Squid Game (2021)

24 October 2021

I was a little surprised I didn't write something up about this when I initially watched it a few weeks ago. The series is still going strong on Netflix I don't think I've missed the boat to get a useful review out. This is a South Korean film about a group of financially desparate people gambling their lives for a chance to win a jackpot playing children's games.

While it reads like a similar take on the dystopian genre (Hunger Games, Battle Royale), its striking visuals and exccellent acting make the series stand on its own. Also as a limited series instead of a movie, the pacing building the story and characters is refreshing. It has a few twists to it that keeps the story interesting.

It apparently is smartly written in Korean but the dubbing/subtitling processes miss the subtleness, so I can't directly speak to that. However, I did think it was a good watch, and was gripping enough to watch through one sitting. I do worry about what they'd do if they write a season 2, because I don't think rehashing the same story works... and I don't know if having an entirely story would keep the same audience interested. Personally I hope they leave it as a single season if they can't decide on a solid follow-up (but unfortunately that isn't how series work). 8/10