Squid Game (2021)

the plot and cast are great. this show might be the best in 2021 (so far) and it is also the best action-thriller. even better than taxi driver or penthouse. the soundtrack is mostly instrumentals and there are not many with singers singing but it also gives that bone-chilling feeling as if u are there yourself. what I will say for the rewatch value is that if u have a strong stomach and if u are used to watching shows like this, then go ahead. but overall is a 10/10 for me. but also do keep in mind that this show contains a high amount of violence and gore. so, if you're underage, u might want to try other dramas with lesser violence.

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Love-hate relationship

One of the most important elements to a successful drama is how satisfying /fulfilling the ending is.

It's not about what we might think is fair but what makes us exhale in ease at the end feeling it's finally wrapped and tucked nicely in our memory.

That wasn't the case here.

-We follow an mc who is very poor, very in debt, has an ill mother and a lonely daughter who will be taken away from him forever if he doesn't do anything.

None of that gets even remotely solved! Zero!

-We grew to know and love characters like Saebyeok and her scattered family and her last hope to bring them together.

Again, NOTHING CHANGES!
*well except a very very weak last minute forced scene that had no absolute value!

- We're introduced to a police officer who we expect to be the end of this organization. But guess what he adds to the story?
Right, NOTHING!

We, as viewers, are attached to these characters, feeling what they feel. We, and them, endured the horrors of the game bc of a purpose. We wanted them to achieve their goals, we wanted to see them happy at last. or at the very least for something to change!!

But to make all of these stories and characters and games and twists and emotional manipulation to keep everything exactly the way it is, is just weak writing in my opinion.

Even if they were planning on a season 2 from the start, (which I really hope so, for their sake. Otherwise this was the worst drama ending I've ever seen) they should've made it a little more (or any) satisfying to the viewers. They sacrificed the ending for s1 to build for a s2. But even that was very poorly written and executed.

The drama was great in the beginning, amazing even. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time, binging episode after another in anticipation. That's why I can't give it a lower rating.

All was great until the last two episodes or the last one really. It left me confused, mad and disappointed. And all I could think was "wth did I just watch?"

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Brutal, bloody, beautifull yet probably overhyped..

This drama was awful to watch but has pretty high entertainment value, some parts where good, others mediocre, it did leave me guessing (some theories where right others wrong) and did keep me on my toes at times. It does have some interesting issues and does make you feel stuff... but not to much. And it definitely did leave room for more seasons as well as had me closing my eyes a lot. It is utterly brutal in some scenes that did both gross me out and just made me feel pain... a lot of pain, impressive painful pain.

What ups the score for this otherwise pretty okay but not worth the hype drama is the beautiful combination of brutality and childrens games with extremely well (mis)fitted OST, something that I personally am a complete sucker for and the fact that my very picky and hard to get to watch K-dramas with husband said it was the best K-drama he had seen. the visuals here are just stunning (unless they are gross) and the contrast is just so good and hits all the right spots for me. I also liked to hate most of the characters and did enjoy some great (dark) humor and one liners from some of the contestants.

So this is not something for the faint hearted but for those of you with a somewhat bloody darkside this may just hit the spot. Just don´t get to attached to anyone....

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Pretty average

Not so impressive but it's a decent watchable series, the main thing that i felt was its too dragging except when your not in the gaming situation. The story didn't emotionally connected to me. Comparing to Alice in Borderland this series lacks in many factors.

The whole situation not look very serious or intense in so many points, it makes sense only after the episode 7. Everything was predictable may be not in the case of that 2nd cameo also the things that happening in the finale Episode. Not much edge of the seat moments whole things looks nothing new. E08 was my favourite, i only got tensed in that episode, the 5th game was really exciting. It not necessary to forcefully make love, that intimate scene looks not apt to the situation.

