SXSW 2023: ‘Tetris’ builds on real life in biographical drama
AUSTIN, Texas — More than three decades after their wild adventure in Soviet Russia, Henk Rogers, president of The Tetris Company, and Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov attended the world premiere of “Tetris” at South by Southwest 2023.
In a full-circle moment on The Paramount Theater stage, the duo embraced Taron Egerton, who plays Rogers in the film. For the first time, their toilsome journey to acquire the rights to the video game sensation, Tetris, was projected on the big screen.
In the upcoming 8-bit espionage biopic produced by “Kingsman”’s Matthew Vaughn, Egerton swaps his gun for a Game Boy. After discovering what he believes to be the next big hit — a Russian game “Tetris” — at the 1988 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rogers (Egerton) buys the rights to the game for Japan.
Knowing Tetris will be an even bigger sensation when packaged with the new Nintendo Game Boy, Rogers ventures off on a not-so-legal Russian “vacation” to acquire the handheld rights from Soviet company Elektronorgtechnica. The business deal turns into a game of cat and mouse once he discovers Kevin Maxwell of Mirrorsoft and Robert Stein of Andromeda Software are racing to beat him to the paperwork.
On top of everything, the Russian secret police and intelligence agency is watching his every move. If Rogers doesn’t win the game, he could lose everything.
Despite being centered around a convoluted business deal, “Tetris” is a more enjoyable watch than one might anticipate. The film has a childlike sense of wonder to it, with its 8-bit transitions and Tetris-inspired special effects.
Of its sequences, the most fun is by far the KGB car chase scene around three-fourths of the way through the film. Unfortunately, it’s around that time viewers begin to question if what they are watching really happened.
As a self-declared biopic of the “story you couldn’t make up,” the Apple TV+ film extensively plays pretend with its action sequences. To get the most of this film, the viewer should take its truthfulness with a grain of salt and enjoy it instead as an inspired espionage-thriller.
While there are a few moments that verge on the unbelievable, the moments that are true are some of the film’s most interesting plot points.
While the Apple TV+ film may take liberties with its plot and action sequences, Rogers said the film is still representative of his and Pajitnov’s story.
“All of it is emotionally true,” Rogers said during a Q&A panel following the world premiere at SXSW. “It captured what happened to me over a year and a half in two hours.”
Pajitnov shared the sentiment, calling “Tetris” an “emotionally, intellectually and spiritually very truthful movie.”
The heart of the picture and true story undeniably lies in the relationship between Rogers and Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov). One of the most memorable sequences of the film is when Pajitnov allows Rogers to play the original version of Tetris in his family’s home in the Soviet Union. In that moment, the two formed a friendship that would span over the course of 34 years and alter their lives forever.
“Despite it being an extraordinary story about a global phenomenon and a well-recognized brand, it is really the story of a friendship between two guys from two very different parts of the world, two geographic places and ideologies,” Egerton said. “But they bond over something actually, quite childlike — and it’s the love of play.”
Tetris will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on March 31.
Maddie’s rating: 3.5/5
Featured Image Director Jon S. Baird, writer Noah Pink, Henk Rogers, Alekseï Pajitnov and Taron Egerton are interviewed following the world premiere of “Tetris” on March 15, 2023. Samantha Thornfelt
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