QUé fast can change things in Hollywood. One day, you are one of the most loved actors, and, on the other, the living example of everything that is bad and vulgar of an industry. It is logical that you are totally disoriented, if not, ask Jack Black.
Black, the picarón and eccentric protagonist of Rock school and Kung fu pandawas the subject of many criticism after the trailer premiere of A Minecraft movie. The feature film, which had a large budget, is an adaptation of the video game of the same name, and Black plays a character known as “Steve”, and tries to impose his great personality to what was originally a bored avatar. To be honest, people I did not agree with the idea. The responses on social networks were many, and the most condemnatory. In fact, there was a very shared tweet in which it was stated: “I think it’s time for us to accept that Jack Black is like Chris Pratt.” (Pratt, the star of Jurassic Worldhe is known for acting in poor quality commercial films and having such a low popularity index that, if it were a politician, he would need urgent help from an advisor to improve his image).
His work in A Minecraft movie He is not the only one who received criticism. He also lent his name and his voice to Borderlandsanother banal adaptation of a video game that, according to some, was the worst 2024 film. In July of that same year, he distanced himself from his partner Kyle Gass, with whom he forms the Duo Tenacious D. During one of the concerts, Gass made a joke on the attack against Trump, something that Black did not like him very well and, apparently, he decided to cancel all the dates that remained. In addition, he questioned the continuity of the band. (However, he has suggested that they could get together again, but said that the damage to the band’s reputation was already done. All for a disagreement that, if not aggravated, could have quickly forgotten). Black had never had such little prestige. But, despite his admirable skills as an actor, this decline in his career has been waiting.
The fact is that, if we talk about winning the affection of the public, Black was always on the tightrope. Even its best interpretations, as the so acclaimed in the film Rock schoolthey touched the limit between excellence and irritation, between charm and insufferable egocentrism. The first role of highlighting the actor was in the romantic comedy High fidelityin which he embodied an odious seller of a record store. With Dewey Finn’s role in Rock schoola failure aspiring rock star turned into a false substitute professor, Black consolidated his own style on the big screen as an immature, energetic and obsessive man. But even in his best times, the actor was never very selective with the projects in which he participated. Rock school It is among one of the least successful films, as well as Blind love, Nacho Libre, The rest, Year one and Gulliver’s trips. As the years passed, he devoted himself ful Shiversthe new versions of Jumanji, Super Mario Brosand endless sequels of Kung fu panda. Therefore, it is not that his last projects are the decline of his artistic career, but rather a continuation of it.
It is a pity, partly because Black has long been a quiet and friendly actor, who went against the usual stereotype of Hollywood celebrities. There are not many celebrities who dedicate hours to create unaware content, but fun, about video games, as he did for years on his YouTube channel Jablinskigames, which is now inactive. (To some extent, his fanaticism for making terrible films about video games could be attributed to the sincere love he feels for them in real life). It also has the merit of being one of the few largest actors who has escaped to Hollywood typecasting with respect to the size of his body, since he has embodied roles that rarely ridicule or joke with his appearance.
But above all it is a shame because, somewhere, behind that caricaturesco humor of Black, a very talented actor is hidden. In 2011, in the movie Bernie From Richard Linklater, a drama based on real events, we had a look at the race that Jack Black could have had in another life. His interpretation as an effusive and eccentric stranger who becomes a friend and then murders the Cascarrabias Shirley Maclaine was masterful and unusually transformative. He has also tried to show this other facet in other projects: a less exaggerated performance in King Kongby Peter Jackson, and a subtle dubbing for Apollo 10½: A spatial childhoodby Richard Linklater. Nevertheless, Bernie It is the most forceful proof of how much Black has to offer us. But that was more than a decade ago. Today, Black’s name only evokes images of him sitting in front of a striking poster of Borderlandsor from him with Lizzo in The Mandalorianan unfortunate appearance that many cataloged as the worst moment of the Spin-off of The Galaxies War.
The positive side is that your career is not over yet. In Hollywood, with just a good new performance, you can now win the public’s affection. Black has the talent to recover and, despite criticism on social networks, there are a lot of spectators who can provide their support in the future. Anyway, for now, it is clear that something has to change. It is not going to be that the phrase “a Jack Black movie” becomes the most fateful warning of the film industry.
‘A Minecraft movie’ premiered in cinemas on April 4
Translation of María Luz Avila
