If there’s a common theme between Tetris and another Apple TV+ series, it would be the idea of the fish out of water career-wise who leads with honesty and vulnerability. And if it’s not clear, the other series in mind is Ted Lasso, whose titular character also strikes up a resemblance to this film’s lead in regards to mustaches. Maybe Apple’s data is leaning towards a success generating trend?
However, instead of taking on the challenge of leading an English soccer team as an American football coach, Taron Egerton stars as Henk Rogers who discovers Tetris at the Consumer Electronics Show at someone else’s booth while his character is attending as an exhibitor attempting to distribute a digital version of the board game Go. Upon this discovery, Henk becomes obsessed with the game and has unyielding determination to take this game global as he is confident everyone will fall in love with it as well.
The film is part Social Network as it is a long legal battle over publishing rights that is made even more unclear due to the game’s origins in Russia, but going up against the Russians as an American during the Cold War also brings a hint of spy films such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. With a globetrotting adventure, Tetris is certainly more exciting than anyone could have possibly assumed without having already known what the film’s plot points reveal about the historic truth.
With another biopic film arriving in theaters in less than a week, visuals are one aspect that certainly set Tetris apart from other works in this genre. The film is sprinkled with video game inspired pixel art that compliments moments throughout the films, from in-depth explanations, to scene transitions, and even the action at times.
Looking back there was only one scene that felt like a drag, but the audio was hard to fully comprehend at times. That issue should be resolved with at-home viewing experiences with the captions on. All in all, this was an enjoyable film that everyone will enjoy, no matter how much the higher levels Tetris has frustrated you.
Tetris lands onto Apple TV+ on March 31, 2023.
