Confession time: I’ll admit, I’ve never played the legendary ’80s video game Tetris. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it until I stumbled upon this new film, Tetris, which just premiered at SXSW and is brought to us by Apple Original Films. Now, I know that might make me a bit of an oddity among the gamer generation, but let me tell you, my lack of knowledge didn’t stop me from being completely captivated by this movie’s origin story. It seems like we’re entering a new and unlikely genre this year: movies that delve into the backstory of well-known products. We’ve already seen BlackBerry from IFC and Paramount, and Flamin’ Hot from Searchlight, and now Tetris from Apple is making its debut at SXSW. And let me tell you, if you think watching the rise of a smartphone, a Cheetos brand, or a single-player video game would be dull, think again.
Now, I’ve reviewed the first two films (BlackBerry and Flamin’ Hot), and now I’ve had the pleasure of watching Tetris. And let me tell you, biopics about things, rather than people, have a bright future. For those of you who, like me, were clueless about Tetris, it turns out to be one of the most popular video games of all time. It’s a puzzle-based, one-player game where you have to fit different colored geometric shapes together on a single board. Now, normally, that kind of thing would drive me crazy, but watching the movie about how it all came to be is a whole different story. Directed by Jon S. Baird (known for Stan & Ollie) and written by Noah Pink, this film is simply riveting. It plays out like a Cold War-era international spy thriller, rather than a manual on acquiring rights to a Russian video game. And believe it or not, it’s all true.
The story takes us back to 1988, where we meet Henk Rogers (played by the talented Taron Egerton), an entrepreneur and owner of Bullet-Proof Software living in Japan. He’s on the hunt for a video game that could revolutionize the market, and one day, at a consumer show in Las Vegas, he stumbles upon the obscure Tetris. He thinks he’s struck gold. But there’s a catch – the Japanese rights to the game don’t actually exist. So, he embarks on a journey to Russia, where he must negotiate with Cold War corporate entities. You see, Tetris is a massive hit in Russia, created by an average working guy who developed it as a way to pass the time. It caught on with his co-workers and eventually the entire country, while remaining relatively unknown beyond the Iron Curtain.
During his quest, Henk meets the man behind Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov (played brilliantly by Nikita Efremov). Pajitnov is the complete opposite of Henk – unassuming and humble. But eventually, Henk manages to win him over. However, things take a wild turn when rivals from all over converge on Moscow at the same time. One of these rivals is Robert Stein (played by the great Toby Jones), who thinks he has a couple of deals up his sleeve, but they turn out to be shaky. Another player in the mix is flamboyant newspaper magnate and billionaire Robert Maxwell (played by Roger Allam), who owns Mirrorsoft UK and is also on the hunt for Tetris, along with his son Kevin (played by Anthony Boyle). Their motivations are unclear, but all will be revealed.
Henk finds himself caught up in a cat-and-mouse game to secure the rights to Tetris, with Nintendo also in the picture as they prepare to launch their Game Boy. The Russians themselves play a significant role, including a devious KGB agent named Valentin Trifonov (played by Igor Grabuzov), who sees an opportunity for himself before the Soviet Union’s collapse. Oleg Shtefanko, also known as Stefan Belikov, works for the ELORG Agency and becomes a key player in Henk’s journey. Even Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (played by Matthew Marsh) makes an appearance in this intricate web of players.
But what really captures the attention of director Jon S. Baird and writer Noah Pink is the politics and intrigue behind the making of Tetris, as well as the relationship between the game’s creator and the man who brought it to the world. Taron Egerton delivers another outstanding performance as Henk Rogers, a relentless and determined salesman who believes in himself against all odds. And let me tell you, those odds really stack up. Roger Allam, disguised in heavy prosthetics and a fat suit, brings Robert Maxwell to life with gusto. The entire cast shines in this film, which had me on the edge of my seat more than any Bourne flick ever could.
Special recognition goes to production designer Dan Taylor, who masterfully recreated Russia, Japan, England, and more, all within the confines of Scotland. The producers, including Matthew Vaughn, Gillian Berrie, Claudia Vaughn, Len Blavatnik, and Gregor Cameron, have truly created a must-see film. It even made me want to try playing the game myself. You can catch Tetris streaming on Apple TV+ starting March 31.
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
