The hit blockbuster film A Minecraft Movie has been bringing back nostalgic memories…and chaos. The story consists of a group of 5 characters, Garret (Jason Momoa), Dawn (Danielle Brooks), Natalie (Emma Myers), and Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen,) who sucked in from the real word into a Minecraft realm, where there they are met with the famous Steve (Jack Black), one of the leading characters in the Minecraft game. Their objective is to conquer through the blocky worlds with the help of Steve, while resisting familiar enemies that are featured in the game.
With all of the raging excitement fueling young audiences, there have been several spontaneous reactions to some of the lines throughout the movie. Some including “I am Steve,” “He’s not a king, he’s a legend” (a reference to the late Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade,) and of course: “Chicken Jockey!”
A ‘Chicken Jockey’, according to the Minecraft dictionary, is a zombie child riding on a chicken, and is one of the most difficult enemies to defeat in the video game. They also appear rarely when spawning into the biome, meaning you don’t see them every day. The famous line is said by Steve when Garret is confronted by a chicken and a zombie child dropped down from a crate, and the moment audiences hear it? The viewers, typically teenagers, toss their popcorn and drinks into the air, creating a large mob of chaos as they scream, cheer, jump around and topple over each other. Nearly everyone has their phones out recording the screen and the shenanigans. In one circumstance, someone even brought a live chicken into the theatres.
This viral social media trend has been sending conflict to movie theatres around the world- there was even one case where the cops were called. Although viewers should enjoy the movie, they should respect the atmosphere. Director Jared Hess acknowledges the fun of watching the film, saying “I’m just glad people are making memories with their friends and families.” But going into a spiral will leave a sticky mess of soda and buttery popcorn behind for the janitors to clean. So, keep your popcorn in the bucket, and your drink in your cup! Keep good theatre etiquette so everyone can enjoy the movie- you wouldn’t want it looking like a creeper exploded in there!
