Hollywood’s latest video game adaptation has arrived with “A Minecraft Movie” based on the popular Swedish building game that has a huge following.

It’s a game I only know vaguely from when my son played it back when it was first released, so I can’t speak for how close to that game this film is.

What I can say, is that this all winds up being mindless fun with a couple of over-the-top comedic performances from Jack Black and Jason Momoa as well as a fun, visually immersive world that really springs to life on the big screen.

In “Minecraft,” Black plays Steve, who has always dreamed of being a miner. During his first excursion into his local mine he unlocks another world where you can build anything you can imagine. It’s inhabited by bizarre creatures, many shaped perfectly squared.

Several years pass and the world is discovered by a young boy named Henry (Sebastian Henry), his sister Natalie (Emma Myers), a local real estate agent named Dawn (Danielle Brooks) who also runs a pop-up zoo and perhaps the most bizarre character of all, a former video game champion named Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison.

The story, credited to five writers, finds this foursome on a quest to get back home, with Steve trying to help them on their quest while fighting off the threat of a witch in his world.

The film was directed by Jared Hess whose previous films include “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre.” He brings the same goofy eye behind the camera here with some fun and visually interesting action sequences intertwined with a lot of humor that works more than you might expect.

It helps to have a cast willing to commit to the bit and that is the case with “Minecraft.” Black plays the same variation of the lovable lug he has played in many films, complete with a couple of silly musical numbers, but does it with such gusto that its easy to just go with it and enjoy his work.

Then there is Momoa as the guy trying to hold onto the last fleeting seconds of fame he has left. It’s a comedic side of the macho actor we really haven’t seen before, a pleasant showcase that makes the case for Momoa doing more comedies.

You also get Jennifer Coolidge in a goofy subplot that doesn’t hit the mark quite as well as it thinks it does.

Ultimately, Momoa and Black are enough to make this a solid opening chapter to a new franchise. Their fun is infectious, but fortunately “Minecraft” brings a little visual flair as well, creating a surprisingly entertaining adventure for the whole family.

If You Go
“A Minecraft Movie”
Starring: Jack Black, Jason Momoa
Directed by: Jared Hess
Rating: PG for violence/action, language, rude/suggestive humor and some scary images
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)
Grade: B-