Squid Game (2021)

Predictable

Contrary to popular beliefs, it wasn't that great. It was predictable and held very little surprise factor. The only surprise factor was the annoying lady didn't get killed for not being picked to play in the couple game being the odd person out. The most annoying character in the series.

I called it on the old man in the first episode. Scenes of people getting killed were repetitive and that reduces the shock and disgust factor. On top of that, the main character is unlikeable. Then again, every character in the series are less than honourable. It's hard to root for useless people. The sad attempt to sell the sad North Korean story line didn't have much of an impact with me. It didn't matter to me as to who lived or die. I just wanted to know how it ends.

The detective story line could have been interesting but the writing was lazy when they revealed who the game master was. Which I also guess who it was when the detective looked through past years' files.

The supposed international VIP brought on another level of 'ick' factor. To think that these people were "friends" of the game creator. Birds of a feather right? The acting was so bad it brought down the seriousness of the scene and somewhat came across as a skit.

I felt the ending was stupid. Wasting 1 year was stupid. Dying his hair red was stupid. The whole holier than thou attitude and vowing to hunt down the game makers etc etc was stupid.

On the bright side, it had great cinematography and acting. Kudos on the acting, I really hated ALL of them.

Perhaps this would have been better as a movie.

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Gets you on the edge but rather predictable

This series was quite easy to binge due to its shorter nature but also due to it being very eventful. The story is well thought-out and rather unique from some of your more typical dramas. However, there is gore and may not suit everyone’s taste. Personally, I’m not great with blood and gore but I’ve definitely seen worse. But, this is a drama where the story is quite predictable. Most of the time you can almost every time assume what’s going to happen next. The cast is also very diverse and acted extremely well to create different emotions and moods. I would highly recommend this drama.

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Emotionally captivating, but lacks depth.

Advertised and hyped up as one of the most thrilling survival series, I decided to watch it to see what the fuss was all about. While I enjoyed all the episodes, I have to say, for Korean Drama standards, the plot falls way below expectations. Plus, the bar was set already high for Squid Game as there are well written predecessors of the same genre.

☆ The drama is buoyed by the excellent and admirable performances of the cast, who did a wonderful job portraying the variety of characters. I stuck through for them. But, I did not have anyone that I was particularly fond of or attached to.

☆ The sets were brilliant in a dark manner. The production value of Kdramas rarely disappoint.

Now…

☆ I am definitely among the minority here, but the plot was really lacking, especially since it's a Korean Drama. SG depends on the strengh of it's characters. It attempts to emotionally pull you in. (And it seems to have succeeded, considering the hype.) Out of most of the countries I've watched, Korean Dramas, if given the right script and a good planning, usually produce excellent shows that are highly satisfying, regardless of their one hour long duration. While I understand the intention of letting the horror of the childrens' games in the drama sink deep, the backstory or motive behind the organizers of the game seems to be added almost as an afterthought. Game after game would be going on, but I was interested in only one plot thread involving No. 29 Guard. Ofcourse, they writers chose a trope for several character arcs.
The Games themselves were not intense, but it was the price that had to be paid for failure that was horrible. At one point, I stopped expecting anything different since most of the players made it out purely because of dumb luck or experience. There were some scenes and gore that as @WandeRer mentioned in his review: gratuitous. They served little to no purpose at all or even if I was interested in it, I got no proper explanation. I even felt that some deaths were added on for the sake of shock value.

☆The last three episodes are the ones I enjoyed the least. There seemed to be a sudden twist for one character in particular. Not to mention, some of the explanations were highly unconvincing to me. Maybe the writers are hoping to tie up a few loose threads in the second season. But, I don't know if I'd watch it.


☆ The OST, unfortunately for me, did not do the trick. This might be a result of me not having any particular attachment to any characters, but some scenes that were supposed to rile up intense emotions fell flat. I couldn't get the right 'survival' or 'thrilling' vibes that I was supposed to be feeling. Regular Kdramas such as Flower of Evil or Strangers From Hell managed to pull that in a better way according to me. I was more focussed on guessing who was going to come out alive since many of the actions' by the characters were predictable. All that remained was how long they survived.


