Squid Game (2021)

Murderous children's games of the highest quality.

Are you in the game - Can you endure the game? The contestants of the hit series Squid Game may have thought that children's games were a simple match, but it turned out to be a delicate balance between life and death - Depicted in an absolutely brilliant way in this nerve-wracking Korean series.

If you have everything to lose, well, you might as well lose everything. The almost 500 participants in the mysterious Squid Game are all hand-picked because they have one thing in common - They are all so destitute that they barely have anything to live for. Above their heads hang literally millions of won and herons, which in their situation and opinion could solve all their problems. The crux is that they have to get through a number of challenges - But they also have to win over the other participants.

Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-jae) is one of them - A daydreaming loser obsessed with gambling, something that has put him at odds with both his aging mother and his neglected 10-year-old daughter. When the chance in the form of a chuckling businessman (Gong Yoo, superstar from, among others, Train to Busan) appears, he quickly seizes it. Child's play, it can be very easy to get through and it is as planned so that he can grab the many well-pressed bundles of bills.

But if you lose in the games, well then you lose your life too. What begins with a chaotic Red-Green light soon leads to increasingly complicated games, and even behind the colorful backdrop of the game, trouble begins - Both with the participants but also within the other closed doors behind this giant puzzle land. Parallel to the bloody exciting games going on, we get to follow a detective (Wi Ha-Joon) who tries to uncover what is really happening - And why.

The entire world's Netflix audience seems to have opened their eyes to the mildly nerve-wracking and stress-filled massacres of children's games in the Korean Squid Game. Seasoned viewers of Korean K-dramas will see the usual depth of character mixed with thoughtfulness and a light dose of sentimentality. There is a moral to everything that happens on our screen - Nothing is really just a coincidence. At times it can be predictable, but how the story is told and how detailed it is can be at least as important as the result.

Psychological games and who we really are under pressure, we've seen that before. But rarely has it been done in such a charged, heartbreaking, and well-written way as in Squid Game - Which is also heavily sprinkled with social criticism. Is it our fault – Or is it the system's fault? Stay far away from the Hollywood of capitalism - No paws at a remake of Squid Game, then you have missed the point.

The disputes and thorns in Squid Game are many, and nerve-wracking. The series will keep you curled up and as if on pins and needles, throughout all of the series' nine clever and well-made episodes. Follow the k-hype with Parasite, Burning and Minari - But whatever you do - Skip the unnatural dubbing!

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When you play the squid game, you win or you die, there's no middle ground

Easily one of the best dramas, if not the best, of the year, so far. This drama just has the perfect mix of drama, suspense, mistery and action while still delivering social criticism regarding specially human nature and how crushing the capitalistic system is for the ones at the bottom.

The pacing of the drama is pretty good, it'll keep you at the edge of your seat and the chiffhangers will just make it almost impossible to stop watching. The reduced amount of episodes also help make the drama binge-worthy, while sparing it the same fate of many dramas that feel bloated because of many useless filler plots and characters. I think Squid Game just has the right amount of run time.

Besides that, the acting is really great. The cast is very convincing and I enjoyed a lot that the writers still managed to delve into the characters backstories and conflicts, otherwise this could've been a huge failure, cause you wouldn't care about any of the characters if they were so shallow. The only portrayals and parts of the script that felt weak were the ones related to the non-asian, english speaking characters, but I've yet to see an english dialog in a korean drama that isn't cringy, so I wasn't really surprised or disappointed.

Another strong suit of this show is the soundtrack. It's simply phenomenal, alternating between complementing the mood perfectly and contrasting with what's being shown to the point of being jarring, which was obviously the intention. In the end, I think the songs fit the scenes perfectly and truelly help you immerse into the story. And I have to say, Squid Game is very good at pulling at your heartstrings, it was the first time where I was at the verge of tears watching a drama.

Now I see that a lot of people seem to have a problem with the ending, and while I can understand it to some extent, I can't agree with it at all. I don't think this show has a good or a bad ending, but rather a very fitting one. It was more of a reflective ending and I think it was a fair conclusion to the events that ocurred.

Overall, Squid Game is an amazing experience to go through. It's a drama that's not afraid of doing what it has to do to tell you a story. I won't comment much more on it, because I honestly think it's best to go into it without knowing much, and spoilers could really ruin your experience, so I'll just recommend this drama to everybody (except maybe for people who can't handle graphic violence or gore) because I really think it's something you have to see for yourself.

