Tetris is a fun-filled and enjoyable film, just like the iconic video game of the same name. A Soviet software engineer – Alexey Pajitnov created the puzzle video game Tetris in 1985.
It is based on the real-life story of Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov and Henk Rogers. These two men were behind this popular puzzle video game. If you have played the Tetris game, then we are sure that you will love to learn about its true story. So, let us start with a short introduction to this film and then move on to detailed information about it.
Synopsis [official summary] of the Tetris (2023) Movie
It tells the unbelievable story of how one of the world’s most popular video games found its way to avid players around the globe. Businessman Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) discovered TETRIS in 1988. And then risks everything by travelling to the Soviet Union (USSR). There he joins forces with game inventor Alexey Pazhitnov (Nikita Efremov) to bring the game to the masses.
Based on a true story, it is a Cold War-era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes and a nail-biting race to the finish.
Spoiler Free Review of the Tetris (2023) Movie
Brief history of the world in the 1980s
Before we proceed further, let us look back at the recent history of the world in brief. In the 1980s our global world order (both economic and political) was divided between two major nuclear superpowers. So, during the Cold War era, the communist USSR and the capitalist USA broadly divided the entire world.
However, in 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the Soviet Union decided to end communism in the USSR. Thereby leading to the dissolution of the USSR into 15 independent nations. These new nations were Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, etc. The true story of this puzzle game is set against such an interesting historical backdrop.
We loved playing the Tetris game
While growing up, we played Tetris many times and even became addicted to it. But we never heard about its amazing and captivating background true tale. How two people led the inception and distribution of one of the best-selling games.
And this is where this film steps in.
Firstly, it introduces us to Alexey. he was the computer engineer who made this original game in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
Secondly, we meet Henk. He was the globe-trotting video game entrepreneur who took unbelievable risks to get this addictive video game to the world outside of the iron-curtain-clad USSR.
{Please note: this image of the Tetris game is courtesy of Wikipedia.}
Note about the ideological battle
While watching this film, we also get to peek into the ideological battle between the capitalist and the communist system. However, some viewers are not happy with the depiction of life in the former communist nation Soviet Union. And certainly, we have no doubt, that it has taken quite a few artistic liberties in this biographic tale.
We liked this video game film and the conclusion
Not only Taron Egerton (Henk Rogers) and Nikita Efremov (Alexey Pazhitnov) have done justice to their roles, but its ensemble cast of Sofya Lebedeva (Sasha), Ben Miles (Howard Lincoln), Toby Jones (Robert Stein), Ayane (Akemi Rogers), et al have done a good job. Besides, its writer and director have recreated a long-forgotten world of the 1980s era. Kudos to them and their filming team.
Bonus info.:- When Alexey Pazhitnov and Henk Rogers read and reviewed the script for their biography, Henk Rogers reacted by stating that much of it was decorated and dramatised for the Hollywood film. And we have to agree with the said statement, the car chase scene was really a typical movie stunt with a slight addition of elements from this puzzle game.
It’s a Hollywood script; it’s a movie. It’s not about history, so a lot of [what’s in the movie] never happened. But the filmmakers asked us a bunch of questions about what it was really like… They tried their best to accept our changes when they had to do with authenticity. But when it started getting into [creative flourishes like] the car chase and all that, it was like, ‘OK, now it’s all them.’ We couldn’t change anything.
Alexey Pazhitnov & Henk Rogers
With a tight script and innovative filming style (using Tetris blocks on various occasions), this film kept us engaged and glued to the screen. Not surprisingly it is one of the top Hollywood movies of the year 2023. This is indeed a fascinating story narrated in a typical Hollywood drama style.