☆ I've been seeing people compare it to Imawa No Kuni No Alice, but I see nothing similar among them except for the 'survival game' theme. I've also heard that the script writer was inspired by a few TV shows, one of them being the Liar Game. While I can definitely see the influence, I can't compare any of them since the purpose behind each is entirely different.

☆ Squid Game is not a bad drama. It's a decent watch. Long time watchers of this genre would find nothing new since Survival Games all have their own tropes. I can see that the hype surrounding it is by most people who accidentally stumbled upon KDramas for the first time or are new to this genre.

It all comes down to personal preference at the end. I enjoyed it, but the plot, particularly the last bit, managed to render the drama's build-up to almost nothing. It didn't have enough momentum to tempt me into watching a second season, unfortunately.

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The Mad Pastel Infused Survival World Of Hwang Dong Hyuk…

Hwang Dong Hyuk’s’ Squid Game’ is a world where the corruption of capitalism and moral decadence takes allegorical form in the vivid pastel hues of the game arenas.

The “ fight to survival” genre is nothing new in the world of dramas. ‘ Squid Game’ itself comes off as a weird fusion between ‘ Liar Game’ (with the unusual twist of South Korean childhood games) joined together with the blood-stained violence of ‘ Battle Royale’. However the series isn’t without its own unique twists. Even before stepping into the nightmare-fuelled pastel world of Dong Hyuk’s ‘ Squid Game’ prominent messages about South-Korean society from social prejudice, xenophobia, racism, sexism, misogyny and hypocrisy litter their way onscreen.

Actor Lee Jung Jae could vary between overacting with certain line deliverances, as well as oddly heartfelt as main character Ki Hoon . Ki Hoon has hit an all-time-low in life and spends his time between struggling to get out of debt, avoid gangsters and get time to spend with his daughter. When Ki Hoon is given the chance to participate in the game for ₩45.6 billion by Gong Yoo’s brief cameo as the mysterious and suave diplomat for the games , he soon runs in with childhood friend Sang Woo ( Park Hae Soo) and believes the opportunity to compete to be too good to be true. However Ki Hoon is given a new perspective upon life through games and his seeming amorality becomes replaced by feelings of remorse and guilt towards his past actions.

As the series progresses the series reveals that many of Ki Hoon’s competitors (and even the game guards) have their own personal moments of flaws, strengths and ulterior motives for being involved in the game. Ki Hoon’s old childhood friend Sang Woo ( Park Hae Soo) stands miles apart in Ki Hoon’s eyes initially as an alumni of Seoul National University ( one of the top South Korean universities) due to being an intelligent as well as an analytical individual. However Sang Woo has his own reasons for joining the game due to being heavy in debt as well as his risky bets. Alongside Sang Woo and Ki Hoon is kindhearted immigrant Ali ( Anupam Tripathi) who feels indebted to Sang Woo in particular after helping him countless times, however, Ali hides his own reasons for joining the game also. Together their last close ally is an elderly gentleman No.1 ( Oh Young Soo) who despite seemingly joining the game as a death warrant for his illness, No.1 has a lot more to him as a character than initially meets the eye.

Alongside our main team is seemingly merciless North-Korean defector Kang Sae Byeok ( Jung Ho Yeon), violent gangster Jang Deok Soo( Heo Sung Tae), the foul-mouthed and vocal Han Mi Nyeo ( Kim Joo Ryoung) and sardonic outcast ( introduced not until later episodes) Ji Yeong ( Lee Yoo Mi).

Aside from the actual players there is also police detective Hwang Jun Ho ( Wi Ha Joon) who infiltrates the games as a guard in hope of finding the fate or whereabouts of his missing brother. There were many unexpected twists and turns with characters which will certainly keeps viewers on their feet.

However after the halfway point the screenwriting of ‘ Squid Game’ undeniably hit a slight rut. It wasn’t particularly that suddenly the drama felt slow-placed or lacked logic, but there were multiple occasions where plot moments often felt unexplained or lacked more depth. For example there is a brief subplot involving illegal organ donations of deceased players which whilst wrapped up quickly, questioned a lot about how the guards had established this trade for so long behind the frontman( the head honcho)’s back. Additionally there’s also greater questions about the guards and how they became involved, the VIPS ( aside from some questionable acting), how no one has ratted the existence of the games out and ultimately whether the game operators keep tabs on the surviving winner.

