A feature film about the complex origins of a cult video game, directed by Jon S. Baird (Stan and Ollie, Garbage!), starring Taron Egerton in the lead role and produced for exclusive broadcast on AppleTV+ : the film Tetris released this week does not on paper have many assets to make a splash. And yet, it deserves its viewing, even if you have nothing to do with video games.
A gripping narration, which manages to mix convoluted intrigue, discussions of geeks as well on the legal level as computer and lighter moments.
Tetris therefore returns to the legal battle that took place around the exploitation rights of the essential jigsaw puzzle which is one of the best-selling games in the world. Designed and distributed under the coat in the USSR by the Russian programmer Alekseï Pajitnov, it was summarily bought by theElektronorgtekhnika (ELORG) which managed the import and export of software, before seeing its exploitation rights abroad subcontracted to Mirrorsoft, a US company run by father and son Maxwell, and entrepreneur Robert Stein, a specialist in the internationalization of licenses from Eastern Europe. It is in this context that we enter directly by following the producer Henk Rogers, who will recover the export rights for consoles and arcades in Japan from Mirrorsofttry to win the jackpot by signing a contract for the exploitation on portable consoles and especially set foot in a US-Soviet legal, economic and legal mess.
Despite the beginnings and developments far from being easy to grasp, the film directly manages to hook the viewer thanks to a good and quick introduction. Its frantic pace then never slows down, forcing a permanent concentration, but also never leaving us time to pick up. For this, he does not necessarily have to thank his staging and the acting of the rather flat actors, only Taron Egerton managing to really mark the screen with the omnipresence of his reckless businessman character. Rather, we must salute its gripping writing and storytelling, which manages to mix convoluted plot, legal and computer geek discussions and lighter moments.
And if we imagine that there were some liberties taken to make the story even more incredible and theatrical, Tetris allows itself to be as fair and relevant as possible on the administrative twists and turns of the case, while being entertaining enough not to sink into the clumsy biopic. It could also have done without a failed chase and a few shots with special effects in lack of budget without it bothering us.
This real puzzle involving Hank, Stein, Patijnov, the Maxwells, ELORG and the Russian government will gradually become entangled way Rubik’s Cube in a crazy story of rights that only the 80s can offer us, a time when the platforms hosting video games were in full change and when the USSR revealed more and more openings and faults to the outside. Moreover, it offers another vision of the end of the Cold Warthrough its chilly empire to drop the slightest ballast outside its borders even for a simple video game and yet more and more individuals want to break the wall.
Gamers, especially older ones, may be better able to appreciate the phenomenon that gaming was, but we regret that its potential is so difficult to see on screen, despite efforts to do so. Many reminders of the world of video games are also made via nice visual effects, inserts of passages from retro games, well-felt references, but you don’t need to be an expert to appreciate this feature film. Tetris is above all a business-thriller panting accessible to allwhose unstoppable editing and captivating electronic music (with sounds that would have nothing to envy to tron: The Legacy) don’t leave us a minute to be bored.
Note : 3.5 out of 5 stars
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| Favorite editor of your favorite editor since 2009, passionate about music that makes boom boom, follower of comic series of all kinds. I’ve played a little too much Pokémon in my life. | ||
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