Will we have to get used to a wave of films inspired by hit brands coming out of the US? These days on billboard ** Air: The Story Behind the Logo directed by Ben Affleck coincides with ** Super Mario Bros., produced by ** Illumination and Nintendo directed by Aaron Horvarth. The third film in this “new wave” is ** Tetris, produced by Apple and directed by Jon S. Baire. Fortunately, the three movies only match the titles and stories about successful brands. In terms of types and styles they are completely different. Air: The Story Behind the Logo is a Kind of ** Biopic that chronicles the relationship between Nike and Michael Jordan ** Cartoonish Super Mario Bros. tells the adventure of the famous Italian plumber, Tetris combines the assets and the fight for the rights to the hit video game in a thriller, spy and chase across the world of business and politics.
The interesting thing about ** Tetris is the suspense curve that accelerates during the movie, although we as viewers are not familiar with the game or really interested in the reasons for its success. Although throughout the movie we see characters of all ages and parts of the world being absorbed by the game, the movie never really explains what the attraction is and why the original one played individually and not in competition was so attractive. Today, by the way, there are all kinds of new releases and I’ve been told that Tetris 999, for example, unleashes riotous contests.
It’s almost impossible to formulate a synopsis for the movie since the a** thriller not only moves between Las Vegas, Tokyo, London, Moscow, and various American cities, but it also speeds up and becomes more and more complex. Suffice it to say that at the end of the 1980s, its hero, Dutchman Henk Roger (Taron Egerton), discovered the game invented by Russian Alexei Pashinov at a technology fair in Las Vegas.
Realizing his sales potential, he fights to get the rights and sells his distribution idea to corporations and media magnates in Japan, the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. What speeds up the plot is the speed with which the electronic technology sector develops kinds of devices with different sizes, screens, and controls, the eagerness of consumers to play the game, and the greed of corporations and the KGB in Moscow to win patents and business.
Although the movie does not teach us to play with ** Tetris, it does introduce us to the game’s non-narrative character, which consists of grasping square tiles that fall onto the screen of a device. It’s a game of formal skill and speed that’s far from the core of many video games that deal with duels, chases, and the ability to overcome obstacles or enemies. We learn that its inventor was inspired by the Pentomino puzzle to develop it, that the Russian KGB is corrupt and dangerous, that billionaire Robert Maxwell invested in Tetris and finally Nintendo made a big deal selling it as a bundle with the Game Boy. Aside from showing that businessmen are as obsessed with gamers as video game users, the film is attractive for “playing” with the aesthetics of squared-off shapes, colors, players, and the addict’s frenzy. It can be confusing and tiring but it is fun.