However the drama was undeniably quite profound and heartfelt at times . It wasn’t afraid to present the destruction of childhood and the dog-eat-dog world of South-Korean society. Whilst there were some flaws with the series failing to wrap up certain storylines or character arcs, the cinematography of director Hwang Dong Hyuk’s visionary setting is subtle towards more prominent messages, foreshadowing and hints towards the fate and motives of characters.The OST is composed wonderfully by Jung Jae Il who combines original pieces for the series with traditional Korean and orchestra instruments to create an emotional ambience during scenes. In addition to original pieces several classical music pieces were included with one of the most subtle homages being paid through ‘An der schönen, blauen Donau Op. 134 (Johan Strauss II)’ during several scenes. ( For those who don’t know this piece was also used in the controversial game-changer to the survival game genre, the 2000 Japanese movie ‘ Battle Royale’, which helped to inspire the series and is likely a nod and a wink to the film.) The acting front was admittedly a little wobbly at times but fairly good otherwise . Overall ‘ Squid Game’ is a fairly entertaining watch with prominent messages, intriguing characters and twists which will keep you on the edge of your seats. It is not one for the lighthearted.

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Unexpected binge watch

Took this on based on Netflix recommendation and binged all 9 episodes. Admittedly it had a strong hunger games vibe but the story plot and character linkages had me hooked. Unexpected twists at the end. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised when it finished. The only gripe I have is that I'm not a fan of the foreign actors typically cast in kdramas. It's like they bring in foreigners living in korea with no acting skills. The foreign actors cast in this series I felt brought down the calibre of acting of the korean actors. Also limiting their script to swearing and yelling obscenities was frustrating - ugh!

Other than that it was a solid series.

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Watch for the games, utterly disappointed !!

U may say I'm cruel or worst for giving this a low rating but I'm writing this based on how i felt overall after finishing the drama. The idea was not original at all, I was reminded of other show like Alice in borderland, liar game, kaiji, as the gods will,... I had watched some other death game show like the above mention and also maze runner, hunger games, the darkest mind, the 5th wave... most didn't remind me of others because their idea and concept were unique. However, what I like the most about these death games is that there is a way to win/survive and not just depends on luck. Sorry to say, I am also someone who like smart MC,..

Story: First of all, the games is simple and the outcome is too predictable. I couldn't feel thrill at all but simply felt nothing and bored while watching....the pacing is too slow (lots of slow motion scenes too). Felt draggy making me feel sleepy...

Too many plot holes to let some characters win easily and for someone who organize the event as serious as a deadly game, the security system is laughable... the north korean girl can easily sneak in a knife!! But doesn't get anywhere with it anyway....I didn't even want to mention how easily the police infiltrate the place. The bad party is way too lenient on the player (or they just too stupid). They say the game are conducted fairly, then they should play the games that will not put disadvantages on women and elderly.

The human trafficking part was unnecessary, it doesn't get anywhere...
The brother reveal was predictable too.
And the VIP?! , TERRIBLE...
The old man motive was lame and I don't get why does he keep asking the MC 'do u still trust people' like why?? They didn't enter the game because they trust people though (they suddenly want to teach us to trust people when the whole drama is them betraying and killing each other??)
And WHAT'S MORE, he's going back into the game trying the save others when he can't even save himself, Hahahhahahaha

Characters: I like none of them, no one I truly root for (maybe abit for the north korean girl). The main guy depends too much on luck (until the end...), whenever he's in trouble/dilemma, there's always someone to help him, he didn't even need to try....There are too many annoying characters (wish they die quickly), many moments that are too dramatic.

Music: It was okay but not memorable... Some part felt unnecessary.

Set design: Colourful, beautiful, creative but maybe the space is a bit limited. But it's amazing how they build it from scratch.

Overall: The only good episode was half of ep 6 (almost cry..), This drama focus more on characterization which maybe why it doesn't click with me cause I personally prefer game more than character.
Going into this drama with high expectations after seeing the trailer but also worried because it's a kdrama (there's bound to be too much drama), haizz...my worry was right...

People may disagree with me but this is my opinion and my preference, if u have a good time watching, I'm happy for u!!

