Bloc Busters

Tetris (Jon S. Baird, 2023)

Theoretically, a film based on the acquisition for the licensing rights to a video game should be a complete turn off for most people. A film adaptation on the actual video game would be a far more attractive proposition. Therefore, it comes as a total surprise that Jon S. Baird's Tetris (2023) is a far better film than it has any right to be.

Other than a niche collective of game historians, who would have known that Tetris would be associated with Soviet bureaucracy and duplicitous dealings with the shady media proprietor, Robert Maxwell? Not me, that's for certain.

Taron Egerton plays Henk Rogers, the video games entrepreneur who helped bring Alexy Pajitnov's Tetris to the west. So successful would it be, that it would become one of the biggest selling games of all time. Got to hand it to Egerton, he seems to have an eye for landing similarly unusual film roles as his peer Daniel Radcliffe, but with far more aplomb.

Seen Filth (2013) and Stan & Ollie (2018) from director Jon S. Baird and he's definitely proven to me he's a competent film maker; Tetris is the latest example of his proficiency. The fact that he was able to creatively adapt an unappeling premise, without resorting to sleep-inducing red tape and stuffy legal jargon, displays his consideration for respecting the viewer's levels of immersion. That's not to say the film is flawless, because it's far from it, but Tetris does have enough appeal and charm to make it an entertaining film experience.

Of course, being set during the twilight era of the Cold War, the usual predictable clichés of the Eastern Bloc hasn't changed much since Rocky IV (1985). If it isn't broke, why fix it? Well done to the location scout for finding grey and depressing dumps that perfectly resemble the brutalist vistas of Soviet Moscow. Modern day Scotland proved to be a perfect substitute for a run down Communist shit hole from the eighties. And being that it's set during such a nostalgia driven period, Russian covers of recognisable pop hits also play an obligatory role in the film. Crazy fact: including Tetris, Holding Out for a Hero has appeared on three films released over the last month. On a positive note, the mix of Pet Shop Boys' Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) with Aaron Hibell's Benevolence during the end credits is a marriage made in heaven.

Particularly fond of Roger Allam's portrayal of Robert Maxwell. His physical transformation as the reprehensible publishing giant is so grotesque that it often results with him scene stealing. One exception however, is when Toby Jones, recycling the same comedic accent he used when he played Armin Zola in the Captain America films, hilariously punches Kevin Maxwell in the face. Had me cheering him during that scene.

Being a film based on a real life event, authenticity is hardly a top priority. There were more than a handful of times where I asked myself if some of the scenes were genuinely factual, long before the talked about and completely embellished car chase sequence. Highlights from that particular scene are whenever the cars make physical contact and instantaneously becoming pixelated, along with video game sound effects. Completely ridiculous, but a welcome occurrence in the film. Also, it's a prime example of a film knowing exactly when to exercise levity and not let it dominate its very own fabric like what ended happened to Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022).

At around two hours run time, Tetris is a little too long for my personal liking, but that's an issue that's sadly b the norm for films today. Thankfully, its many pros outweigh any faults I experienced, managing to put it in my good book. A surprisingly enjoyable effort given its premise, and one which realistically deserved a proper theatrical release instead of ending up on Apple TV+ and Roku.

Tetris (Car Chase scene)

Jon S. Baird, 2023