A Minecraft Movie is the latest star-studded blockbuster to attempt the eternal box-office balance between creativity and survival.

Ever since Mojang took the world by storm by unleashing Minecraft in 2011, families have been plagued by an ever-growing lexicon of odd terms and seemingly non-sensical phrases that young gamers embrace.

This was clear when watching the film in a packed-out cinema of children, who cheered every two minutes at some reference or another that flew over my head. I can only assume this film is Avengers: Endgame for gamers aged 6 to 16.

Steve (Jack Black) has moved to the world of Minecraft permanently to hang out with his cube-esque dog pal, Dennis, until he is trapped by the baddies.

Garret (Jason Momoa), a former arcade videogame star turned washed-up videogame store owner teams up with siblings Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), who are settling into a new town after the death of their mother, with the help of realtor/mobile zoo operator Dawn (Danielle Brooks).

Minecraft helps Henry discover his talents for creativity and Natalie find her passion for self-defence, representing players of Minecraft’s Creative and Survival Modes.

If this sounds stupid so far, it is. But that’s not always a bad thing, and the cast commits to the concept. Lines such as “First we mine, then we craft, let’s Minecraft!” are frequent, but fully embraced by Black.

Although the writing lacks creative juice, the same cannot be said for the setting once the characters reach the “Overworld”, with excellent VFX – even for Momoa’s hot-pink flared jacket, which must have been a rotoscoping nightmare - showing all the adorable and weird little Minecraft characters and creatures in action.

The ragtag group of misfits find themselves having to save the “Overworld” from the “Nether” - a lava-ridden land on the other side of a purple portal populated by bad-guy mutant pigs with talent show trauma - before they can go home.

Some of the monsters look a little scary, but most tension is quickly switched for a gag. Younger kids will likely be distracted from any zombies by Momoa’s comedic screams and slapstick shenanigans.

A standout is Jennifer Coolidge starting a romance with a Villager who escaped to the real world, offering a strange interlude from the main plot.

With a plot as weak as a wooden pickaxe, the stakes never as intense as Survival Mode, and the themes buried deeper than bedrock, calling this a cohesive movie is impossible. For a videogame comedy, though, it works well enough.

The audience of children who burst into applause as the credits rolled confirmed the project as a successful cinematic experience forits target audience.

You may be hopelessly confused, but if your kids love Minecraft or general silliness, they’ll love this. 7/10.