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

At it's worst, what desperation can mean to many when pushed to the maximum, even at the cost of gambling their lives away in life threatening games. Competing for the grand cash prize of ₩45 Billion (USD38 Million), these contestants know that it is the only way for them to resolve their financial problems which are hounding them incessantly in their daily lives. Hence, the game starts with the famous "Red Light, Green Light" ....followed by a series of childhood games which gets harder and thrilling by each episode. Imagine....as the game starts with 456 contestants, ending with "Squid Game", with ONE last person standing in the end...., how many are 'assassinated' along the way, as each and everyone try to stay alive in whatever means they can.

This genius of a drama is not only able to keep our attention with it's visually and mentally thrilling games, but as it unfolds, it also tells a story of basic human nature of kindness, love, greed, betrayal, sacrifice and much much more depicting the good and bad that exists in each of us. And that, when it comes the time to decide, one can 'choose' to do the right thing.......or not.

Like many, I was also SURPRISED by this survival drama. Not a fan of action dramas and too over-loaded by romance drama, I was not thinking that Squid Game will be a likely choice for me to watch. Thought I'd just watch one episode and call it a day. But, I kept hanging on to it and spent a full day binge watching 9-episodes and after that thought to myself 'dang', what a fabulous show, even till the last drop!

I have not seen Lee Jun Jae since 2010, "The Housemaid", that I nearly forgot what a great actor he is. In Squid Game, he played his character Gi Hun (No. 456) so well, from the gullible, trusting, loser of a guy to a true survivor, is well deserved of an award. His best friend Sang Woo - No. 218 (Park Hae Soo) is no slacker too, who in the drama, is the head of an investment team at a securities company, wanted by police for cheating his clients.

The rest of the cast (1) Sae Byeok-No. 67 (Jung Ho Yeon) North Korean defector, (2) Il-Nam-No. 1 (Oh Yeong Su) elderly man with a brain tumor, (3) Deok Su-No. 101 (Heo Sung-taek-su) a gangster with massive gambling debts, (4) Abdul Ali-No. 199 (Anupam Tripathi) a Pakistani foreign worker, (5) Han Mi-nyeo-No. 212 (Kim Joo-ryoung) a mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother AND (6) Wi Ha-joon -Guard No. 29 (Hwang Jun-ho) a police officer who sneaks into the Game as a guard to find his missing brother are ALL worth mentioning for their perfect acting. Not a single flaw and had great energy playing off each other's strengths and together with the two main leads.

Such a memorable show. As you watch, there are also many clues from what the actors say and surroundings.....keep a look out on the walls too! This drama has now such a huge global following....kudos to another Korean show that is truly entertaining and well suited for international consumption.

And, finally, last but not the least, having Gong Yoo and Lee Byung Hun in special appearances was the icing on the cake!! Writer and Director Hwang Dong Hyuk (who also directed Gong Yoo in "Silenced") did a fabulous job. Such a genius, I await eagerly for the second season of Squid Game.

Squid Game is a highly recommended watch, don't miss it!

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confusingly good.

This is a show where you would cry, get excited & be confused af.
I was so excited watching this series, because I knew it would be good
and it was trending all around especially it’s a netflix series.

So, was it worth to watch?
Yes, It was really good it’s thrilling & the fact that I finished it in 1 day it’s
because it was really thrilling & interesting to watch.
But if you have a kid watching this with you, please remember that it may traumatized
your child even me lmao…

Story: 9/10
The story was good, It’s about adults playing kids game back in their childhood
trying to survive for money.
It shows how humans can risk their lives just for it, and at the end is all regrets
A huge lesson that money can maybe less up your problems but can it be
your happiness?…you may get that huge piggy bank with billions of cash but at the end you will
feel guilty that the money your spending was all people’s lives.

I was also confused what will happen next im pretty sure there would be s2
because the ending was soooo questionable.

There’s also a huge plot twist which did not made me shock because of the stupid
spoilers in every social media app i used but i do not want to ruin the show so i will not
give any spoilers ^^

I also didn’t think that this series was gonna be painful i still can’t get over it
so be ready, get your tissues.

Acting/Cast: 9/10
The cast was great, their acting was good too.
They all pulled their character well, my faves would be Jung Ho Yeon & Lee Yoo Mi.

