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Everyone is clamoring in excitement for the Super Mario Bros. movie dropping on April 5th. The thing is, another Nintendo classic game has a movie releasing just before that, only it’s not on the big screen, but streaming on the increasingly popular Apple TV+.
If you’re like me, you never in your life would think that there would be movie based on Tetris, yet here we are. The cool thing about this movie though, is that it’s based less on the game itself, and more on how it came to be.
The Game
Tetris is the classic puzzle video game created in 1984 by Russian game designer Alexey Pajitnov. The game is named after the Greek prefix “tetra-“, meaning four, because all of the game’s pieces are made up of four blocks arranged in different configurations. Easy to learn but difficult to master, it became one of the most popular video games of all time and has been released on numerous platforms. The simple yet addictive gameplay is combined with the iconic theme music that hailed it as a masterpiece of game design and remains a beloved classic to this day.
The Movie
Tetris tells the incredible story of how the popular and addictive video game made it’s way to Nintendo and gamers everywhere. Taron Egerton portrays video game distributor Henk Rogers as he discovers Tetris in 1988. Henk believes in the game so much that he risk traveling to the Soviet Union to find inventor Alexey Pajitnov, played by Nikita Efremov, and bring the game back with him for the rest of the world to enjoy. The film is based on a true story and gives us an unexpected Cold War thriller with political intrigue and all the twists and turns of your favorite spy movies!
Thoughts
The trailer really grabbed my attention. It moves fast and is engaging just like the game. Taron Egerton’s performance looks as charismatic as ever. Technically speaking the movie looks great. I really feel like this is a film made with the intention of being something more than a money machine.
No box office numbers to satisfy, no toy sales to push, no tie in marketing campaigns. It’s just a story that the filmmakers genuinely wanted to tell. Director John S. Baird and Writer Noah Pink, both relatively new talents, bring fresh faces and voices to the film. They are guided by a whole host of experienced producers, most Notably Matthew Vaughn and Gillian Berrie.
Apple TV+ is really hitting it’s stride recently with so many block-buster movies and well written, well produced streaming series like Monster Factory and Slow Horses. Tetris is a fantastic addition to an already stacked roster! Tetris starts streaming on Apple TV+ March 31st.
