“Tetris” (Apple TV+) Moview Review by Rafy Mediavilla (@Rmediavilla) #Tetris #AppleTVPlus
“Tetris” tells the unbelievable story of how one of the world’s most popular video games found its way to avid players around the globe. Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) discovers TETRIS in 1988, and then risks everything by traveling to the Soviet Union, where he joins forces with inventor Alexey Pazhitnov (Nikita Efremov) to bring the game to the masses. Based on a true story, “Tetris” is a Cold War-era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes and a nail-biting race to the finish.
As someone that grew up with a Gameboy glued to his hand, and an avid Nintendo fanboy, Tetris is a movie I knew I was going to fall in love with and the producers did not disappoint.
The movie plays out as a biopic capsulated by political business and heist-like thrilling scenes. The production design is top-notch, and the performances are superb, and once we dive into the soviet aspect of the story of how this game came about, the movie goes full throttle on the gas pedal and does not stop till the very end.
It would be an injustice to the production design if I don’t start talking about the superb job, they did put this movie together. Recreating that 70’s period was from the cars, the building, the look and feel of the sets, that makeup, hairstyling wardrobe everything was on point from start to finish. I absolutely feel the need to stand out and mention this sort of work when they pay attention to detail in every single frame of the movie while is being shot. Tetris is one movie, and while yes, is early it should be mentioned when award season comes about in 2024.
What also would be a total injustice if a don’t dedicate some time to it, would be not mentioning how amazing the score and soundtrack are. Again, I’m talking an award-worthy score, and soundtrack that not only hit all the right notes in the nostalgia department, but it also keeps you at the edge of your seat during the action-packed chase scenes, and dramatic movies. From the hype trance remix of the Tetris theme song to Europa “The Final Countdown”, the composers and producers did an excellent job at understanding what need to go where.
Finally, another thing that stands out is the performances. While Taron Egerton clearly carries the film from start to finish, in his portrait of The Tetris Company co-founder Henk Rogers endless pursuit for total control and success of Tetris the video game. The secondary cast did a great job of complementing the story with the performances of their characters.
While I believe Tetris will resonate better with people what to know more about how this whole thing came about, the movie still plays out as a Cold-War era thriller that can be a fun watch for others that are not so familiar with what the game is all about. The music and well-placed pixeled visual effects also add value to the project that will surely feel like a joyride to watch for many.