Lee Jung Jae (Seong Gi Hoon)- The personality of his character was kind of childish, he was
a bad dad & a bad son, imagine relaying to your mother who is literally old but he doesn’t care
but he had a lesson in the ending. he is kind tho :)

Park Hae Soo (Cho Sang Woo)- He was a traitor, imagine the so called “smart guy”
would do something that bad. (But still made me teared up at the end :()

Jung Ho Yeon (Kang Sae Byeok)- She’s reallly pretty she look like niki + felix but a girl & she was
blackpink jennie’s friend aww. (she is also a model)
This was her acting debut/first drama which made me shock her acting is soo good,
and her first drama was already a big hit rn. Looking forward for her next dramas.

Not much to say to her character she was really great.

The supporting roles was also good Ali was also my fave he was so kind-hearted but..
The old man made me cry the most he was so adorable in the drama but…
Lee Yoo Mi look like late sulli :( i love her…


Music: 5/10
Idrk if there was any music but the only one I remember was the first ep.
+ most of it was just instrumental but i’ll give a half score for that.

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What was all the hype about? ** SPOILERS **

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED


I'd been waiting to watch squid game for a while whilst I watched other dramas and due to how popular it is, I thought it'd be worth a watch. I was quite wrong, as this is the worst rating I have ever given a kdrama. I actually thought the first few episodes were brilliant, I liked the style of the show and it seemed the the plot was meticulously planned out and had somewhere to go. I also really enjoyed the acting in this, I think it's the best part of the show. However there were major drawbacks that made it almost unwatchable after episode six.

SPOILERS


So, I did like how we got a backstory to some of the characters and why they decided to take part in the game, however I think they should've shortened it right down so that they could include more characters and also so that it gave no indication as to who were going to make it through and win, because Gihun was the main focus. I just didn't like that there were so many deaths that added absolutely nothing to the plot and it made me so frustrated throughout, like the death of Kang Saebyeok, Jang Deok-su and Ha Mi-nyeo, also Ali's death made me mad but it did make more sense to the plot than the others. We never get an explanation as to who the staff are in pink and why they are partaking in the games. The police officer's death was annoying as he could've led to further plot development and a different angle, but all the work he did was for nothing and getting to know him from the start made absolutely no sense to me, as he died uneventfully anyway. The information he finds was half explained at best. I don't understand why they introduced the VIPs with those stupid masks, it made it almost unbearable to watch with cringe, it would've been a better idea to say the guy with the man did it because he was evil, sick and twisted. We have absolutely no idea to who the guy is who plays the games at the train station, whom we believe we will get an explanation for from the beginning. Apart from Kang Saebyeok, the other main characters' morals kept switching and it really annoyed me. One minute they were throwing their teammates off the bridge and the next they were sacrificing themselves. It made me mad that the whole reason saebyeok had to survive was because her friend gave up her life for her, but she died needlessly, whereas it was okay Gihun survived because the old man did as well, but it turned out not to be true. Don't even get me started on how cheap the so called "plot twist" with Il-nam was, it just ruined Gihun's character development and the best answer the could come up with is that it was "for fun". Didn't make any sense to me.

All in all, I thought the music and the acting was good and the actual idea was there, it just needed refining. Apart from that it was a step away from unwatchable and I wouldn't put myself through it again. However I'm sure if this was someone's first kdrama, they would like it. Sorry if I didn't make any sense or sounded a bit ranty, it's my first review :)))

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Unpopular opinion: Overhyped (great start,poor ending)

When life becomes a game, brings out the scariest ride of life. This has a fascinating story line not new but still it's captivating games relating to childhood is really interesting.

Good points :The starting is really great showing people economic condition so that we feel bad for them and showing pity to have us emotionally bonded, that's great. It's didn't look forced

The production design is great. The cinematography and ambience created is spot on for me. The actors all stood out in their characters specially grandfather character, cop and that wild girl haha.

Twist: The participants can choose to quit and participate again if they want was kind of surprising totally not expected.

Bad points: See this is not a new story line where character participate in game and dies when they cannot complete task.
Like #CUBE and #ESCAPE ROOM they have done before. So ,it was kind of similar nothing really unexpected happen.

The ending, it sucks. The last episode was boring felt disconnected from other episodes. Of course , a setup for next season but really do we need it?

Definitely, there are loop holes if thought carefully like how that grandfather character can be in two places at the time of VIP thing and no one notice a contestant being missed?

But, at the end of the day, this show shouldn't be missed.

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