A movie about the creation of the famous video game, Tetris is more than just an origin story. Director John S. Baird uses a licensing battle over the game to frame a drama about capitalism, intellectual property, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The film features gypsy car chases, farcical negotiation scenes, and tours of his 1980s boardrooms around the world that make you forget you’re watching a video game movie.
The story begins with Henk Rogers, played by Taron Egerton, trying to sell his game of Go at a convention in Las Vegas. He’s placed next to Tetris, a much more engaging game. After some research, Genk found his game, an addictive puzzle invented by Russian computer engineer Alexei Pajitnov, played by Nikita Efremov. The game’s simple aesthetics and straightforward goals drew players in, and the brief thrill of step-by-step problem-solving kept them hooked.
Tetris is a film that explores the relationship between creative expression and greed. The movie is more engaging than your average streamer fare, but it leaves you wanting more. Nonetheless, Tetris is a robust and sometimes entertaining drama that tackles important themes. It will be available on Apple TV+ at the end of March.
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Characters in Tetris are sometimes depicted as avatars. Noah Pink’s script provides a good enough foundation to understand each character’s motivations, but not enough to fully develop them. As a symbol, it is drawn seriously and goofy. He is more interested in Alexey receiving credit and royalties than obtaining a distribution license. Other businessmen, such as Robert and Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell, care little about inventors.
As the story progresses, Henk arrives at Rconverges and discovers a system and numerous vultures that are out of tune with his Western ideals. There is Nikolai Belikov, the manager of Alexei’s company. His motives boil down to getting the best deal for the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, his corrupt KGB officer Valentin Trifonov wants to secure his net personal safety before the current regime falls. As a cadre of businessmen flock to Russia, the stakes rise and the absurdity of their situation becomes increasingly apparent, resulting in an amusing chain of events.
As “Tetris” approaches its final act, the film delves deeper into questions about intellectual property, capital, and who loses when greed comes first and foremost.
