Video game adaptations have had a troubled history, ranging from downright bad (killer creed or Lonely in the dark) to an acceptable level (crazy outside of the book but still interesting somehow evil resident Franchising). This year, however, HBO is taking the format to the next level the last survivor, which many claim was the first truly great video game adaptation. When first published, jigsaw puzzle Looks like it would fall somewhere between bad and tolerable. How did they turn a puzzle video game into a compelling movie? In most cases, they don’t quite do it. jigsaw puzzle is a useful adaptation of the fight for the rights to one of the most popular video games of all time, but despite its visual flair and ’80s nostalgia, when all piece of the puzzle together, something is still missing.
jigsaw puzzle Taron Egerton plays Henk Rogers, a Dutch video game designer who founded Bullet-Proof Software. The film introduces Henk at a video game convention in Las Vegas, where he becomes obsessed with the video game of the same name and buys some of the rights to it. The only problem is that no one is really sure who owns which distribution rights – including Mirrorsoft’s Robert and Kevin Maxwell (Roger Allam and Anthony Boyle), Nintendo executive Togo Igawa (Hiroshi Yamauchi) and Minoru Arakawa ( Ken Yamamura) and Robert Stein (Toby Jones). The center of it all: creator of Tetris and Soviet citizen Alexei Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov). As the legal battle over the rights to Tetris intensified, Henk paced back and forth behind the Iron Curtain along with other rights jockeys for the chance to release what could be the most popular video game ever. All Time.
Taron Egerton and Nikita Efremov in Tetris.
jigsaw puzzle Follows a level structure that any player will be familiar with, and levels increase as the stakes increase. There are also video game format and montage shots, which is a fun way to add a Tetris look to a movie that has nothing to do with the Tetris game, which is The movie’s biggest problem. The film is about the battle for distribution rights to the Tetris puzzle, a dry-sounding topic. jigsaw puzzle Trying to elevate this story beyond history, the film suffers for it. Sometimes it’s hard to know who is fighting for which rights (video game rights, PC rights, console rights) in which region (Japan, USA, Soviet Union) and this ambiguity makes it difficult to private jigsaw puzzle‘ Conspiracy.
Luckily, the film’s secret sauce is Egerton and Yefremov. Egerton is perhaps best known for his role in Kingsman franchise, but the cast has proven quieter (or at least less explosive) material handling in the AppleTV+ series black bird And Rocket Man, Biographies of Elton John. Here, Egerton plays Henk with a desperate optimism that has rooted him no matter what. It also helps that the movie shows Henk and his family. Henk and Alexey’s friendship really comes to fruition jigsaw puzzle However, playable supports what can be the confusing middle stage of meetings and entitlement negotiations.
Taron Egerton, Sofia Lebedeva and Nikita Efremov in Tetris.
When jigsaw puzzle fall into the whole”Communism is bad, capitalism is goodThe Soviet Union is an almighty villain with no nuances, and the film’s usual hand-waving technique is dictated by the relationship between Henk and Alexei. There are other standout moments, such as the third scene The Car Chase in the first act is heart-pounding, but jigsaw puzzle Not a horror movie, although it does try to be a horror movie. This is the story of two men trying to provide for their families. When it loses focus on Henk or Alexey, jigsaw puzzle Tends to lose plot.
At the end of the day, hardly anything is really exciting jigsaw puzzle, This is good. Basically, it might want viewers to think the stakes are high, but that’s okay. Between jigsaw puzzle It’s about Rodgers going to the Soviet Union to protect jigsaw puzzleEgerton gives his all for the role, proving he can play everyone as easily as the flamboyant Elton John. even if we’re not always together Tetris’ At two hours, the film is better than its parts total, thanks to the perfect combination of Egerton and Yefremov.
jigsaw puzzle Available March 31 on AppleTV+. The film is 118 minutes long and is rated R.