No matter what year you were born, at some point in your life, you’ve either played the 80’s game, Tetris, or have heard of it. The multicolored block game had many generations in a chokehold because it was so original and entertaining.
The self-titled Apple TV+ film, Tetris, takes us on a thrilling adventure as we get to see some of the hurdles faced to bring the game to the hands of millions. It’s important to note that, while many of the scenes we see take place are fluffed, this story is loosely based on actual events.
Henk Rogers, played by Taron Egerton, is the man who set out to secure the rights to Tetris for Nintendo. The opening sequence throws us right in the mix of what the characters will be chasing during the two-hour flick. Rogers is attending an event where the demo for Tetris is being shown and he falls in love with the game almost instantly. Through many twists and turns that can cause a slight bit of anxiety, Henk travels to the Soviet Union along with inventor Alexey Pajitnov, played by Nikita Efremov. While there, they are met with a series of meetings that include a lot of back and forth from one room to another for the purpose of negotiating a deal.
Henk risks everything for the chance to mass-produce Tetris. If you weren’t familiar with the video game’s history before, this film sums it up pretty well in a rather entertaining way. There are some Easter eggs for viewers who know a little about the story at hand. Egerton delivers a powerfully convincing performance of a salesman that refuses to give up. He evokes so much passion and determination that you can’t help but want to see him succeed. At one point, he thinks he landed Japanese rights to the game which ultimately did not exist.
One element of Tetris that can throw you off if you aren’t a history buff (myself being one of those) is that there are a lot of political things that are in place, causing this mission to be harder than it should be. It actually sounds silly to think that the sale of a video game is tied in with politics and foreign affairs, but it very much was a thing.
Part of what makes Tetris enjoyable is that it propels you back to the 80s. From the gaming graphic titles that are inserted here and there down to the brilliantly put-together soundtrack, it’s all married together flawlessly. Might I add that since this film will only be available on Apple TV+, most of the platform’s audience is between 20-35 years old. This means they weren’t old enough to fully experience Tetris at its launch and the peak of its hype.
Overall, Tetris is very well put together and tells an interesting story at a time in pop culture when the masses love films about the birth of their favorite icons and brands (Amazon Studio’s just released the title, Air, telling the Jordan brand story). There’s simply no reason to not see it, as it is more than just a movie about a game. It’s a story of one man’s unmatched belief in a product that millions have come to know and love.
Tetris begins streaming on Apple TV+ March 31. Check out the trailer below!
Title: Tetris
Director: Jon S. Baird
Screenwriter: Noah Pink
Cast: Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Roger Allam, Toby Jones, Anthony Boyle, Sofia Lebedeva, Oleg Shtefanko, Igor Grabuzov
Distributor: Apple Original Films
Running time: 1 hr 58 min
