217. Tetris; movie review

 

TETRIS

Cert 15

118 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language

Wow. I had no idea of the more bizarre-than-fiction true story behind bringing Tetris to the world market.

The big daddy of computer games was invented in the Soviet Union and there was an incredible tug-of-war for its rights between American and Hungarian entrepreneurs and ... Robert Maxwell!

Meanwhile, Nintendo, Atari and the KGB had their hats in the ring too.

Jon S. Baird's film stars Taron Egerton and Henk Rogers, the salesman at the centre of the battle for Tetris.

He attempts to broker deals with the Soviets after finding out that it was developed in his spare time by program developer Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov).

Rogers is in a race against time because the Hungarian (Toby Jones) and Maxwell (Roger Allam) and his son, Kevin (Anthony Boyle) believe they already have licence agreements.

This is the Soviet Union of the Communist era and capitalists are not exactly welcome with open arms in Moscow.

Oleg Stefan plays the negotiator who is playing the rivals off against each other while trying to weave a line which doesn't incur the wrath of the secret police.

Sofia Lebedeva portrays Rogers' translator who is never quite what she seems.

Indeed, nothing is straightforward and the complications are increased because the action takes place during the time of Communism's fall and the collapse of the Maxwell publishing empire.

So, the participants are also positioning themselves for very different respective futures as well as playing hardball over Tetris.

While all of the cast are good, this is Egerton's movie. He shows a different side to his repertoire as Rogers, a man who just won't take no for an answer.

Indeed, his business and his family depend on him defeating the odds by outmanoeuvring powerful adversaries.

The involvement of the Maxwells, whose history I thought I knew pretty well, was both surprising and hilarious.

It all makes for a great story, sublimely told.

Reasons to watch: Intriguing true story

Reasons to avoid: Business machinations aren't always riveting

Laughs: Four

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? In 1991, Alexey Pajitnov moved to the United States and later became a U.S. citizen. In 1996, Pajitnov founded The Tetris Company alongside  Henk Rogers.

The final word. Alexey Pajitnov: "I was terrified. This could go really bad because there are so many B-movies that just never see the light of day. I was very sceptical.  But then I read the script, and the script was serious. And when I went on set, I was blown away." Screen Rant

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