I don't know why but i kept comparing this to Alice in Borderland throughout the whole series, may be i expected something different. And the finale Episode was the most irritating one.. its dragging like crazy. Definitely left the gate open for a new season no surprise for there but need to improve a lot if it renewing it again...

strictly personal opinion,

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Deserved the 'Starting Hype'

While I wouldn't say it's in my 'Top 10' of all time, I can say that Squid Game, unlike many other series, managed to deliver in it's hype which it had received since day one, providing top-notch production quality, sensational acting and character development, alongside a concept that was extremely interesting. One of the key things here, the character development, worked perfectly with the story theme: the fact that, in face of money, even your best friend can become your worst enemy if you need to survive etc.

Casting choices were absolutely perfect, and while I was the tiniest bit disappointed with the direction of the final episode (funnily enough the same sort of feeling I had with one of Lee Jung Jae's previous projects known as Chief of Staff) - I understand why it was done.

One other thing I really like about Squid Game is how easy it was to watch. I normally am not interested in re-watching dramas, but with Squid Game, I don't think that's the case - even when I know who survives and who doesn't. Two words: great writing. Here's another four words: check Squid Game out.

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Why would a Goodie do-Gooder go back to the sloutherhouse?

Normally I don't watch romance-less thriller kdramas, because they almost always suck. They are often full of immersion breaking sloppy writing and have many incredibly silly scenes. I feel that Squid Game certainly has them both. The characterization of the ML and of quite a few other contestants had some major problems. Personally I always hated it, when a random moron wins against smarter, more motivated opponents in a setting like this, however the ML's actions often felt arbitrary, beyond just an idiot's actions. Then again the whole thing is FULL of plotholes on a fundamental level, so the players frequently acting out of character is not even the biggest problem here, although Cho Sang Woo's death is just ridiculously stupid. All that he has sacrificed to win, for THAT to end up happening, well done! (evilME would have just thrown the knife for W45.000.000.000) Also what's the deal with the policeman's plotline, is there really a point beyond giving mental demons to his brother in season2?

The ending is trash of course, the minor cliffhanger is so bad that it's difficult to put into words. The final post-game twist is almost intelligence insulting too, especially considering how I went back and looked at what happened before frame by frame and it just doesn't make any sense. (pink solder raised the gun > the camera moved out of sight > boom > back in sight > man seemingly down) This is a preproduced drama and all the episodes were released on the same day, so the assumption that the audience would just forget about past details is just wrong.

The base ideas behind the show are pretty good, I guess the creator took Liar Game as the main inspiration & borrowed some ideas from Hunger Games and other Battle Royale titles. Mixing all that up with Korean children's games worked a lot better than I thought it possibly could have.
It's rare that a Korean TV show has one person as the director and the screenwriter. Hwang Dong Hyuk may have done a pretty bad job as a writer, but as a director I can only praise him. It's incredible how he succeeded to make the MOST BORING GAMES EVER exciting on TV. I found the tug of war game especially impressive. I have played tug of war many times & also I have seen tug of war on Running Man countless times, I have never thought rope pulling could be this exciting..

The best things about the show are of course the incredible sets, the symbology, the OST and the incredible cinematography.
I think the art director may have contributed more to this show's success than the director/screenwriter himself. I may have disliked many things about this show, but there were moments here and there, when I felt almost astonished at what I was seeing on screen. I do understand why Squid Game has become a worldwide sensation.

People talk about this show being the big hit it is, because of the human side of it, due to all the social interactions the contestants had with each other between the games. I'm not sure if I agree, most characters could not have been more two dimensional. Though certainly the actors did an excellent job showing a wide array of authentic emotions.

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Most English speaking characters were cringeworthy as usual. They could have done much better in that regard, considering it's a Netflix production. The silly dubbed accents were not even the worst part, but rather the whole VIP member commentary in the last 2 episodes could not have been more out of place.
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If we consider kdrama a genre, not just "korean made TV drama", then Squid Game is not a kdrama. It breaks several kdrama taboos, such as it has a Hollywood like explicit sex scene (not counting the gay foreigner thing), a lot of blood & most importantly the main characters are not astonishingly beautiful people. Personally I don't particularly mind, I'm just a little surprised by it all. I guess this is a real Netflix production with the western audiences in mind, perhaps Korea only embraced it, because it has become a huge worldwide sensation.

