The Roblox Movie (2019 film)

The Roblox Movie is an American animated comedy adventure film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It is produced by Universal Studios and distributed by Roblox Studios. It stars the voices of Gabriel Combs, Colbi Shofler, Alayna Johnson, London Atkins, Will Arnett, Bill Hader, and Keanu Reeves.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 5, 2019. It was also a box office success, grossing over $700 million against a $30 million budget, and received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, animation, performances, humor, and heart. The film’s success sparked a franchise.

Plot
Many Years Ago, a hacker named John Doe (Will Arnett) is locked up for stealing many Diamonds for seventeen years. John Doe defeats every single Police Officer and escapes Prison, promising revenge on the Officers.

Many Years Later, Gang Beasts Bill (Gabriel Combs), Mike (Colbi Shofler), Jane (Alayna Johnson), and Max (London Atkins) play a video game. As they watch the trailer for Jailbreak 2, they realize that they don’t have enough money. They then see a commercial for the World’s Biggest Diamond at the Bloxy Awards.

At the Bloxy Awards, Officer Dan (Bill Hader) receives the World’s Best Officer Award and accepts it. After the Awards, the Gang Beasts eye the Diamond and wish they had it. The Diamond is then stolen by an unknown figure. The group chases him down, but are cornered and framed for stealing the Diamond. Officer Dan then arrests them, as he believes that they stole the Diamond.

One Month Later, the Gang Beasts rot in Prison for a crime they didn’t commit. Bill finally comes up with a plan to prove that they are innocent. The group then forms a plan to break out of Prison and prove themselves. The group then sneaks through the vents and escape Prison in a Camaro, being chased by the Police. The group eventually escapes and prepares to prove themselves.

Meanwhile, the figure that stole the real Diamond is revealed to be John Doe, who discovers that the Gang Beasts escaped Prison. Deeming them a threat, he sends his henchmen after the group.

At a Subway Station, the group stops at a nearby restaurant to discuss who the real criminal can be. They then see on the News about John Doe’s latest robbery, deducing that the real criminal is John Doe. Mike reveals that he knows a dealer named The Beast (Dwayne Johnson) from the Facility that can help them deal with the problem and tell him Doe’s latest plans. The group then reforms to find the Beast.

In the Facility, Mike makes a deal with the Beast that if they complete his game, he will tell them everything. During the game, Mike and Jane hack the computers while Bill and Max distract the Beast. The plan nearly fails, but as the game ends the group escapes the game, beating the Beast at his own game. The Beast reveals that Doe is plotting to start a Doomspire Brickbattle on every Robloxian. The group then plans to take a subway to Doomspire.

On the Subway Train, the group gets into the Subway with mysterious looking men, who are revealed to be Doe’s henchmen. The henchmen attack the group as the train driver falls out. Jane drives the train as the other three fight the henchmen. Jane stops the train, leaving the henchmen flying out the window. The group then reforms. Bill deduces that they arrived in Doomspire, but the group decides that they need a break. Bill abandons them for their safety and goes to fight Doe on his own, accidentally breaking up the Gang Beasts.

In the Battle, Bill fights Doe, but is overpowered by his army of villains. The rest of the group arrives and saves Bill, reforming the Gang Beasts. Bill goes after Doe as the group destroys Doe’s base and fights the henchmen. As Bill and Doe battle, the rest of the group prepare to make the base fall to the ground, as the base is in the sky. Bill sacrifices himself and the group destroys the base, defeating Doe and saving the world.

In the End, Officer Dan deems the group innocent and frees them from Prison as Bill was revealed to have fallen and knocked himself out. The group then gets Jailbreak 2 as a gift for defeating the world’s most powerful villain. The group plays their game and prepares for their next battle, as they deem themselves heroes in the process.

Cast
Additionally, Dwayne Johnson appears in an uncredited role as The Beast, respectively.
 * Gabriel Combs as Bill, the leader of the Gang Beasts who is framed for stealing a Diamond.
 * Colbi Shofler as Mike, a hacker who is a member of the Gang Beasts.
 * Alayna Johnson as Jane, the only female member of the Gang Beasts.
 * London Atkins as Max, a distractor who is a member of the Gang Beasts.
 * Will Arnett as John Doe, the world’s greatest supervillain who frames the Gang Beasts.
 * Bill Hader as Officer Dan, the world’s greatest police officer.
 * Keanu Reeves as The Mayor, the greedy mayor of Robloxia.

Production
The film was announced in August 2017, with Combs and Shofler attached to the project as producers. They eventually ended up being cast as characters with Johnson, Atkins, Arnett, Hader, and Reeves in November. Filming began in May 2018, and ended in October 2018. A teaser was released in December, revealing the film’s title and plot.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, animation, performances, humor, and heart. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an 87% score, based on 585 reviews, with an average score of 7.88/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “The Roblox Movie is not only the most entertaining video game movie yet, but it’s stellar cast and hilarious plot skyrockets it into a success.” On an A+ to F Scale, the film received a “B+”.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 5, 2019. It was also released digitally on September 25, 2019, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 13, 2019.

Franchise
The film’s success sparked a franchise that began with the 2020 spin-off, Heroes of Robloxia, which was released on September 22, 2020. An untitled sequel to The Roblox Movie is scheduled for a 2021/2022 release date.