Tetris (2023)

Dir. Jon S. Baird | Biography, Drama, History | R

Deciding who should legally distribute a game seems to be a bland legal struggle. As the game was launched in Russia shortly before the Soviet Union's collapse, the attempt to gain distribution rights was a pure political mess.

As this fuss provided ideal material for visual drama, 'Tetris' has masterfully transformed a dull subject as licensing rights into something engaging.

Plot

"Tetris" follows Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) - a Dutch-American video game designer and entrepreneur - bouncing between Japan, Russia, and the United States. In a race to beat corrupt business insiders, Rogers seeks to negotiate a deal with Soviet Union authorities for international licencing rights to what would eventually become one of the most iconic games in history.

The premise was quite amusing. Nevertheless, as the third act drew near, things started to feel off; the movie switched to an unnecessary action sequence with gunfire and chases, which felt out of place. The film is based on actual events, except for that previously mentioned part. I don't mind if there is some "drama seasoning" in such a story, but Jon S. Baird didn't quite pull it off.

Characters and Acting Performances

Taron Egerton did an excellent job! Still a rising star; you might not be familiar with him. I found out about him through his appearance in Kingsman.

With his enthusiasm and vibrant personality, Egerton's portrayal of Henk Rogers captivated me. The charisma, ambition, and excitement are what made Egerton shine. 

However, the other characters lacked depth. Other than Rogers, every other character was something of a stereotype: the evil Russian guy, the dreamy inventor, the supportive wife, and so on.

In my opinion, we should have looked further into each of these characters and their stories. For example, the game's original designer, Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov), should have gotten more attention.

Visual Experience

The film took off with colourful 8-bit graphics that glued my eyes to the screen. That was a HUGE plus to the viewing experience.

Yet, for some reason, they stopped using them halfway through the movie and switched to pixel filters on multiple shots between transitions. That was a bit disappointing.

Conclusion

I wasn't around to experience Tetris' heyday or the meteoric rise of the Game Boy, so I wasn't familiar with the game's impact. However, the movie did a fantastic job of drawing my attention from the moment it began.

Despite its numerous flaws, "Tetris" is still fun to watch, mainly for viewers interested in both the arts and business rivalry.

Personal Rating: 7.5 out of 10