Tetris – Review
118 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Noah Pink
Directed by Jon S. Baird
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
Tetris tells the unbelievable story of how one of the world’s most popular video games found its way to avid players around the globe. Henk Rogers discovers Tetris in 1988, and then risks everything by traveling to the Soviet Union, where he joins forces with inventor Alexey Pajitnov to bring the game to the masses. Based on a true story, Tetris is a Cold War–era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes, and a nail-biting race to the finish.
A lot of you might not remember how absolutely HUGE Tetris™ was when it hit the scene in the late 80s. Quick to learn, fantastically addicting, it was… I don’t know, the Candy Crush of its time.
Only infinitely better.
This story, long in development, isn’t so much about the game as it is about the labyrinthine Intellectual Property rights of a video game between a communist nation and the capitalist world.
How do you make what is essentially a legal treatise into a compelling film?
Well, you turn it into a spy thriller on par with the theft of nuclear secrets. KGB agents (both overt and covert), international threats, payoffs, political intrigue, corporate espionage, and narrow escapes, that’s how.
And for the most part, Tetris works on ramping up the excitement for the audience. Taron Egerton’s Henk Rogers is relatable to anyone who’s tried to do something big, to make a mark and get ahead.
At times informative (in terms of IP processes), funny (as Henk tries to navigate the Communist system), and tragic (as Henk is thwarted time and time again), Tetris continues Apple TV+’s track record of curating its collection, providing us with another solid film.
Check out Tetris now.
Tetris hits AppleTV+ TODAY and stars Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Toby Jones, Roger Allam, Anthony Boyle, Oleg Stefan, Sofya Lebedeva, and Ayane Nagabuchi.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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