It’s hard to escape Minecraft. Over 200 million people play the game each month with about 43% consisting of players between the ages of 15-21. If you have kids, they’ve probably asked to play Minecraft (and you probably have the game in some capacity in your home).

As video games increased in popularity in the 1980s-1990s, it was only a matter of time before the entertainment industry took the basics of the game and turned them into a feature film, or vice versa; any Hollywood blockbuster was subject to becoming a new release game on Nintendo.

This hasn’t stopped.

Video games like Fallout and The Last of Us have become critically acclaimed television shows and The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the second highest grossing movie of 2023 just behind Barbie.

There is no formula for adapting a video game into a movie or TV series. Your vision for Mortal Kombat shouldn’t look anything like A Minecraft Movie. With so much content geared toward the younger crowd, here are some screenwriting lessons you can take away from A Minecraft Movie.

1. Making the Four-Quadrant Film

What’s a four-quadrant film?
The motion picture industry has placed four demographics into four boxes:

• Female Over 25
• Female Under 25
• Male Over 25
• Male Under 25

While most films will fall into just two of these boxes (think Anora for over 25 or Dog Man for under 25), the place where studios and filmmakers tend to make the most money would be if your movie landed in all four quadrants. Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars have been able to hit this demographic consistently, and are frequently the top grossing films of the year.

A Minecraft Movie hits this four-quadrant film breakdown due to its broad audience appeal and a movie that parents will take their children to, and enjoy as well. (Full disclosure: this author saw the movie with his wife, 3 kids under the age of 11 and both sets of parents over the age of 70 – all of whom wanted to see it and only the kids – or 3 of the 9 moviegoers - actually played the game).

There is plenty of humor geared toward grownups, lots of visuals and references for the kids, and plenty of adventure for everyone to enjoy.

Screenwriters looking to write a script that could be a four-quadrant film can take away a lot from A Minecraft Movie.

2. Open with Narration

When A Minecraft Movie starts, it steps on the gas pedal with a fast and brief history of one of the lead characters, Steve (Jack Black). Steve narrates how he came across the Overworld, how cubes work to build houses and structures, and some of the dangers that lurk within this mysterious realm. It also explains the power and importance of the Orb of Dominance and why the villain, Malgosha (Rachel House) ruler of the Nether, wants it.

This quick introduction into what the Minecraft world is provides just enough information for those unaware of the game to understand the setting. This narration and whacky intro by the high-energy protagonist makes the lesson fun and sets the tone of the movie.

What screenwriters can observe is how to make use of narration to set up the story and the attitude of the lead character as well as ways to introduce a world in a fun and exciting way. Those familiar with the game will enjoy the amusing start of the film as they recognize pieces of the world they play/build in, and those who have no clue what this Minecraft stuff is about will appreciate learning how the imaginative world works.

3. Introducing (All of) the Characters of Minecraft

There are a lot of characters in A Minecraft Movie. Not only are there the human characters, but also the villain, her hench-pigs (piglins), any number of zombies, villagers, creepers, ghasts and supporting humans throughout. The task of introducing these characters, providing personality based on wants and desires, is a monumental task.

To accomplish this, the screenwriters had to take a slow drip approach to bringing the characters on screen.

As mentioned, the first character the audience meets is Steve, who also befriends a wolf (named Dennis). Then comes Molgosha and her piglins mining gold. That’s enough for some introductions.

Then the filmmakers move to Garrett (Jason Mamoa), a down-on-his-luck, living in the glory days of 1980s video game man-child. After getting a look into this guy’s life, the next set of characters include Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), a brother/sister duo moving to a small town after their mother passed away. When they reach their home, part-time real estate agent/part-time mobile animal zoo entrepreneur Dawn (Danielle Brooks) is there. This concludes the establishment of the characters destined to enter the Minecraft world.

Screenwriters can see how the main characters and their backstories are introduced to get the movie going.

All the characters within the Overworld are introduced slowly, including when the sun sets and a series of zombies, skeletons and other creatures come out with the sole mission to kill whatever they find. Notice how many new types of characters are introduced, when they come on screen and their overall importance of the story. Some of the minor and supporting characters are there to set up obstacles for our heroes to overcome, while others are simply part of the world (such as the villagers). 

4. Re-introduction of the Minecraft World

After the first initial introduction to the Minecraft world, the film heads back into the real world where the audience meets the other human characters and learns what is going on in their lives. The filmmakers set up a way for these four characters (Henry, Natalie, Garret and Dawn) to be together to start their adventure into the Overworld.

As the audience, we know what lies in the Overworld – the blocks, animals, the sudden 20 minutes of nighttime, etc. – but these characters don’t. This becomes a drawn-out (not in a bad way) version of re-introducing the audience to this world with characters we know don’t have the enthusiasm as Steve or the knowledge in navigating this complex place.

This is a great tool for screenwriters to use because it enhances the enjoyment of the viewers. They’re curious about the characters’ reactions and they know the world they are entering. It’s similar to any movie like Groundhog Day or Edge of Tomorrow with the same day repeating in which the rules of the world are presented and now it’s a matter of the protagonists having to deal with them.

5. Never a Small Battle

Action movies will have fight scenes and battles of various sizes. Sometimes it’s a quick fight in an elevator or it’s a massive car chase set piece where everything from light poles to other vehicles are fair game. But often in animated films or big budget, family-friendly fares, the battles are never small.

Every scene that pits the humans against the evils of the Minecraft world is big! When the four characters arrive, they face an epic battle against any number of zombie, skeleton and creeper villains, later on there is a fight scene in the village, a chase through a mineshaft followed by the fleeing characters’ use of wings to escape, and then, of course, is the final battle between our heroes and Molgosha and her minions.

A Minecraft Movie is not animated but by its very nature is mostly special effects, green screen and CGI. This lends more creativity for battle scenes where everything, literally, can be larger than life.

A Minecraft Movie is a four-quadrant film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It seems that today’s movie-going and TV-watching audience expects more from its villains, but A Minecraft Movie shows that if the villain is entertaining, the backstory is almost not necessary. Sometimes, being evil and wanting world domination is enough. A Minecraft Movie is along the lines of the Lego Movie where the stakes are high but there is a lot of fun and goofiness along the way. If you’re a screenwriter interested in creating this type of story, there is a lot to take away.