Squid Game Review: Wildly Graphic & Emotionally Charged!

I initially didn’t want to watch Squid Game because of everyone watching and spoiling online but I figured I might as well get in on the action too. While I always aim to bring underrated pieces to my page I also understand why reviewing shows like this is necessary.

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Squid Game, a weird Korean game show/death match stars Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-Hun, a pest to society who drinks, gambles and makes impulsive decisions. After accepting an invitation from a stranger to make some quick cash, he finds himself in a battle royale for his very life.

Squid Game puts a new spin on the phrase “Korean game show.” Wildly graphic with emotionally charged characters, it really reminds me of another great (but unappreciated) Netflix series called 3%. (I can’t recommend it enough if you haven’t seen it.) In fact, Squid Game is more of a blend between 3% and the Saw franchise.

It possesses moving performances with virtually every cast member holding their own. This short series is savage and bloody with far better production value than even I expected given the budget for foreign content on Netflix. Gladly that’s changing with hits like Money Heist and now this. Pretty good sound production too. This show is the perfect example of why Netflix remains King in its arena. Their willingness to reach across the globe and provide diverse stories has always been one of their 3 main pillars.

What I liked most about Squid Game is that these kinds of shows always seem to place a big emphasis on morality. They’re all mad at Sang-Woo, including viewers and I don’t understand why. They all agreed to return to the game after a horrific first round. They all made the same choice as Sang-Woo from that point on. I mean I want to feel bad for them but can you really blame the game runners?

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The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me but I think that’s due more to pacing towards the end. In fact, that’s probably my biggest rebuke of this series. There are periods of extenuatingly dull, monotonous moments that can be quite off-putting because it messes up the pacing and overall tempo of the show. Other than that I quite liked Squid Game on Netflix, though if you asked me choose, 3% is better.

‘Squid Game’ Rating – 4/5

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