The first quarter of 2023 is over, and while it might be a little too early to make big sweeping pronouncements, "Tetris" might just end up being one of the most exciting movies of the year. That's right ... "Tetris."
Apple TV+ continues to prove that while it may not have a library as big as Netflix or as famous as HBO Max, its original content continues to amaze all the same. And that's absolutely the case in a film about Nintendo trying to get the licensing rights to one of the most popular video games in the world. And to make matters even more interesting, it's based on a true story.
Set in 1988, shortly after a Russian computer programmer named Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov) invented Tetris behind the red curtain, a man stumbles across the game at the Consumer Electronics Show. That man is Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton). And after begrudgingly trying the game from a competitor who licensed it first, Henk has a bit of a religious experience.
He quickly buys the rights to the game for Japan and takes it straight to Nintendo, wanting to score big on a deal with the biggest video game makers in the world. Nintendo likes the game so much that they show Henk their newest prototype, a handheld system called the Gameboy. And Henk, seeing dollar signs, convinces them to pair Tetris with the Gameboy.
Now, along the way, Henk is running out of money, has a bank breathing down his neck for bad loans, and literally bets his house on getting this deal worked out. But complications arise with a father and son in England who are also trying to secure additional rights for the popular game. They are Robert Maxwell (Roger Allam) and Kevin Maxwell (Anthony Boyle). And working with them is another licensee named Robert Stein (Toby Jones).
When each of these players realizes the potential gold mine that is handheld licensing rights, they fly straight to Russia and try to cut a deal with the maker of Tetris (or rather, the government agency he works for). There's just one thing standing in their way -- maybe two. It's communism (and corruption).
Henk finds himself watched, threatened, beaten up, blackmailed, and more during his time in Russia, all the while, everyone from the company that licensed the original game to the KGB is out to play the capitalists against each other.
What results is, strangely enough, a bit of a spy thriller as Henk tries to befriend Alexey and convince the Russians to sign a deal with him instead of his British competition. But corrupt agents wanting a bribe, a lack of understanding of communism, and his own ego driving him to succeed with this deal at the cost of his family life and personal safety all hinder Henk in the most trying ways.
Henk almost seems like a con man with the way he finagles his deals. The only way he gets Nintendo's attention is by sneaking into their offices and worming his way into a meeting with the company president. And yet, through everything he attempts to negotiate in the Soviet Union, Henk ends up being the most honest person in the room.
His golden retriever personality and boundless optimism that he can succeed hit the mud in Russia as communism is coming to its end. And while audiences will want to see Henk win, it becomes apparent about two-thirds of the way through "Tetris" that the protagonist has a severe case of tunnel vision, inflicting emotional damage on those around him he cares about, from Alexey to his wife, Akemi (Ayane Nagabuchi), and neglected children.
Despite that, audiences won't be able to keep themselves from rooting for the honest fool because Egerton is just so damn charming. It's one of his best roles to date. He carries everything perfectly from his desperation to bring home a big win for his family to trying to make up a missed concert to his daughter.
And that's what makes "Tetris" such a wonderful film. It's not just a story about a guy trying to make money or even how one of the biggest video games in the world came to be. "Tetris" tells the story of a man trying to make a great life for his family, even at the cost of his relationship with them. It adds a surprising layer of heart to a narrative that could be nothing more than a cold, hard legal thriller (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Adding even more to the complete package that is "Tetris" is a soundtrack that complements the very '80s setting of the film and a wildly creative editing style that overlays video game pixels over transitions and action scenes of the film. They give it a true Nintendo Entertainment System look, which matches the vibe of "Tetris" perfectly.
The best example of this comes from a car chase during the story's climax, where every time one of the vehicles in the chase strikes something, it pixelates briefly as a car would in a video game if it took damage.
If there is one complaint to be had with "Tetris" it comes in the form of some very questionable CGI tanks used during a Russian celebration. They stick out like a sore pinky. But this is a small complaint in an otherwise stellar film.
Egerton has real range, and he deserves some awards and recognition for his role here. More people need to talk about what he's capable of in movies.