Ratings of this 2023 Movie about the puzzle video game
| FM’s rating | 4.00/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 82% Tomatometer & 87% Audience Score |
| Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes | While it’s nowhere near as addictive or fast-paced as the game, this film offers a fun, fizzy account of the story behind an 8-bit classic. |
| Audience Says / Rotten Tomatoes | Even if it plays fast and loose with the true story behind the game, this film is tons of fun — and Taron Egerton has never been better. |
Spoilers Alert about the Tetris game & the key characters of the film
Alexey Pajitnov and his puzzle game invention
Circa 1984 – the birth of the Tetris game
In the summer of 1984, Alexey came up with the Tetris game in about two weeks’ time. In this computer game, puzzle pieces of different shapes fall down a computer screen, and the player has to ensure that these block pieces fall down in the right places or else the player loses the game because of the unmanageable blockage.
Inspired by the Pentominoes game
This puzzle game was inspired by a game called Pentominoes, which features Tetris-like pieces that you place in a puzzle box. Also, it is interesting to note that Alexey mixed the Greek word “Tetra” (which means four) with “Tennis” (his favourite sport) to come up with the unique name “Tetris” game. Within a couple of years, the Tetris game became the most popular game in the Soviet Union.
What is the Tetris Effect?
Even we felt the Tetris effect
In this film, Henk Rogers admits that even while sleeping, he dreams about the Tetris game pieces. This a real phenomenon. In fact, in 1994, journalist Jeffrey Goldsmith used the Tetris Effect term to describe when people play and think excessively about this Game, then the blocks of this game begin to appear in their thoughts, perceptions, mental images and dreams.
Fate of Nikolai Belikov & ELORG company
Nikolai Belikov’s fate
Well, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Nikolai Belikov continued to manage ELORG as a private company. He worked with Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers to publish the game throughout Europe and kept half the rights to this puzzle game. Later in 1995, he sold the rights to this game back to the duo of Alexey and Henk. Then in 2005, he disposed of his shares of this puzzle game back to the Tetris Company (owned by Alexey and Henk) for USD 15 million.
Fate of Alexey Pajitnov and his family
Alexey Pajitnov’s fate
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Henk Rogers helped Alexey Pajitnov (and his family) immigrate to the USA and settle down in the Seattle area. When the rights to the Tetris game expired in 1995, Alexey finally got an opportunity to earn real money from the puzzle game that he had created.
At that time, ELORG had become a private company managed by Nikolai Belikov in Russia and it decided to buy fifty per cent of the puzzle game rights. The remaining fifty per cent was bought by The Tetris Company owned by the partners Henk Rogers and Alexey Pajitnov. Belatedly after a long period of 13 years, Alexey started getting royalties for the puzzle game he created in 1984.
Alexey Pajitnov worked for Microsoft too
Then in 1996, Alexey joined Microsoft and he designed many more puzzle games for the company, however, none of the computer games became as successful as Tetris game. After working for almost a decade, he left Microsoft in 2005. As of now, Alexey is working on other projects of his and collecting the royalties from this puzzle game.
Tetris is one of the highest-selling video game
Tetris
From 1993 to 2020, this puzzle game (1984) was the best-selling video game of all time.
Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto & Mario games
However, the Minecraft game (2009) beat this video game in 2020. As of now, Tetris (1984) is the third best-selling game after Minecraft (2009) and Grand Theft Auto V (2013). Its sales data reveal that this puzzle game franchise as a whole has sold nearly 500 million copies, making it the second best-selling game franchise after the Mario (1985) game. Also, the mobile version (now-defunct) of this puzzle game had sold over 100 million copies alone.
Poster of this 2023 Movie about the puzzle video game
Key details of this 2023 Movie about the puzzle video game
| Genre | Biography, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, |
| Age-restrictions | A (18+) |
| Original language | English (USA & Russian) |
| Film Length | 1 hour 58 minutes |
| Writer | Noah Pink |
| Director | Jon S. Baird |
| Released | March 2023 |
| Cast | Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofya Lebedeva, Ben Miles, Toby Jones, Ayane, etc. |
| Taglines | The game you couldn’t put down. The story you couldn’t make up. |
Trailer of this 2023 Movie about the puzzle video game
Featured Images and Poster of the Tetris (2023) Movie | Apple TV+.