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it was worth the hype that it got

the show is so good, very well done compared to many other netflix series. the plot is so full of mystery and creativity, while i know many people did guess about who the cop's brother is etc but there is also things that you cant guess, for exemple it was surprising about how in ep 2 they went back to their old life before going back again in the game that was not expected. the games were really entertaining and horrifying in the same time as its childhood games used like that

the whole hiarchy about the pink soldiers too is really cool, about how the circle ones are the workers, the triangle ones are the army and the square are the managers,then the front man then the host which is on top.there is also a lot of hidden signs in the serie that you cant find easily ,about how the old man is behind it all and how the games are on the wall and its really cool.
now lets talk about the cast, i dont think there is a better cast than this, the acting is really on top. ep 6? seriously you cant stop the tears, you find yourself so attached to the characters which is something you dont find in every serie. it shows you as well how humans behave when they are desperate so you see a lot of different behaviors from those who sacrifice themselves to those who trick others to survive and its true that every one deal with those situations differently depending on their mental health and their personality. the only thing to criticize here is the vips acting,its cringy and doesnt look realistic to me but again its a korean show so they probably werent aware of it, also if the vips are full of foreign people who dont all speak english fluenty then it could turn cringy, i just dont think that all of them are american.

the last thing i want to mention is the music, its so so goooooood, the "pink soldier" song is so addicting and there is other songs that are also so cool.
overall the show deserve the hype and you can feel that there is a lot of effort behind it im happy when people who worked so hard got what they deserved, for now i can only wish that season 2 dont be rushed, i want them to take their time and make a good plot i dont want it poorly done because season 1 really give high expectations

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it was heart clenching and gut wrenching and simply devastating. it's devastating how on point it is. how the rich controll everything. how it has always been like that and always will be.

it was devastating to see someone lose their friend. it wasdevastating to see someone lose their spouse. it was devastating to see someone lose their new-found gganbu. it was devastating to see someone lose their sister. it was devastating to see someone kill their brother. it was devastating to see how much someone has to do in order to survive.

I'm sickened and saddened and just out of words. and it's not only because I witnessed so much acted suffering, it's because it's real. because it's my, your, our reality. and there's no way of changing it.

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Predictable storyline saved by exemplary production value and acting

Truly on-the-edge of your seat production. While it's not difficult to predict what'll happen in Squid Game, it's the journey that makes this show such an enjoyable watch. The games themselves are suspensful and keep your eyes glued to the screen; the characters are well-done and three-dimensional. Personally I didn't see too much philosophy and discourse on the social gap that the games address (on-screen), but like another review I've read online say, you can engage in this show in whatever level you're comfortable with, whether as a superficial battle-to-the-death or a more in-depth analysis on the social state of society.

PROS
❀ Action was well done, cinematography was on point, and in general the production was top notch | I think this is the highlight of what makes or breaks a familiar storyline that hinges on emotion and action. The camera work allows the characters' faces (and subsequently, emotions) to shine, and the sets and costumes are attention-grabbing. I'm especially a fan of the green tracksuits vs. pink solider outfits, as well as the stairs that model Escher's relativity.
❀ Cool easter eggs that keep you guessing | I love that the writer/director (I believe the same person) added little hints throughout the episodes that watchers can latch onto. It keeps us engaged despite using predictable plotlines as we keep watching to find out if those hints we found had a basis. (The feeling of victory when you had the correct guesses>>>)
❀ Characters... wow | I think the acting took the cake in this drama. I like that we see both familiar faces (like the cameo from the crowd popular Gong Yoo as well as Lee Jung Jae as the MC), as well as rising stars (Jung Ho Yeon that became a fan favorite as well as Anupam Tripathi - a win for South Asian casting in S. Korea). It felt like each player gave it their all and you really end up cheering for them. Personally I liked every player - even the underhanded ones like No. 101 and 218. Each of them are on the spectrum of morally gray whether it's their background, personality, or both that galvanized them to join the squid games. I also enjoyed No. 456's journey from ep 1 to 9; he does have a little of that protagonist glow/armor going on towards the latter episodes (as well as the mentality of a shounen anime MC), but I like that it gives a bit of light to an otherwise rather morose and dark show. The hopeful note the show ends on (as well as the hint of another season) can only be met by such a character.
❀ Music that fits the scenes SO well | I'm in love with the soundtrack. Even as I'm typing this, I'm listening to dubstep remixes of the Pink Soldier theme. The OSTs are paired perfectly with the eerie roboticism of the workers, secret motives of the players, and mysterious powers of the frontman. This ties in, again, with the excellent production and attention to details that the cast and production team focused on.
❀ Tight writing that doesn't drag despite being more character-focused | I think the writer did an excellent job in keeping Squid Game concise yet emotional. We go through character backgrounds, but those scenes are a help rather than a hindrance to the story as we begin to empathize with them. For characters that got less screen time (ex: the player with the nose ring), their acting/actions were more than enough to make them grow on you. Anything more would have lessened my engagement.

CONS
✕ The plot is a lil been there, done that | When it comes to human psychology and the huge wealth gap, the show doesn't offer too much to the conversation. (Interesting exception: pointing out the injustices of foreign workers in S. Korea, which is a topic I've never seen in media before.) Otherwise, like I mentioned in the title of this review, the messages aren't shocking or revolutionary. No. 456 goes down a familiar path that well-liked MCs have gone through before while sustaining his humanity and a (generally) positive outlook on society.

OVERALL
Not going to lie, I was sweating buckets while watching some of the episodes. Squid Games is suspensful, well-produced, and features a diverse cast of characters that'll grip you from start to finish. One of the best parts is that season 1 is relatively short (9 1-hour episodes) and once you start, you won't want to stop. (It took me 2 weeks to even start after prodding from friends and family, and after the games started I was all in.) Recommended for a thrilling watch with a little gore, a lot of death, and the characters that really make the show shine.

