5TsPkcPKAreMYzy-