The very name Tetris brings up memories of tumbling shapes as players attempt to rotate and place them in an endless quest to achieve the highest score possible. Memories of the game being played on computers and the Nintendo console and Gameboy are shared by millions the world over and the game has become one of the best-selling and most popular games in history.
The story behind the frantic and high-stakes pursuit of the rights to the game is a story all its own as the game was created in the Soviet Union and doing business with them meant working with a government distrustful of the west and capitalism.
In the new Apple TV+ film “Tetris” Taron Egerton stars as Hank Rogers. After seeing Tetris at the Consumer Electronics Show, he obtains the Japanese rights for the game and leverages his company heavily in the process.
Rogers soon learns that the rights to the game are far more complicated as what was believed to be his lucrative Arcade rights belong to another and the rights holder’s definitions of what constitutes a computer become murky and force Rogers to go to Russia.
Rogers quickly runs afoul of the government and shady figures who use intimidation for their gain and after risking much to find and meet with the games creator and rights holder, things become even more dangerous and complicated; especially when players with competing agendas and financial resources come into play.
The movie is loosely based on the actual events and key people have said that dramatic license was taken with the portrayal of negotiations. That being said, “Tetris” is a delightful and entertaining film that uses the characters to tell the story of how the world was able to enjoy the game and the persistence and battles it took to being the game in its various formats to reality.
You do not have to be a gamer to enjoy the film but in terms of pure entertainment; “Tetris” was one of my more enjoyable movie experiences of the year.
4 stars out of 5