(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)

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Don't throw yourself at big money because you can die

There are too many characters to speak about them all so I will just say that each of them did a great job and I am full of admiration for the team. The series was not easy, rather hard to digest. Productions that are based on human morality are always difficult and can backfire on producers. Fortunately Squid Game was a hit?

I don't know who came up with the idea to turn children's games into a bloodbath, but applause for him/her. He/she totally ruined it for the next generation ? In principal the "players" suppose to be equal as they were stripped down from outside connections, money and sanity. But still some managed to cheat and the "organizers" intentionally exposed players with lower numbers to the first fire. NOT NICE! ?

I don't know if you can say that the drama has its message because what would it be "don't throw yourself at big money because you can die"? I do not think so. Because is it one of the first Korean Netflix production it has a lot of american vibe. This is also why it is so widely propular around the world. When you would start to compare it to Goblin or It's Ok Not To Be Ok in a minute you would notice how mediocare Squid Game is. I am not denying the actors' talent because they were very good just the style was a bit off for me for korean market. So I rate this drama 6/10 but despide the odds still recommend it to watch as it is a great fun ?

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The Childhood of Your Nightmares

I usually don't watch things like this because well.. i'm a chicken LMAO but from episode 1 it really got me hooked and I couldn't stop watching. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, the deaths were definitely shocking once they initally happened but then in a way you get desensitized when it happens the second time, if that makes sense. Some deaths hurt more than others because of the attachment i grew for some of the characters and others I either thought were an epic way to go out or didn't for at all cause of who they were. Won't say too much else but the plot twist was definitely something and the end in general just annoyed me. The soundtrack definitely helped set the mood. After this, I'll definitely won't be able to think of certain games without thinking of Squid Game. Everything considered , I still recommend it.

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I surrendered to the hype. As I started only airing dramas, I had the time to finish this one pretty quick (I mean one day) and I have to say that I understand the boom that I talk about in my last post. Although it isn't the kind of drama that I frequently watch, is undeniable that this production is amazing and is not from thin air the success that we can see involving this now.

"Squid Game/Round 6" tells the story of Seong Gi Hoon (Lee Jung Jae), a broken man who lives with his mother and has many debts to pay because of his addiction to gambling. The life of Gi Hoon changes when he met a man who presents an opportunity to earn a lot of money participating in a secret game. What Gi Hoon didn't know is his life and the life of others 455 people would be at risk because of that.

We can see a lot of references in this drama, as "Matrix", "Saw", "Hunger Games"... I read a lot of reviews telling about copy, but I don't think this is the case. It's impossible to talk about survivor games without reply some aspects from other productions, but "Squid Game" has its particularities, which I can't mention here because it is a no-spoiler review. I was a little hesitant to start this because I heard so many bad reviews mentioning the violence and wrong ideas that I was scared, but now that I finished I really don't understand these critics.

Of course, is a violent drama, and the age-rated is the point that confirms this, but if you watched any other horror movie or even some heavier action movie (John Wick sent his regards), you won't be impersonated at all. It isn't the kind of k-drama that the romantic ones who just watch dramas because of their sweetness and softness would like. It is heavy, but nothing absurd to people above 16 who have a clear mind at the moment. So, if you are passing through something heavy in your life and don't feel comfortable watching violent scenes or a dystopic story, save this for later or for never. I just watched because I was feeling okay, but I would wait for sure if it was a few weeks ago.

I'm doing this review more like an alert because the internet is full of reviews and comments about it. My considerations are: The story is amazing. The performances are incredible. I don't know if I want a second season. If you have children, don't let them watch it. Even if your kid is pretty mature, that are some things that they don't need to watch, and the age-rated is made for this.

This is a chosen one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★) for sure, and now I'll come back to my silly romances until the blood dries out of my brain.

See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.

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Disturbing? Yes. But I just know we're all simping for Sae-byeok.

If I was just going off the title and didn't see the poster, I would be so disturbed by this show that I wouldn't be able to sleep for a few days.

Let's dissect the story. I love how it not only quickly introduces the main character, but also briefly brings up the other few main characters all within the first episode. It is fast-paced, and it brings about a new 'topic' every few episodes -- though not disconnected. The one thing that prevented it from having a 9/10 was the ending. It is the typical Netflix Original ending, as with Love Alarm, Extracurricular, and Vagabond; it gives you that unsettling ending that makes you long for a season 2 or explanation.

Let's now talk about the cast. I didn't really like the main character, but mostly because I couldn't relate with his character. His actor, Lee Jung Jae, did an amazing job portraying his desperation and poorness. As for all the side characters, I think I really fell in love with Sae-byeok and Ha Joon. Sae-byeok's role and her scene with Ji Yeong really made me cry; I always remember scenes and characters that make me cry. As for Ha Joon, I was just always a fan of the actor that played him. Unless there is a season 2, I don't really get the significance of his character at the moment though.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this drama--but do not watch if you are looking for wholesome or romantic content.

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