Squid Game - Believe The Hype

every so often a movie or tv show seems to just come out of nowhere and totally blindside you and such was the case with squid game a south korean survival thriller that got released on netflix a couple of weeks ago i have to admit i knew [ __ ] all about this show until like a week ago there was no advertising campaign no media hype no press junkets nothing and let's be honest here a netflix original foreign language production with a goofy title like squid game it doesn't exactly scream high quality viewing but the more people started talking about it online the more my interest was peaked maybe there was something to the show after all and when mauler finally told me to just shut the [ __ ] up and watch it i thought what the hell let's give it a go and god damn i'm extremely glad that i did squid game represents probably the most compelling and emotionally gripping viewing experience i've had since the final season of breaking bads it's a show that pulled me in from the very first episode and didn't let go into the final frame yeah it makes a few missteps along the way and some of the last minute revelations are definitely gonna be controversial but for the most part it delivered a solid nine hours of gripping quality entertainment that puts about 95 percent of the garbage being churned out by hollywood to shame then again nine hours of me farting in the bathtub would probably do the same thing anyway the show centers around a middle-aged loser named gaeun who lives with his elderly mother in south korea he's divorced he works a dead-end job he drinks too much and he's racked up a string of gambling debts that he can't begin to pay off but just when his life seems to have hit rock bottom he's given the chance to participate in a series of games with the promise of a life-changing amount of money if he makes it to the ends with no other options he reluctantly accepts the offer and soon finds himself whisked away to a remote compound along with hundreds of other people from all walks of life there's everyone from hotshot stock traders to petty criminals teachers refugees from the north and frail old men with terminal illnesses but whatever their background they all have one thing in common they're all desperate enough to risk everything for a chance to get rich and risk it they do as the first game kicks off it quickly becomes clear that being eliminated means more than just getting sent home early much like game of thrones you either win or you die as the series progresses and the contestants get whittled down by increasingly brutal games tensions rise amongst the survivors and alliances and rivalries start to form as suspicion and paranoia sets in and with almost no restrictions on violence between players murders and skirmishes become a regular hazard after dark it truly becomes a case of survival of the fittest what's so fascinating about this show is the way it constantly upends the dynamic between its characters putting them in new and difficult situations that challenge them in different ways and prevents one group or individual from gaining a decisive advantage one game might revolve around physical strength while another depends on patience and resourcefulness the choice you're forced to make at the start of a new game without knowing what the game actually is can result in a drastically different experience do you choose to go first or last are you going to partner up with someone strong or someone smart it's interesting to watch the thought processes the characters go through the way they try to rationalize their decisions drawing on their experiences of previous games to help inform their choices and give themselves the best possible chance and i can only imagine how many people on twitter are losing their minds right now over the very pragmatic and realistic portrayal of women these aren't the usual flawless all-conquering and completely ridiculous power fantasies being churned out by western media they're not particularly heroic they're no match for the men in a physical fight and as more than one character points out they're kind of a liability in most challenges they can't rely on size and strength to see them through so they have to play smart instead forming alliance season working together which makes it all the more impressive and satisfying when they do manage to get a heads oh my god a show that actually has a realistic grasp on the dynamics between men and women in a survival situation funny how we have to go halfway around the world to get stuff like this isn't it complicating things even further is the fact that most of the contestants don't even know a thing about each other the person who saved your life in one game might just end up sacrificing it to save his own arson the next the seemingly useless idiot just might have a vital skill or experience that could mean the difference between life and death the person you screwed over in a previous game might just come back to take revenge when you're at your most vulnerable like i say it's an interesting setup but what makes it truly compelling are the characters themselves and the way their differing personalities and backgrounds influenced their thinking there's the ruthless thug who relies on brute force and intimidation the pragmatic stock trader who's always trying to play the odds the kind-hearted but naive immigrant who trusts a little too easily the frail but wily old man with valuable life experience the loose cannon who ends up burning her bridges with everyone and the clueless loser who proves to be more resourceful than he seems they're all interesting in their own way and a lot of them quickly become likable and relatable you're just rooting for them to make it even though you kinda know most of them once and nowhere is this brought into sharper focus than episode six which i genuinely rank as one of the most gripping and poignant 60 minutes of tv i've ever watched it underscores just how cruel and unforgiving these games can be and how far people will go to survive if you push them hard enough even the supposed hero of the story is willing to cheat and deceive a vulnerable teammate to save his own skin a fact which gets exposed in the most devastating way at the climax of the episodes all of this stuff is helped by incredible performances from a brilliant cast of actors none of them really look like movie stars and they're not likely to be familiar to western audiences but that's absolutely to the show's credit these guys all look talk and act like real average people they cry and beg when faced with death they lose their temper with each other intense moments and they bicker and argue over difficult choices i can't tell you how refreshing it is to finally see characters that feel believable as opposed to the [ __ ] one-dimensional cartoons masquerading as people that we see over here all of this stuff is absolutely to the show's credit but it would be wrong of me not to point out a few flaws in an otherwise compelling story there's a subplot about a korean police officer infiltrating the ranks of the game's organizers and a conspiracy to covertly assist one of the players all of which is considerably less interesting than the game itself it relies a bit too much on plot convenience and lucky breaks it sheds light on aspects of the organization that i would have been perfectly happy to leave ambiguous and it just kind of ends without a satisfying resolution also there's a couple of big twists in the final episode that felt a bit cheap and contrived to me and kind of undermines some of the most important moments of the show it didn't ruin the experience by any means but it exposed an unexpected [ __ ] in the armor of a show that had been remarkably brave and inventive up to that point and i couldn't shake the feeling that the writers were trying to neatly tie up elements that didn't really need to be one thing that's been interesting is watching the reactions to this show online and the very different interpretations of its deeper meanings the usual brainless masquerading as journalists were quick to pounce on the apparent anti-capitalist message behind the show's premise with people literally prioritizing wealth over human life but let's be honest who gives a [ __ ] what they think the point of squid game is to explore human nature not the economic system that it spawns it's about our human weaknesses of greed selfishness and betrayal but also our capacity for kindness compassion and selflessness the possibility of financial gain might have drawn our characters into the games in the first place but it's the necessity of survival that ultimately drives their decisions and pushes them to acts ultimately squid game was one of the most surprising things to come out of 2021 for me it's a show with flaws to be sure but whatever its shortcomings it kept me more entertained than basically anything else i've seen so far this year compared to the stale formulaic preachy sludge being shot out by western studios a show that focuses on great writing and strong characters feels like an absolute breath of fresh air which is kind of sad when i think about it but even sadder is that i just know it's going to become a victim of his own success and that hollywood will inevitably try to copy it with some shitty remake that has absolutely none of the charm intelligence or creativity of the original but hey for now at least i'll take the [ __ ] win where i can get it and i suggest you do too anyway that's all i've got for today go away now

Channel: The Critical Drinker

Views: 1,035,322

Keywords: review, korea, hunger games, battle royale, feminism, feminist, sjw

Id: SkHZ0lhrDOg

Length: 8min 45sec (525 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 15 2021