Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters (2011) Reviews

• Hilarious, yet heartwarming

  KnightsofNi112011-10-25

  Anybody with access to the even the most rudimentary forms of modern technology has most certainly played a game or two of the ever popular Nintendo game Tetris. If you're like most people, then you are a casual Tetris player, firing up the game on your cell phone or iPad every once in a while for some mindless time killing. If you're not one of these people then you are either someone who never plays the game or you are considered to be "hardcore." Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters is a documentary about the greatest Tetris players in the world who all come together for the first ever Tetris tournament, where the true master of Tetris will be crowned. I was lucky enough to catch this excellent little film at the Austin Film Festival this past weekend, and was even lucky enough to watch the film with two of the masters in attendance, Thor Aackerlund and Robin Mihara. It was a fantastic experience and a great way to watch an even greater film. If you saw the movie King of Kong then you will likely know what to roughly expect from Ecstasy of Order. This mentions familiar names like Billy Mitchell, Twin Galaxies Arcade, and one of the Tetris masters actually mentions seeing the film King of Kong. However, don't think that Ecstasy of Order is just the same story with a different arcade game. It is absolutely not. It makes its fair share of references, but it is a whole new story with all new people who are just as entertaining, if not more so, than the ones in King of Kong. It's an ensemble cast of strange and quirky people who all have their own offbeat personalities and are all absolutely incredible at Tetris. You fall in love with these people and in a quick hour and a half you feel like you know them all well enough to be their best friend. It's incredible how entertaining and compelling a documentary, about Tetris of all things, can be. If nothing else, Ecstasy of Order is just a ridiculously entertaining film. There's never a dull moment and someone is also doing or saying something hilarious. Ecstasy of Order doesn't push any kind of gamer nerd stereotype and the people in the film are never taking themselves too seriously. They only do it to have fun, and that fun reflects back to the audience in an incredibly compelling way. These are such unique people and this glimpse into their lives is so fascinating and tells such an emotionally driven and human story. It's rare that we see such a strong narrative and such great people in documentaries. Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters is one of a kind.

• Awesome movie

  tina33992011-11-14

  I'm not the type of person who rates everything 10 out of 10. But when it is called for, I do not hesitate to reward excellence. Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters is an excellent film. And I want to be clear, I don't mean it's an excellent gamer film, or an excellent film about nerds, or an excellent version of King of Kong. It is a stand alone excellent film. And let's address this Kong of Kong elephant in the room (or theater as the case may be). Having seen, and loved, Kind of Kong I understand that the parallel is going to be made frequently, but other than having 80's video games as a focus the two movies couldn't be more different. They each have their merits, but frankly Ecstasy of Order is a more complete, well rounded and genuine film. The character development is great; you grow to truly care about the people featured in this film. Learning about the history of the players is great. Each person has been portrayed in a positive and charming manner. The film isn't a good versus evil, dark horse wins it or any other clichéd structure. It explores the fun topic of Tetris, and who is the country's best player. I don't know if you are into this kind of thing, but Ecstasy of Order is a really well edited film. The flow is pleasantly timed, logical, and smooth. The arc of the story is well thought out. In actuality I never wanted the film to end. I hope this film is picked up for general distribution because while I was lucky enough to see the film at the San Francisco Doc Fest, many of my friends weren't able to make it and are interested. In fact, I would love to see it again too. I have pulled out my Nintendo and dusted off my Tetris game and have been playing. I'd love to see some of the games in the movie again and learn from the pros. So, what's my take home message? If you like having fun and watching awesome movies, then this is the one for you.

• An interesting documentary with character development

  vincentbabo2013-08-01

  Normally, documentaries are informative, could be fun and interesting. It is rare that a documentary can make us interested in characters. This documentary has something special in. At a lower scale, it seems to have elements of stories, like character development, suspense, maybe even some kind of plot. The documentary builds up to the final championship. What interested me most about this film: - First of all knowing all the tricks that players use to get insanely good at the game - Learning about the various records that people achieved - How they built up the character of Thor as some legend at the game - Watching and actually caring whether someone reaches a high score Overall, the film is quite enjoyable. I'm not sure if it would be enjoyable if you don't know anything about the game. (but that would be quite unusual).

• This Game, and its Player, is Cut From a Different Cloth

  drqshadow-reviews2014-03-24

  One of several niche-nuzzled documentaries to arrive within a very short period of time. Like "The King of Kong," Ecstasy of Order dedicates itself to an intensely-competitive corner of the video game world, albeit one without as polarizing a figure as Kong's infamous villain, Billy Mitchell. With no exception, each Tetris mega-mind to share this spotlight seems refreshingly earnest, friendly and down-to-Earth. These are guys and girls I wouldn't mind sharing a few beers with over a sticky NES control pad, and it's tough not to sit back, smile, and revel in the moment when they all get together for the very first time, several world records change hands and a spontaneous game of Texas Hold 'Em breaks out. In some ways, I think that's a symptom of the broadly different approaches of the two games: where Donkey Kong is about fire, death and imposition, Tetris is more in line with a timed jigsaw puzzle. It's quiet, inwardly-focused and nuanced, and thus so are its greatest players. Depending on the viewer's mentality, their ultimate enjoyment of the two films may vary appropriately. Sprinkled with a set of widely-varied contenders, more than its share of mysterious intrigue and the pointed quest to crown the world's best player in a first-ever champion's tournament, this is a startlingly arresting subject and a dense display of cerebral gamesmanship. Well worth watching.

• Amazingly enjoyable movie about a surprisingly honorable game

  intp2013-08-25

  Wow. I am amazed by how terrific this movie was. I have been an avid video game player for years, although I have only played Tetris, in particular, very occasionally. I thought "King of Kong" was a fascinating movie, but it was badly marred by the base antics of Billy Mitchell and his cronies. I have (unofficially) what is probably the fourth highest score on Exidy's Venture, but that was when I was a kid in about 1983 when nary a video camera was to be found and I had never even vaguely heard of Twin Galaxies, and I doubt I could ever seriously contend for the record at this point. But this movie was something else altogether. The spirit of camaraderie-- of striving toward personal self-perfection-- was palpable. Of course, everyone wants to be number one, to be the champ, the best. But unlike in "King of Kong", where personal egoism and jealousy were so prevalent, here the overwhelming sense was that the various players here really loved the game itself, and loved the chance to meet others with comparable skill, and that the principal goal was self-perfection, not the 'crushing' of one's opponents. Here, the folks actually seemed like, well, normal people that one would be perfectly happy socializing with and not the stereotypical dysfunctional geeks one typically associates with video game junkies. (Spoiler): But I am gladdest of all for Thor-- what a great guy. Humble and self-effacing, yet the best there ever was.