Tetris Review: Everything Falls into Place

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Tetris, much like the game itself, is unbelievably fun. From start to finish, the film is captivating, packed with great characters, and driven by a story that is far more intense than one might expect from a movie about a puzzle game.

Henk Rogers is a struggling game producer who stumbles upon Tetris at a Las Vegas convention. What he initially believes to be a simple licensing deal soon spirals into a high-stakes battle involving corporate greed, international politics, and the looming threat of the KGB. As Rogers pushes deeper into the tangled web surrounding Tetris, his personal and professional lives begin to blur, forcing him to risk everything for a game that could either change his life or ruin him completely.

“Based on a true story” films can be hit or miss, but the crew behind Tetris does a fantastic job adapting the history behind one of the most famous video games of all time. The visuals are awesome, with a retro video game aesthetic woven into key moments, and the pacing keeps things engaging. The casting is excellent. Once again, Taron Egerton delivers a fantastic performance, Nikita Efremov is strong as Alexey Pajitnov, and Toby Jones is just the right amount of annoying as Robert Stein.

The casting is great, but our characters are equally strong. While it’s tricky to decipher character changes in the real story vs the film, Henk is a great lead. He’s ambitious, determined, and slightly reckless, making it easy to root for him as he fights against increasingly impossible odds.

The supporting cast is just as compelling. The KGB agents provide an ever-present threat, the Maxwells and Stein are frustratingly manipulative, and Oleg Stefan is excellent as Nikolai Belikov, adding layers to the Soviet political machine that makes Tetris’ licensing such a chaotic affair.

The pacing is another major strength. The movie is structured like a video game, broken into four “levels,” each introducing new challenges and raising the stakes. Despite pulling from real history, the filmmakers keep the tension high and the momentum moving forward. There’s never a dull moment, every scene serves a purpose, and the transitions between Henk’s personal struggles and the corporate espionage elements feel seamless.

Watching Henk gradually dig himself deeper into trouble while betting everything on this deal is thrilling, especially as the dangers become more real and the walls start closing in.

One of the best parts of Tetris is how it transforms a story about contract negotiations into something that feels like a high-stakes spy thriller. The KGB’s involvement adds a real sense of danger, and the film does an excellent job balancing the corporate battle with the human drama behind it.

It also sheds light on the insane history behind one of the world’s most beloved games, many viewers may not have known that Tetris originated in Soviet Russia or that bringing it to the world market was such a mess. The way the film sprinkles in historical facts while keeping the drama front and center is what makes this adaptation so compelling.

If there’s any real critique to be made, it’s that the ending could have been extended slightly. The escape from Russia is incredibly tense, but it would have been interesting to see a bit more of the aftermath. We spend so much time getting Tetris out of Russia that it would have been great to see the positive fallout. That said, the finale still works well, tying up the story in a satisfying way while keeping the momentum going right until the credits roll.

Thematically, Tetris is about risk, ambition, and perseverance. Henk Rogers isn’t a perfect protagonist, but his drive and belief in Tetris make his journey compelling. The film also explores the clash between capitalism and communism, with the battle over Tetris becoming a microcosm of larger global tensions during the late Cold War era. It also highlights how something as seemingly simple as a puzzle game can have a massive impact on the world, both culturally and economically.

One of the standout moments in the film is the airport chase scene near the end. It’s the highest point of intensity in the movie, blending real-life tension with animated sequences that give it a unique, stylized edge. The stakes feel incredibly high, and the sequence is so well done that it’s easily one of the most memorable parts of the film.

Another one of my favourite scenes is the moment Henk realizes just how deep he’s in over his head when confronted by the KGB. The quiet yet terrifying intensity of that encounter underscores how much danger he’s put himself in for this deal.

Overall, Tetris is an excellent film that succeeds on multiple levels. It delivers strong performances, a fascinating story, and thrilling moments that make it stand out from other biopics. The drama is top-notch, the storytelling is precise, and at just under two hours, the movie never overstays its welcome. From the moment the game begins, the blocks don’t stop falling.