Tetris

While the videogame version of Tetris is both simple and addictive, the movie adaptation of Tetris is neither of those.

Beneath its surface nostalgia and playful charm, this origin story is positioned as a globetrotting Cold War thriller that becomes more convoluted than compelling.

While a historical drama about international licensing rights and the rise of portable gaming consoles and devices behind the Iron Curtain might sound fascinating to coders or tech geeks, it’s not as fun as, say, watching groups of four blocks drop from the ceiling.

The film opens in 1988, when Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) is struggling to generate interest in his booth at a videogame convention when he steps next door to play Tetris. Hooked on the puzzle-like challenge, he impulsively scoops up the rights in Japan, where the American businessman lives with his family.

“This game isn’t just addictive,” he tells one potential investor (Rick Yune). “It stays with you.”

It’s not long before Henk’s ambition has him risking everything to bring the game to the masses and reap the financial rewards. But it turns out the inventor (Nikita Efremov) is from the Soviet Union, whose government has been negotiating with an opportunistic executive (Toby Jones) behind the scenes. And a British media mogul (Roger Allam) wants a piece of the action, too.

Henk is a brazen marketer and a fearless networker who becomes embroiled in a real-life, high-stakes battle of capitalism versus communism — with slippery schemers engaged in bribery, blackmail, deception, and betrayal. Eventually, of course, the rights dispute becomes about more than just a game.

British director Jon Baird (Stan and Ollie) keeps the pace lively as Henk navigates a maze of shifting loyalties and cloudy motives, while the versatile Egerton (Rocketman) earns our rooting interest as the underdog entrepreneur with a go-for-broke optimism.

The screenplay by Noah Pink (co-creator of “Genius”) embellishes some details in a strained effort to generate intrigue. The film turns progressively more outlandish as it rifles through characters of varying consequence who don’t distinguish themselves except through a common greed.

There are moments of inspired amusement, such as a montage set to the 1980s anthem “The Final Countdown.” But while Tetris is slick and polished, unlike its classic 8-bit predecessor, it never quite stacks up.

Rated R, 118 minutes.