Tetris review

Taron Egerton helms the unexpectedly solid story that’s funny and brilliantly entertaining.

Plot: Tetris tells the incredible story of how one of the world’s most popular video games found its way to avid gamers around the world. Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) discovers TETRIS in 1988 and then risks it all by traveling to the Soviet Union, where he teams up with inventor Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov) to bring the game to the masses. Based on a true story, Tetris is a Cold War thriller on steroids, featuring devious villains, unlikely heroes and a thrilling race to the end.

Review: tetris should have been a stupid movie. The very idea of ​​making a movie out of the world’s best-selling video game immediately conjured up images from Adam Sandler’s bizarre, horrific 2015 film, pixel. When details emerged that the film would instead chronicle the too-crazy-to-not-true story of how the game made its way out of Soviet Russia onto Nintendo’s GameBoy, I wasn’t convinced it would work. Heck, even the trailer for the movie almost looked like a Saturday night live Parody of big-budget video game adaptations. Tetris, which recently debuted from SXSW to massive fanfare, is proving to be much more than just another lackluster video game movie. Having seen the Jon S. Baird film, I can say that this is not just the case tetris a lot of fun, but it’s a great thing thanks to Taron Egerton’s unbridled enthusiasm as the man who helped bring the game to the world.

tetris begins with Henk Rogers (Egerton) narrating how he promotes his game Go at the 1988 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There, he stumbles upon a booth selling Tetris and acquires Japanese rights to arcade and video games before striking a deal with Nintendo boss Hiroshi Yamauchi. As he tells the story to his banker in order to secure a multi-million dollar loan, this film’s rate-a-tat pace picks up quickly. Fifteen minutes into the film we have our complete setup for Henk Rogers as a salesman and passionate video game enthusiast and the competition from Robert Stein (Toby Jones) on behalf of British company Mirrorsoft, led by Robert Maxwell (Roger Allam). ) and his son Kevin (Anthony Boyle). When Henk learns of Nintendo’s plans to launch a handheld device, he heads to Moscow to acquire the exclusive rights, starting a chain of negotiations between the USSR and competing licensees.

As you begin with a sense of humor, tetris is full of nostalgia, including 80’s fashion choices and an electronic score. But tetris starts to change and turns into a suspenseful thriller about halfway through. The trailers tease the lengthy negotiations in the Soviet Union. Still, the back-and-forth between multiple conference rooms and offices is exchanged for snickering excitement as the stakes begin to mount. Henk Rogers quickly transforms from a fish out of water, followed by slicked-back KGB agents speaking in veiled threats to risk his life, and video game designer Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov). Soon the politics of the communist country comes into direct conflict with the rising value of tetris with Henk in the center. With his personal ambitions and safety at stake, Henk never gives up on his goal. Taron Egerton, who brought so much warmth and enthusiasm to his roles, helps with this king man And rocket Manradiates so much like Henk that you can’t help but cheer that he wins.

Obvious liberties were taken with the story to inject suspense into the proceedings. However, as this story is chronicled in books and documentaries, not many details seem to have been changed from the entire true story. tetris takes on a tone resembling that of David Fincher The social network in the criticism of the political machinations that made these events possible in the first place. There is no question how critical this film is of the greed shown by Soviet leaders towards the USSR’s final years. While Robert Maxwell’s portrayal borders on mustache twirls, Roger Allam makes him a sneaky villain in terms of his portrayal in speed racers. Toby Jones is just as good in a supporting role, but this is all a showcase for Taron Egerton, who continues to prove he can (and should) play every genre imaginable. With the ultimate mustache on his face and a twinkle in his eye, this is another great turn from the young actor.

Written by Noah Pink and directed by Jon S. Baird (stone house), tetris would have worked as a modest thriller but is accentuated by some creative flair throughout the film. Lorne Balfes (Its dark materials) music is rooted in the MIDI sounds of classic Nintendo and arcade video games, while the 8-bit graphic transitions used in the film add a fun vibe. The contemporary music also adds a nice element, particularly a sing-along to Europe’s classic The Final Countdown, where I dare any viewer not to tap their feet too. The last twenty minutes of tetris are far more exciting than I would have expected from a film about contract negotiations and distribution rights. However, if you can deliver a chase with Tetris graphics and a Russian version of Holding Out For A Hero, I think you’ve won automatically. With Matthew Vaughn as producer tetris Easily becomes one of the best films ever made about video games and a prime example of a Cold War thriller done right.

Hearing the iconic Tetris theme at the end of the film underscores just how incredible this story is. tetris should have been stupid and never worked as well as it does. Because everyone is interested in telling this story without holding anything back, tetris In the end, it feels like the kind of story anyone can root for about the video game everyone played. As someone who had the first GameBoy when it came out in 1989 and played Tetris for hours, this film gives me a new appreciation for not just how innovative it was, but for how truly transformative it was for everyone who made it were involved in bringing it into the world. tetris is a suspenseful film that, like the game itself, is intricate, puzzling and confusing, leaving you wanting more. This is a winner by every measure and one of the best technology and video game movies ever made.

9