Tetris

Wow, I can't believe how much I enjoyed the new Tetris movie. Who knew that a movie about licensing a video game could be so emotionally engaging? I was hooked from start to finish.

The story was surprisingly compelling, without being too complicated or over the top. The focus on the journey of businessman Henk Rogers and the Tetris inventor, Alexey Pajitnov, was just the right balance of drama and fun. And the way they captured the excitement and anticipation of bringing the game to the world was thrilling.

The acting in this movie was top tier. Taron Egerton delivered an incredible performance as Rogers, and I was impressed by how he brought so much depth to his character. The chemistry between him and the rest of the cast was palpable and made the story even more enjoyable.

But let's talk about those plot twists, they were pretty good! I won't give anything away, but there were a few surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat. And the way they resolved the conflicts was satisfying and left me feeling content.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves video games, underdog stories, or just wants a fun and engaging movie experience. The attention to detail in the pixelated graphics and the captivating story make it worth watching. So, if you're looking for a movie that will have you feeling all the emotions, go see "Tetris"!

"Tetris" is the movie I didn't even know I needed.

A ridiculously entertaining (and probably at least partially ridiculously fabricated) "based on true events" story about the fight between a desperate American video game creator and Soviet Russia over the rights to what would become one of the most famous games of all time.

I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first, as it has a very jokey, self-aware tone, as does Taron Egerton's performance. But both won me over quickly, and not long into the movie I was all in. Egerton is a ball of charisma in the lead, and he's easy to root for. The movie gets a little silly at the end (a car chase to the airport, really?) and seems to be taking historical accuracy lessons from "Argo," but by the time the end came around I didn't care. I've been complaining recently that entertaining movies for adults are in short supply, so I'm not going to quibble when one comes along.

Grade: A.

As "Tetris" (2023 release; 117 min.) opens, we are reminded that "This is based on a true story", and we are in "Level 1, 1988" as Henk Rogers is at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, trying (and failing) to push a video game called "Go". In another booth, someone is hawking a game called "Tetris" and after trying out the game for a few minutes, Rogers is completely bowled over. He needs to find a way to get a license to that game, one way or another. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film from Scottish director Jon Baird ("Stan & Ollie"). Here he brings the origin story of how the game "Tetris" became a worldwide phenom, but not before there was a frenzy over the legal rights, as fragmented as they were (both as to territories and as to platforms: video, arcade, handheld, etc.). In essence this is a legal drama and hence one cannot assume that this would be an enjoyable or engaging film to watch,. But as it turns out, this is very much enjoyable and engaging. Mostly set in the late 80s and early 90s, and effortlessly shifting settings from the US to Japan to the UK to the USSR, it becomes a zany affair, full of energy. Taron Egerton ("Kingsman", "Rocketman") as Henk Rogers is clearly having a ball with this role. If you wonder where the film was shot and what location stood in for those 80's era Soviet buildings, it is in fact Scotland (Aberdeen and Glasgow). Bottom line: I found this movie to be far better than I could've expected.

"Tetris" premiered at last month's SXSW festival to immediate acclaim. It started streaming on Apple TV this weekend, and I couldn't wait to see it. If you are in the mood for a zany legal drama on how Tetris became a mega-seller, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

The movie had to be made exciting so there are some exaggerated elements / but it was absolutely fun and exciting. Being born behind the iron curtain before this all happened I find it amazing that some reviewers here say this is some anti communist propaganda, when this is pretty much how it was back then. So don't listen to the haters, the actual people were involved in making this film as accurate as possible while still being a "Hollywood" movie. And yes, you lived in the same apartment the government gave you, no you could not freely speak, think and yes the secret police and army of civilian informers were infiltrated in every part of society. And there was not always food you could buy, and it was certainly amazing to have bananas in the stores (not in the movie) people who grew up in the west and not in the former Soviet block have zero understanding of how life was back then, and can be forgiven to think that this and other accounts of the Soviet era are some sort of parodies, the sad truth that they aren't nearly as exaggerated as you might think. It was pretty bad back then. This movie is absolutely excellent.

And utterly mezmerisingly surprised on how much tension such a generic ''history of the...'' could make, a real spy thriller behind the iron curtain, for the righteous rights ot patency over the may be most successfilled game in the history of digital gaming, namely ''tetris''.

This is a well acted, well set and very well acclamatized and extremely authenticly made production on the infancy of the digital gaming era, the cast makes this story very fun to follow, even for me the grumpy old man that grew up a generation before all this happened, when the electric typewriter and electronic greenglowing calculator was the top of the hype.

So if yore interested in the story behind digital stuff and all the serindipitous ways destiny may cross to make you a happy gamer, then this film is a recommend. Its funded by apple but who cares when the film is good.