That one I didn't see coming.
I have been somewhat outspoken in the past about my feeling regarding video game movies, or adaptations of video games to screen in general. I think that they're inherently flawed from a deeply fundamental level simply because the thought process that goes into creating a piece of interactive media is distinct from that which goes into making a visual one and very few people seem prepared to bridge that gap. This strange sort of consensus has settled over the general populace that there are only a few static right ways to tell a story, which rubs off in such a manner that the perception of 'whoever doesn't tell stories in a way I'm used to do is doing it wrong' proliferates. (Itself an embarrassingly narrow minded perspective). Ultimately this means that 'video games to non-interactive media' tends to suffer from fundamental approach modulation and unshakable public stigma simply for the crime of where the source has come from. Making a movie around video games that feels natural and looks good seems like a herculean task at that point.
But I guess I never really took into account the possibility of a 'video game' movie in only the technical sense, such as the sense it is meant for this upcoming Tetris movie. Honestly, my actual stomach churned like a mill when I saw the name 'Tetris' on a movie trailer, instantly calling to mind horror-thoughts of the Emoji movie. Talking Tetrahedrons with eyes and mouths going on some sad adventure through an ugly and stereotypical Wreck-it Ralph clone world imparting some obnoxious insincere moral message about how "being yourself is the only way to be!" What a total load of crock that cookie-cutter children's trite message always is! Who ever made it anywhere in life being themselves? Everywhere you go and everything you attempt will be a balancing act of whether you can morphed into the image that someone wants of you, and if they consider that too hard a task then you're just not worth their hassle. That's the way of job's, social circles and relationships- being yourself is the greatest roadblock one can slap in front of themselves!
Wait- what was I talking about? I think I went on a rant... Oh yeah, the Tetris movie! So then here comes the Tetris movie and there was I, approaching the trailer expecting a rehash of the worst of animated movies before realising to my utmost relief: "Oh thank god, it's just a biopic!" It's actually both surprising and really-not-all-that surprising that we don't get more biopics focused around the world of games, considering they're the most profitable entertainment industry in the world currently. Off the top of my head the only other attempt I can think of would be the Daniel Radcliffe 'Rockstar' movie, which I believe was denounced by the portrayed parties themselves. Of course, then I think about it and remember that the video game industry is obscenely new when it comes to forms of art; less than 50 years old in the grand scheme of things. How many truly interesting stories with a wide appeal could have spawned in such a narrow space of time? And is the creation of Tetris one of them?
I'll admit, when it comes to Tetris my knowledge of the matter goes about as far as anyone elses. I know that it was one of those 'lighting in a bottle' mechanical ideas that has proven so timeless that the game hasn't been 'improved' upon in any ironclad way since it was first released. I also believed that the game itself was Russian, as I believe did all of the world. The visual theming, the music itself, the general premise of ill-shaped pieces fitting together to score points being itself a slightly skewered interpretation of the collaborative sentiments at the beating heart of communism. (Hmm? Was that last one a bit of a stretch?) All of which is why I approached the Tetris movie, starring a decidedly non-Russian sounding Taron Edgerton, with a fair bit of scepticism. But to be honest I have no deeply researched insight on the creation of Tetris, I'm as clued in as a quick Google search could make a man... Perhaps there is a deeply interesting tale of... international espionage? Okay, now you're pushing against my credulity!
What we've got here is a film designed in a style similar, to borrow the description of the film's main star, to The Social Network. And right away I have to admit that comparison makes my skin crawl. It's not that I don't like the film about Mark Zuckerberg's contentious early years, I can just easily interpret the way mimicking such an approach will end up painting the story of Tetris' creation and in turn find myself squinting my eyes ready to see some straight falsities chucked at the screen. And that was before I watched the trailer and saw Soviet car chases. Now to be fair, again I do not know the real story of how this game made it to fruition. But when a trailer turns around and literally tells me this is "The story you couldn't make up" I'm put on guard. You can probably count on one hand the number of historical movies that claim accuracy and deliver a pale insult to the very concept of it.
But divorcing the real story and taking the film for what it purposes to be; I will admit that I think the trailer seems somewhat fun. I like the idea of sprucing up an otherwise potentially drab biopic with stylisation and graphical motifs here and there, not sure if the 'historical jukebox' concepts from the trailer would make it into the movie as well but I honestly don't mind if they do. I suppose there's nothing wrong with the idea of a crazy and zany movie depicting a story 'we think we know'; but I just get worked up at the presumption of truth tied up there. And is Tetris really the be-all end-all game industry story? Why not depict a company that still has relevance in the modern day? Why not make a biopic which could be just as interesting, following the real history of Nintendo?
Yeah, I always come back to the big N with stories like this, don't I? But can you blame me? Nintendo literally got it's big break as a company by mass producing Hanafuda playing cards in the express knowledge that such cards were popular for the time because they circumvented Japan's strict anti-gambling laws and thus were coveted by the Yakuza. Nintendo directly profited off of the illegal operations of Japan's biggest criminal syndicate before the company took off to where it is today! That's crazy interesting! And you could find a way to tie SEGA up in that story, given that several anecdotal accounts exist linking some higher-ups over in SEGA with existing Yakuza family members. (So if you ever wonder why Kiryu from Yakuza is depicted as the single most honourable man in Japan, more so than the police; well... you can consider that a case of guerrilla marketing.)
As is the case with a lot of these video game adjacent movies, I find my interest slightly more piqued simply for the subject matter than I would be for watching this straight up. Similar to 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves', objectively I would call the trailer a little ropey and eye-rolling. But knowing that this is going to be one of the lenses through which the general audience will inevitably view my world itself makes it almost necessary that I take the time out to go see it. Not necessarily to 'hate watch', mind you- I fully want the thing to be good... let's just say that I will approach expecting the worst but happily open to receive anything but. Who knows, maybe it'll end up another mindlessly fun romp like Uncharted.
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