The box office is currently being dominated by A Minecraft Movie, and while the likes of Eli Roth's Borderlands has proved the video game movie curse is still lurking in the shadows, Jared Hess has managed to defy the critics with his adaptation of Mojang's beloved game.
Plans for a Minecraft movie have been in the works since 2014, and although it took 11 years to get there, its record-breaking success suggests it was worth the wait.
A Minecraft Movie fever is taking over us all, with cinemas having to issue warnings against rowdy behavior and audiences losing their mind over Jack Black's 'chicken jockey scene'. The scene in question involves Jason Momoa's Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison jumping into the boxing ring to fight a Minecraft chicken, only for an adorable zombie to jump onto its back. Although this is a deep-cut video game nod to when a tiny percentage of baby zombies are known to ride a chicken in Minecraft, it's far from the only Easter egg.
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Similar to 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, A Minecraft Movie is stuffed with winks to its video game counterpart, with some of the best being Nitwits, the water bucket clutch, and the Enderman.
Others have picked up on a touching tribute to fallen Minecraft favorite, Technoblade. Known for his videos, livestreams, and being part of the Dream SMP, Technoblade tragically passed away from cancer in June 2022. With Technoblade's YouTube channel having reached nearly 11 million subscribers at the time of his death, there was a mass outpouring of support among the Minecraft and wider gaming community.
Alex (surname unknown) competed in and won two MC Championships, also beating YouTuber Dream in MrBeast's 2020 Minecraft duel and winning a cool $100,000.
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A Minecraft Movie honors him in one moment where a pig wearing a crown walks by, and Sebastian Hansen's Henry says: "Is he some kind of king?"
Jack Black's Steve then responds by saying: "That's a legend."
For those who don't know, Technoblade is remembered for playing as a pig dressed in royal regalia, becoming synonymous with the figure and branding his YouTube channel with it. This isn't the first time Mojang has honored Technoblade, with the Minecraft: Java Edition briefly adding a modified image of a pig with a crown.
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Speaking to Collider, Hess discussed his favorite Easter eggs and how the Technoblade tribute wasn't originally in the script for A Minecraft Movie. The director explained: "One of my favorite Easter eggs came from Sebastian, who plays Henry. When we were prepping the film, he was like, 'Look, there's this amazing Minecraft player named Technoblade who passed away, and I would love to be able to honor him somehow in the film'.
"We were like, 'Oh my goodness, of course'. So we spoke with our design team, and there's a really, really sweet, special nod to Technoblade in the film that is really cool."
Apparently, the Technoblade tribute hasn't gone completely unnoticed, with many reporting how audiences are shouting his name when the crowned pig appears.
There might be some outlandish behavior in A Minecraft Movie screening, but we'll allow that one.