Creators:
Dong-hyeok HwangDirected by:
Dong-hyeok HwangScreenplay:
Dong-hyeok HwangCinematography:
Hyeong-deok LeeComposer:
Jae-il JungCast:
Jung-jae Lee, Hae-soo Park, Seong-tae Heo, Ha-joon Wi, Yoo-mi Lee, Yoo Gong, Jung Hoyeon, Anupam Tripathi, Yeong-su Oh, Paul Nakauchi, Byeong-heon Lee (more)VOD (1)
Seasons(2) / Episodes(18)
Plots(1)
Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes. (Netflix)
Videos (30)
Reviews (12)
1st season – 70% – The concept is enticing, the plot is uncompromising, and the characters are concrete and honest to the point that it is impossible not to give in and continue watching, getting caught up in the madness where even viewers who a week ago wouldn't have given Korean cinematography a second thought are wearing geometric patterns on their faces. However, the best moment is the initial shock at what is happening to the protagonists. At that moment, anticipation, tension, and the feeling that I have been waiting for a spectacle like this for years all come together. But that moment can't be surpassed, and I quickly become frustrated that the audience constantly stays one step ahead of the main characters, without realizing what will happen next. The naivety of what awaits the poor souls in the next game and their surprised reaction that it's a matter of life and death becomes more and more irritating, as well as their way of thinking and their desire to ally with those who clearly have ulterior motives and only play for themselves. By the end, many questions have been pushed hurriedly aside, and even the non-game storyline gleefully mocks me, saying that the answers may come someday next time. The impact is gone, but the curiosity still remains, albeit to a lesser extent.
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Excellently written... How to quit gambling easily and fast with the help of kids’ games. In addition to having a great screenplay which grabs you and doesn’t let go, despite the slow opening and superfluous epilog, Squid Game can rely on precise directing and perfectly chosen actors. Hae-soo Park clearly rules the screen. Each game points at a different aspect of what it is to be human, and lots of people won’t like what they see. I sincerely don’t know if we need another season. As it is, it’s great, if you forget about that epilog. So leave it be.
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Yeah, a pretty cool Korean take on Battle Royale, Hunger Games, Saw, Cube, and Escape Room that goes out of its way to attempt some relatively adult social insight. But in spite of how serious it wants to look at times, the core of the whole thing is completely banal, and the execution of the action is quite logically haphazard in the details. That is fine with stuff like Escape Room (it's basically identical in concept), which is not trying to be anything other than a fun B-movie, but Squid Game wants to be more like Parasite and I found that quite distracting at times. And the awful line with VIPs is a chapter on its own, terribly cringe. In its strongest moments it’s excellent (the sixth episode in particular is amazing, though actually quite predictable from the beginning), but lame in its weakest. Either way, compared to last year’s Alice in Borderland, it’s light years ahead.
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As I write this, Squid Game is Netflix’s most successful show of all time, and honestly, I'm not surprised. Audiences are drawn to violence — the more intense, the better. And this show definitely pushes those limits in some episodes. But what makes it stand out are the fantastic characters, especially the main one, who's such a lovable fool that you can't help but wonder what will happen to him. From a filmmaking perspective, it's also top-notch, with stunning shots and chilling moments, all backed by a great soundtrack. Squid Game isn’t just a well-executed concept that hooks you in; it also mixes in some dark, absurd humor that works surprisingly well with the show’s intense themes. Overall, it’s a brilliant series that fully deserves the attention it’s getting right now.
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A crossover of the motifs of Battle Royal and Saw themes, brilliantly transformed into an eight-hour collective trip through hell, all in an appealing colorful form with impressive sets and costumes, well-constructed characters and a sociological examination of their behaviour, imaginative games with more than one clever surprise and a sizable portion of blood and brutality. Dong-hyeok Hwang boldly combines all kinds of pop culture and genre trends in a commercial work for the masses and comes out on top. Episode 6 is an emotional knockout that I really didn’t expect here. The only stumble in the likelihood of the characters’ behavior comes in the final episode. It's also capped off with a slapdash would-be surprising point that contradicts certain previous events.
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Gallery (177)
Photo © Netflix
![Squid Game - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/165/751/165751704_2be3f2.jpg)
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