Local author, Christopher Vernon reviews “Tetris” for this week’s Movie Meow.
2023 is shaping up to be gamers delight when it comes to film on both the big and small screens. From the super successful Super Mario Brothers movie, which has been number one for the past three weeks, Dungeons & Dragons, and now Tetris.
Starring Taron Egerton (Rocketman, as Elton John), now plays Henk Rogers, an enterprising game developer who is trying to outmaneuver his opponents to negotiate a deal for international licensing rights to what would eventually become one of the most popular and recognizable games in history.
Like the complicated game itself, Tetris the film plays like an authentic spy film from start to finish. It is oftentimes tense and edge of your seat storytelling, even if some of it was fabricated for Hollywood favor according to the real-life men who developed the actual game. I was personally never very good at Tetris, which frustrated me while playing it, but then again, most puzzles seem to. Mario Kart was more my speed.
Tetris felt like a dark espionage thriller, even almost a bit underground scary, dealing with some of these money hungry, powerful insiders. On the downside, this one just didn’t click with me on a personal entertainment level. It felt a bit slow to start and get going, but three-quarters through I woke up from my half slumber. The lead Taron Egerton got the job done. I am actually surprised his star hasn’t gotten brighter over the years. Some of us are a slow burn.
All in all, the same audience that enjoyed the previously stated gaming movies are not going to find much enjoyment in this one. Tetris feels a bit more sophisticated in taste, no surprise as it is streaming and backed by the elite Apple platform. I’m trying not to be a label snob much these days, therefore with that being said I am a Samsung guy, which may describe why I in fact felt only lukewarm about this version of Tetris overall…Meh!
“Tetris,” starring: Taron Egerton
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “5 1/2” paws out of 10.
