The new Minecraft Steve action figure is... interesting
The Minecraft movie is just a few weeks away, and, of course, there will be merchandise. But it's safe to say that fans weren't quite expecting what they got.
Fans on Reddit are pointing out the odd Minecraft Steve action figure for the upcoming Minecraft movie. Written out like that, the Minecraft Steve action figure seems like a normal bit of merchandise to expect for a video game movie. But then, you may remember that Steve is being played by Jack Black and looks nothing like his in-game character. So, while this action figure is accurate for the movie, if you didn’t know any better, it might as well just be an action figure of Jack Black in a blue shirt and jeans. Reddit users couldn’t help but compare it to the infamous Bob Hoskin’s Mario movie action figures.
Reddit users compare Minecraft movie action figure to an old Mario classic
For those who don’t remember, back in 1993, there was another Super Mario Bros. movie, long before the recent popular animated film. In this strange, but memorable live-action interpretation, Bob Hoskins played Mario and John Lequizamo played Luigi. Bowser didn’t really look like a turtle, and goombas were basically humans with tiny reptilian heads. Clearly, a lot has changed in the world’s understanding of the Super Mario games, but it is a movie that will never be forgotten.
Now, with the Minecraft movie to be released in theaters in just a few weeks, they’ve released an action figure that reminds some fans of the ones released for the old Mario movie. Both movies share an interesting decision to portray typically animated, cartoonish characters with real human actors. Bob Hoskins played Mario, while Jack Black will be taking on the role of Minecraft Steve. So, when creating action figures, toys to put on display or for kids to play with, there isn’t much to do other than just have a normal person.
To the untrained eye, the Minecraft movie’s figure is just an action figure of a guy in jeans. Many people might be able to recognize it as Jack Black, but many would still be confused about why there is an action figure of Jack Black. It’s hard to imagine this is something kids would want to play with. Maybe that’s what becomes most reminiscent of the Bob Hoskins Mario action figure. If it looked more like Mario or Minecraft Steve from the actual video games, the imagination could run a little wilder. But both action figures are just adult men, unless you have further context.
The comments on reddit had fun, with one user writing: “All the kids rocking dad bod action figures…” and another writing “…this is just a Jack black action figure.” One user might have summed it up the best by commenting: “I love the guy but, do kids actually wanna have a bearded fat, big belly guy as a toy? Do these toy makers even research their audience?” Currently, the post has over two thousand upvotes and nearly two hundred comments. It will be interesting to see how well the movie does in the box office, and if this action figure ends up becoming a smash hit.
