How did "Tetris" turn out - a film where the KGB fights the capitalists

On March 31, Tetris premiered on Apple TV+. The story of the creation of the famous game, as well as its distribution outside the USSR, turned out to be strange.

The film was directed by John S. Baird ("Mud", "Hooligans"), screenwriter Noah Pink ("Genius"). Starring Taron Egerton ("Kingsman", "Black Bird") and Nikita Efremov ("Summer", "Patient Zero").

The plot of the film, as you might guess, is connected with Tetris. Soviet engineer Alexei Pajitnov created a game for personal computers. Then the rights to distribute it in the West were acquired by Mirrorsoft, and the promotion in Japan was acquired by entrepreneur Hank Rogers. In order to expand the business, the hero wants to make a version for game consoles. He goes to Moscow to negotiate with officials. It suddenly turns out that the previous copyright holders acted illegally, and Tetris is a project of national importance.

Very dubious plot.

The picture begins with a very fun 15–20 minutes, which briefly tell not only about the creation

games, but also about the industry itself in the late 80s. Then the main character Hank goes to Moscow to make a deal. He is hindered by KGB officers who are interested in making a profit.

Then for an hour almost nothing happens - the plot just stops moving. And Hank wants the rights to the game, and Mirrorsoft wants the rights, and for this the characters are ready to sit in gray offices and wait for the adult uncles to make a decision. The viewer is also left to sit and wait. At the same time, the final turned out to be dynamic, but it is easy to predict.

In Tetris as a whole, there are several "unexpected" plot twists - they are so obvious that they do not cause any emotions. But the authors of the film still focus on things that will later be revealed and change everything. Although one look at the characters is enough to understand what they will do.

Empty heroes

It seems that the main characters are too "cardboard". It’s not the script that makes them partly alive, though: Hank is helped by screen time, Alexei is helped by the sad look of Nikita Efremov. It's hard to empathize with them. But all the other characters are much worse.

For example, there is a capitalist father (who deceives the tax office for the sake of profit), there is his son (stupid major), there is a KGB officer (very gray and angry). A couple of characters who, during the course of the film, adjoin one side, then the other, are also not difficult. In general, the capitalists look as if they have gone Soviet agitation, and Muscovites appear as caricatures from anti-Soviet newspapers. And there is also a traitor in Tetris - and you can easily identify him by the very first scene with him.

The emotional scenes are the worst part of this movie. Those who have nothing in common suddenly become best friends, and former enemies are ready to unite in the name of good. The absolute emptiness of the characters destroys the entire dramaturgy of the picture.

Amazing atmosphere

Both the problems of the plot and the emptiness of the characters can be safely called the failure of the screenwriter. It's funny, but even so the film is pleasant to watch - all other components are on the level. The thing is the atmosphere, which is saturated with "Tetris". The aesthetics of 8-bit games are used, as well as an absolutely gray and gloomy world from dystopianto show the USSR. Sometimes they intersect - and you get the best scenes.

Visually, everything is simple: the viewer is shown completely different pictures. The world outside the Union is flowery and bright, but inside it is always gray and dull. To enhance the effect, the characters also emphasize the differences aloud. Reception known, but working.

Music plays a huge role in creating the atmosphere. So, in one of the scenes, the heroes dance to the song The Final Countdown by Europe. Several compositions are performed by Polina, an American singer of Russian origin.

Differences in mentality

Making a film about the USSR and not slipping into the “cranberry” is a difficult task. And the authors of "Tetris" did not cope with it. It's not that the KGB officers are shown as bad (what else?). The problem is the big difference between representatives of different countries. A couple of times the characters say that they are people, so they are ready to understand each other. However, everything that happens on the screen contradicts this thesis. The authors of the film seem to invent a barrier in order to demolish it later, but they fail to destroy it. As a result, the story gives off the same flavor as the standard pictures of the Cold War (“Red Dawn", "Born American").

Tetris is a very unbalanced movie. Well filmed scenes side by side with uninteresting dialogues. The plot develops so unstable that sometimes it seems as if nothing is happening on the screen. But the picture gives a charge nostalgia on old games. It is unlikely that one can fall in love with Tetris, but the tape is quite suitable as entertainment for the evening.