Jocul Calamarului (2021)

Hype that will not stand up with time

Hype that will not stand up with time. This series does not measure up to the standards of good, much less great, Korean Drama. The cast is excellent, of course (except for the VIPs, though the inside joke on American actors is rich), but the plot is predictable from the beginning through to the end. From the moment 001 (a heavy-handed clue) showed up, the repetition mixed in with violence and gore was evident, and the outcome was predictable.

However. Blessings on Netflix for bringing international film to the world, especially during the pandemic. But don't try to own it, guys: just stream it.

Citeste mai mult

its so exiting!!!!!!!

so i just finished binging it with my husband and we loved it!!! it was so intense i was barely peeking out of my finger and it just almost scared the baby right out of me, and woah the twists in this one! i was not expecting a lot of that to happed, and i thought for sure so of the character were gonna live through it all but no no no how wrong was, my favorite character died i was so saddd and my husbands favorite lived though he was happy but sad for me and cried with me.

The games- yoooo who though of a plot where you play children's games? correction- children's games of death! the person who thought of that really should be praised!
So overall i loved it not much to complain about really haha

Citeste mai mult

Rough draft

There's been thousands of death games since 1970s and the fact that done in Asia. I expected typical romance overtop melodrama stories. I was completely wrong and show caught me off by suprise, so I'll have to watch it again to fully analyze the show. It is clear the show has a lot subtext and hidden meaning. Children games, Colors, Shapes, and Numbers was used through the entire show. What I have so far:

blue group = underclass/minority
#= most are in extreme debt, immigrants, elderly, etc.

red group = working class
Circle = Cooks, Drivers, etc
Triangle = The Police
square = The Managers /Supervisers

Blue and red colors are constantly used throughtout the show. Which is part of South Korean flag known as the Taegeuk. The blue represents the negative cosmic forces and the red represents positive cosmic forces as the yin and yang. You have the blue group labeled as numbers and red group as shapes.

black= govt
frontman = enforces the rules

The rules so far:
Player consent form
1. player is not allowed to stop playing
2. player who refuses to play will be eliminated
3. Games maybe terminated if the majority agrees.

O rules
1. always wear mask
2. Do not converse without permission
3. Do not leave the room without permission

yellow = Yellow light shinging on top of the pig = wealth and fortune

The core of the show seems to be social experiment on meritocracy and commentary on social classes.

Citeste mai mult

Great suspense throughout, but the ending was not worth it.

The show hooks you right away within the first episode, but as the climax comes into play and the cards are laid out, you realize how the show took the cheap and easy route.

The characters don't make sense, especially Gi Eun and Sang Woo. Their character developments change drastically out of nowhere, and it's apparent towards the end.

Since when was Gi Eun so heroic? Ok, let's say he cared about his daughter, and now that he has won the game, he is going to abandon her again? I really don't buy that his character is going to fight for justice, since he has been a weakling and won a lot of the games by sheer luck. He also seem to have forgotten that he got into the game for his daughter. Throughout the series, Gi Eun was portrayed as a coward and has relied on others to win the game, so I don't get what he's thinking to go back. What is he going to do anyway? WHO TOLD HIM TO SIGN UP FOR THEM, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE? Don't blame the game, but the player.

Since when did Sang Woo feel remorseful? It's not within his character to stab himself. He didn't even feel bad when he let Ali die or when he killed Sae Byeok. So what gave him the sudden change of heart?

The reveal of player 1 was really a cop out and is supposed to add shock factor, but it was so cheap and obvious. It has been done a million times already. It felt forced, and I did not buy into his motivations. Also, the game preaches equality, but the old man keeps helping out our main guy on multiple occasions. The rules don't seem to matter.

We also don't get closure from the cop and his supposedly Front Man brother, which shows that they are heavily reliant on a second season.

I had other nitpicks with the other characters, but it was more obvious towards the end where the flaws lie with implausible character development.

In retrospect, the show has a good way of hooking you in and keeping you on your toes since you want to see how the characters will get out, and the games were enjoyable to watch for the most part. The actors did a fine job, and I think it's within the culture to have exaggerated characters. The plot has a weird way of grabbing your attention and makes you want to binge it, but it is a cheap thrill like Money Heist. Ultimately, the ending kind of ruined it for me, since it went against everything that was within its message and having the characters change 180 did not help. If it had ended similarly to Parasite, where Gi Eun is sent back to society, but he is still not happy because money and greed don't buy happiness then it works out. But this ending? CHEAP.

6.5.

Citeste mai mult

When childhood games becomes deadly!

For me, " Squid Game" is a mixture of Alice in Borderland, Hunger Games, and Battle Royal, wherein you need to do things you thought you're not capable of doing in order to survive. I finished the entire series in a day as it's very engaging and the character's background stories are all very intriguing and will leave you on edge. This series is lined up with some of the big names in SoKor drama land, which is a gift for us, as they didn't disappointment me with their capabilities to deliver their lines, characters, and emotions. If you don't like bloody scenes, violence and suicide, stay away from this series as it may cause triggering effect. Also, the root of evil aside from greed, is money, this series, shows it all. But overall, you'll enjoy the series, so watch it.

Citeste mai mult

Better than Hollywood...

Korean kdramas and movies are truly a discovery during this time of pandemic and lockdowns. Their stories are so unique and a joy to watch. Oftentimes, there are lessons to be learned no matter the genre.