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Win or Lose it all

I watched this show when it came out from everyone talking about it, they seemed to enjoy it a lot so i did watched it too.
I have to say the story line is very interesting, win money by playing childhood games.
All these persons in needs need money and they are really to do anything to get it, even getting eliminated as the drama says.
The more you see money at your reach the more you want to get it, they just kept on going, no matter what!
The acting is really great! All the different characters are really unique to get to know and follow.
The games were also chose as a way to make them easy for everyone to understand them so we can focus on the rest of the story and the characters.
Although I really liked the drama, I do have to say that I am not a big fan of the ending and which for something different.

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The first layer of social commentary

After watching this show almost two full years after it came out and took the internet by storm, I can absolutely see why this was the drama that wormed its way into Western circles; tonally and dialogue-wise, there were lots of moments where I actually felt like I was watching a show — the drama was a lot more explicit than most kdramas I've seen.

As a "death game" show, it's honestly not THAT exciting. The games are mediocre and fairly straightforward, which, as someone who loves puzzles and cerebral/psychological manipulation, was kind of disappointing. Instead, I think the show focuses more on individual characters and I think people who enjoy more character-focused dramas would enjoy that. This, unfortunately, in my opinion, worked against it for the simple fact that most of the characters weren't that engaging or likable enough for me to really feel invested in and root for them.

As a social commentary it works but it honestly feels over-simplistic, and I think the addition of very obviously evil "VIPs" (who, by the way, spoke in cringy English) made the vibe of the show less realistic and almost cartoonish. There are subplots that also feel half-baked and out-of-place...even unnecessary, and I don't think the final "twist" really added anything to the themes or the plot.

With all these criticisms, though, I can't deny that this is just a genuinely FUN watch. I blew through all 9 episodes in less than a day and had a blast watching them; the pacing is fantastic I was really looking forward to how relationships would be made or broken.

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Money Can't Buy Happiness!

An old man presents an interesting premise. He asks, “What does a person with no money have in common with a person who has too much money?” His response is, “Neither one can have any fun. Having too much money soon becomes boring.” Such is the delusion of money. It cannot buy fun, love, happiness, or anything else that isn’t materialistic. It can only buy things. And things have a highly delusive quality to them. Why? Because people suffer when they don’t get what they want. And even when they get exactly what they want, they still suffer. Because they can’t hold onto it forever.

The same old man reminisces about his childhood days of being able to play with his friends seemingly forever without any rules or constraints. People are very much like children in their attachments to things. A child gets a new toy until he plays with it enough, and then he’s bored with it. Adults are no different. The World of Delusion promises only fleeting moments of happiness that always has the same result for everyone: the feeling of emptiness.

Squid Game is about human greed and how deep and low a person will stoop for a chance at 45 Billion Won (just over 33 million dollars). The target participants in these games are people who are in dire an desperate financial straits. People who owe such a debt that it’s all but impossible for them to get out from under. How they got into these situations isn’t really the issue compared to the fact that they’ve found themselves stuck in a hole they can’t get out of—until they receive a card; an opportunity to not only pay off their debts, but to possibly have enough money to secure their futures. However, nobody explains to them that nearly all lottery winners or people who win exorbitant amounts of money almost always end up broke. Such is the pitfall of “never having enough.” Even Ebeneezer Scrooge once stated, “There is no such thing as rich enough, only poor enough.”

Seong Gi Hun is a man in severe debt. He’s borrowed incredible amounts of money. He’s a divorced man living with his mother and trying to be there for his estranged daughter. He goes so far as to steal money from his mother in order to bet on horse races, with the hope of winning enough to treat his daughter to a birthday dinner. The people he owes money find him and threaten with severe bodily harm if he doesn’t come up with the money soon. He receives the invitation; an opportunity to play a game for money. More money than he could dream of!

