Tetris
2023
***½
Director: John S. Baird
Cast: Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle, Toby Jones, Ben Miles, Ken Yamamura, Igor Grabuzov, Roger Allam
In 1988, game developer Henk Rogers discovers Tetris and goes all in to secure the rights to the game. This takes him to the Soviet Union, where he is caught between corrupt and regimented Soviet bureaucrats and rivalling Western bidders. This entertaining drama comedy is based on real events, but then again if features some scenes (car chase, close call at the airport), which were clearly embellished to make the story more cinematic. The film is about licensing this addictive game and not about creating it, but it tells a warm story of the friendship that developed between Henk Rogers and Alexey Pajitnov, the programmer who created Tetris. To visualise this all, director John S. Baird uses some nostalgic video game graphics.