Squid Games is no different. Dark in theme, enjoyable to watch. This show has kept me on edge during each game. You never know how many will make it through to the next round. The setting for each scene was well though of and you can see that no expense was spared to make it as over the top as possible.

But more than just the games and the action, it shows what lengths some people would go through when in dire need for money. People from all walks of life may show the world a different side of themselves, but deep down, they are undergoing so many struggles just to survive.

If you are not squeamish at the sight of blood and gore, give this a try.

Citeste mai mult

Hunger (For Money) Games Deliver Battle Royale

Wow! What an incredible, tense drama! You will be at the edge of your seat all the time, and just when you think you figured out everything, new twists are revealed. I'd say the only tiny drawback is that the ending seems set up for Season 2, but I couldn't dock points for that. It's still a self-contained story that wraps up nicely and answers the main question.

Cast is absolutely fantastic and they play well-defined characters with clear motivations. It's an excellent study of human nature under pressure. There are precious cameos by 2 big name actors but I won't reveal who they are, who they are playing and when they appear. Discover for yourself. You'll go "No way!" I promise.

The plot is a great take on games to the last man or woman standing so fans of Hunger Games, Battle Royale and Alice In Borderland should enjoy this. It's thrilling, but most importantly, emotional beats hit you hard. Episode 6 in particular is a weeper.

Use of The Blue Danube that signals the beginning of the games is a stroke of genius. So familiar and yet so chilling given the context.

Netflix money makes a difference. You will be amazed when you see production design. It's incredible.

I'm shocked that the rating is only 8.2 atm. WTF, MDL? Is it because there's no romance? Only that could explain why drivel like True Beauty is rated higher.

I finished 9 episodes in a day and a half. What are you waiting for? :)

Citeste mai mult

Don't skip past this show!

This has been the only k-show I've ever seen where I was not bored. Every minute of it kept me interested and on the edge of my seat. The show is ruthless with it's characters and that is something that makes this show so unique. The production is fantastic and these scenes are very cool. The storyline itself is so interesting and makes me think about how many good people are there really in this world.
One thing that I didn't like about it was the weird ending, it felt abrupt other than that throughout the whole thing it never got old or went down in interest level.

Citeste mai mult

Done with Squid Game and to be honest I was really disappointed.

Watched too many films/dramas until I can guess almost all plot points/twists most of the time now... Could see plot twists coming from a long way out and character motivations were not convincing at all either from the get-go. Even the amount of prize money at stake was not convincing to me. The westernized scenes were really unnecessary. Objectively speaking, the religious references were also highly unnecessary? We really do not need such references to flesh out humans' self-righteousness. Satire throughout the drama could have been done much more tastefully but everything just felt like they were afterthoughts.

Many Korean stylistic elements that I enjoy which make up great Korean productions' scripts so far were sadly missing from Squid Games' script which I am also disappointed about. Character motivations and development are so important for such survival games genre so this was really shocking for me since most of the time Korean dramas do not fail in this aspect... Especially shocking for a K-drama this hyped about.

Performances by Park Hae Soo and Heo Sung Tae and the production value were the only redeeming points. Lee Jung Jae was good as usual but his character was not as distinctive as Park's and sometimes felt sidelined in comparison even though he was the main character? His character was really a wasted opportunity in the script. I also felt the series could have been shortened by 2 episodes.

The final plot twist was bad too in my opinion. Trying to pull a Christopher Nolan Joker world view but again it did not work for me or even felt convincing.

Minor spoiler - And also, what is with the lack of diversity among the VIPs?

Expected much more from the critically acclaimed Korean writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk who directed and wrote the impactful and disturbing film Silenced (2011). Netflix probably had some influence over the creative work here I feel... But I did enjoy the cameos though.

Beyond Evil is really so so much better in comparison. The Hunger Games films too.

Squid Game - 6.5/10

Citeste mai mult

Much talked about but very predictable drama.

I'm watching this drama for all the rampage behind it and while I enjoyed watching it, I think it's just another survival drama.

There is really nothing innovative, maybe just the fact that the games were simple because they were based on children's games but after that it is just a group of desperate people, for different reasons, willing to do whatever it takes to win. the award.

The acting was excellent as well as how everything was executed but let's say that all the characters fulfilled a stereotype of this type of genre.

The message was also the same as those often given in these dramas: "How much can we lose our humanity because of our ambitions?" There is nothing really remarkable, other than the performances, because everything was so predictable.

Even the end and there were characters who died stupidly and there was no great development.

Maybe I'm tough but it's because everyone talked so much about him that they created great expectations, that people like me who enjoy watching this type of genre didn't bring him anything new and innovative.

I still recommend it because it's not that bad. It is short and entertaining.

Citeste mai mult

Gratuitous violence

To begin my review, I'm someone who doesn't like gratuitous violence. But, if the story was interesting enough or if I had liked the protagonist I could still enjoy it. But that's not what happened. I didn't like the protagonist at all and that's nothing new about the plot, and the games were no fun either. There were times that the pacing was horrible, just couldn't stand it. The production it's amazing, but I've watched kdramas enough to know that they are almost always amazing. Overall if you like more of a battle royale story with good production and don't mind that the characters are mostly scumbags, give it a try. If you are more like me, who doesn't enjoy gratuitous violence and that needs to empathize with the protagonist to enjoy the story, there are plenty of better kdramas out there.

Citeste mai mult