And why is this a problem? Quite simply. Tetris is a film that aims to create an intricate story about something that was actually simple, and this carries with it problematic and questionable baggage when you begin to realize that the events unfolding on screen simply don't have that level of momentum, drama and tension to sustain that kind of narrative approach. Special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the eligible device. One offer per Family Sharing group. Plans automatically renew until cancelled. Other restrictions and terms apply; visit apple.com/promo for more information. Many retro games don't age well. Either people try to recreate them with 'modern' appeal and they fall flat, or they put a new coat of paint on an old game – hence all the video game 'remasters' and 'remakes' from the past several years. Tetris largely avoids this trap, because it doesn't need a big graphical upgrade to look and feel modern. The original design was so timeless, that the bones behind it will always stand up." Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have earned 322 wins and 1,398 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and last year’s Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

In July 2020, it was reported that a biopic was being made about the making of Tetris, which will delve into the legal battles that took place during the Cold War over ownership of the game, with Jon S. Baird directing and Taron Egerton cast to portray the game publisher Henk Rogers.

In February 2021, filming took place in Aberdeen at locations including the University of Aberdeen’s Zoology Building, which was used as the headquarters of Soviet firm Elorg, and Seamount Court which was used for several scenes. Production then returned to Glasgow for a few days, before wrapping in early March 2021. Over-embellishing a ''real'' story carries considerable risks when you fail to make it as grandiose as you seem to propose. Instead, Rogers said, expect a movie that "got the feeling across, the feeling of being in Moscow for the first time, breaking the law." Tetris received nominations for Best Music and Best Action/Thriller TrailerByte for a Feature Film at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards. Egerton was nominated for Best Actor at the 6th Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards.

Pingitore, Silvia (19 March 2023). "Interview with Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov" . Retrieved 4 July 2023. Munsell, Mike (17 February 2023). "Meet Henk Rogers, video game icon turned climate champion". Canary Media . Retrieved 23 March 2023. Henk Rogers, the man most directly responsible for bringing Tetris to the West, helped set expectations at an early press screening of Apple TV's Tetris movie, which premieres on the streaming service Friday. "It's not a documentary," Rogers said of a film that casts him as a fearless hero working to extract the game from the grip of a brutal, dying '80s Soviet bureaucracy. "Don't expect to see that this is exactly how it happened." Taron Egerton stated in a GQ Magazine Interview that the movie is going to be more Social Network than the Lego Movie.The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 15, 2023. [13] It premiered on Apple TV+ on March 31, 2023. [14] According to a Samba TV research panel of 3.1 million smart television households who tuned in for at least one minute, Tetris drew in 88,000 viewers in its first two days. [15] Reception [ edit ] Critical response [ edit ] Pedersen, Erik (29 June 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards: Cocaine Bear, Only Murders In The Building& Oppenheimer Among Top Winners – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023 . Retrieved 30 June 2023. Production had to be shut down temporarily after a coronavirus case on set in Glasgow. Taron Egerton tested negative but still self-isolated for weeks.

I watched this film earlier today, I loved it! Sure its completely silly and barely grounded in reality but what did you expect of a movie based on Tetris? As many have pointed out there are multiple documentaries following the truth. Its very clear that its not following the real life events, more taking the idea and running with it to make a movie very inspired by over the top 1980s/early 90s action thrillers. Very fun. a b Brittain, Blake (8 August 2023). "Apple's Tetris movie ripped off tech writer's book, lawsuit says". Reuters . Retrieved 8 August 2023. Yefremov is solid as Alexey throughout the movie, but honestly, he doesn’t get much to work with. He’s much quieter than Henk, but his humble home and his modesty make him relatable. But aside from these two, many of the characters feel like caricatures or tropes, particularly the Maxwells of Mirrorsoft, the KGB, and most of the Russian characters. They feel like comic book villains, and even if it’s fun to watch Toby Jones as Robert Stein of Andromeda Software, it’s at odds with the more serious elements of Tetris. Apple Original Films unveils trailer for 'Tetris,' new thriller starring Taron Egerton" (Press release). Apple TV+. 16 February 2023 . Retrieved 16 February 2023.In July 2020, it was reported that a biopic was being made about the making of Tetris, which will delve into the legal battles that took place during the Cold War over ownership of the game, with Jon S. Baird directing and Taron Egerton cast to portray the game publisher Henk Rogers. [3] Egerton confirmed this report in an August 2020 interview, explaining that the film would mirror a tone similar to The Social Network. [4] In November 2020, Apple TV+ acquired the film. [5] When asked why a game as simplistic as Tetris is so often cited as being at the apex of video game development, Monshouwer continues: "It is the prime example of 'easy to learn but hard to master'. On the most basic level, there’s a pleasure in tidying up. Each time you play, you get better. You can get into a flow where your hands and mind become one."

Tetris the movie... is trying to replicate that satisfaction, that crowd-pleasing appeal that Tetris the video game has. On being told that an American businessman can't obtain a visa, Rogers obtains a tourist visa to enter Moscow. He hires Sasha, a young and seemingly naïve Russian woman as his interpreter, and despite her warnings, enters the ELORG offices. On showing a copy of Tetris for Famicom to Nikolai Belikov, the ELORG chairman, he informs Rogers that his copy is "illegal," as ELORG has not released the video game rights to Rogers. A meeting is arranged to discuss the rights. Though the film is obviously not a "Tetris movie", more a geopolitical thriller in which Tetris is a plot point, it's nevertheless a reminder of the global impact of the iconic puzzler, which sits among a rare group of games (including Super Mario Bros and Space Invaders) that continue to captivate audiences decades on from their inception. On paper, Tetris doesn’t sound anywhere near as immersive a gaming experience as the cinematic post-apocalyptic epic The Last of Us, or able to provide the rush of driving a stolen car into the neon sunset on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Yet Tetris is the most ported game of all time – that's to say, the game converted for use onto the most different devices and platforms – and one of gaming's most commercially successful ventures, with a staggering 520 million copies sold globally. So, just what makes Tetris the so-called "perfect" video game, as Egerton's character talks it up in the movie?

Conclusion

With the new Apple+ film sure to turbo-charge awareness of Tetris, and the 2018 franchise reboot Tetris Effect bringing the game to modern consoles, subsequently adding an extension where up to three people could play together co-operatively, Brown is confident younger generations will soon start looking at Tetris with the same sort of respect as they do chess. "As soon as Tetris begins, the player understands deeply that this is a challenge worth returning to," he adds. "It's simpler and easier to learn than chess and is no less challenging. Many might argue it's a lot more fun too." Is this the most effective way to tell this story?” is a question that repeats itself when watching these types of shows and films, one wondering if a documentary or even a long read might have been preferable. While almost two hours, Tetris is refreshingly self-contained and propulsively plot-heavy, avoiding the bloat that weighs down so many 10-part series that could have been told in one chunk. Our protagonist is Henk, a Dutch-born gaming entrepreneur raised in the US played by Taron Egerton, and we meet him in 1988 as he’s trying to sell a self-designed game at a convention. It’s a bust and his failure leads him to another stall where a Russian game called Tetris is being peddled. He’s immediately addicted and starts a quest to find out how he can become a part of its inevitable success.