Of course, nothing is as it seems as Seong Gi Hun and 455 other participants are whisked away to a strange island to play six games. Winner takes all. What Gi Hun doesn’t realize is that the games played to the death. He watches in horror as 200 people are killed playing, “Red Light, Green Light.” And as with all aspects of human greed, shaky alliances are formed for protection as well employing means of disposing of the competition. Sleepless nights are common as participants fear attacks in the middle of the night, and we wonder just how strong the initial bonds of friendship and comradery will last when lives and the money are on the line.

We find out that this entire game is an instrument of the incredibly rich from various countries and walks of life. Why? For entertainment. For the ability to revel in some “fun.” Never mind that that “fun” comes at the high price of human lives. Nobody cares. Not the people sponsoring the games nor the participants, no matter how much they may cry “foul” they still play. Ironically, after the first game, the participants vote to end the games, but after more time of suffering financial woes, they reluctantly agree to play again. Like people who frequent casinos, they will lose, but they will always come back. Strangely enough, even if they win, they will also always come back. That’s why they say, “The House always wins.”

I watched “Alice in Borderland” right before this series. While both series are incredibly well done and thought-provoking, I found “Alice in Borderland” far more insightful and sublime in its premise that it’s an allegory for life; that the joys and horrors of this world are not real. “Squid Game” is more specific in exposing the level of human greed and how base human “morality” becomes when money is the goal. As the Bible verse states, “For what does it profit a man should he inherit the world but lose his soul?”

It's not hard to guess that Seong Gi Hun wins the games, but interestingly enough, he refuses to use any of the money he’s won. Survivor’s guilt? Blood money? A final conversation with one of he masterminds behind the games causes him to think about his life, as he’s lived a full year without spending any of the money. Finally, after coming across another “participant” it’s clear that the writers have set up a “Season 2” with Seong Gi Hun vowing to expose the people behind the games.

This isn’t your typical “K-Drama.” It’s vicious and brutal without apologizing for it. There are characters you cheer for and others you immediately despise. There are also some you may find yourself cheering for, but in the end, you are hopeful for their downfall. And there are still others you initially despised but find yourself rooting for. Isn’t that very much like how people are treated in the real world? How ironic that most people love to pull a hero up, but not nearly as much as they love tearing one down.

The series was nearly perfect, except for one big flaw. The police officer who is able to sneak onto the island and uncover what is going on. Somehow, the police officer is able to follow a van in the middle of the night along a dark road to an exchange point. I’m not exactly sure how the driver of the van didn’t notice a single car trailing him the entire time. That was really far-fetched. I also didn’t see how the police officer was able to prevent his cellphone from running out of battery power (as he spends much time recording and taking photos). He certainly didn’t have a charger with him! The whole scenario with the officer should have been handled differently. Instead, like too many of the participants, he just had an incredible run of luck!

Performances across the board were fantastic with Lee Jung Jae leading the way. He was fantastic in “Chief of Staff” so I was already excited to see him helming this series. Even the pink hair got a laugh from me!

Squid Game endeavors to say a lot about people and the imbalance that exists in this world between the 1% and everyone else, and how that chasm is getting wider all of the time. It’s been stated that there is only one, true joy that you can have when you have “too much” money. And that, of course, is to share it. To use it to help others who are in need. The irony of money is that it can never buy happiness nor can you take it with you.

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Overrated

Major spoiler ahead. Proceed with caution.

I strongly feel that Squid Game is overrated. It started off well. The story and the suspense was quite good. However, I didn't like the ending. Ki Hoon wins all the money. He leaves Sae Byeok's brother with Sang Woo's mother and gives them the money and just leaves! I'm like, WTH?!?!?!?! That granny will die soon anyway so who will look after that little boy??? He could've at least stayed with them. This is why I didn't like the ending. I heard that they are going to bring a season 2. I hope it turns out better than this with a better ending. It is worth one watch.

Alice in Borderland was way better than this though.

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