Money Game (2024)

This comment section is a mess, because the people who didn’t like it seem to REALLY hate it and believe that everyone else absolutely HAS TO hate it too, so here I am giving my very first review here. Let’s start with what I didn’t like. I wasn’t invested in the characters, so I wish that we got to know a bit more about their past, like we did with Nummber 3, so I could be emotional about how much the game and need for money affected them (for better or worse). Another thing I disliked was the music choice. It’s difficult to be emotionally invested in someones fate, when there’s a comical, uplifiting music playing in the background, even as someone’s being brutally toruted. I get that it was a "creative choice", it just didn’t work for me. I thought the descent into violence was a bit abrupt. Realistically, they could’ve sticked to the "mildly sexual stuff" a bit longer, but it was a short drama, so it makes sense. I also didn’t like the overall vibe of the last episode. It was an odd mix between comedy and brutality and I no longer felt like I knew any of the characters or their motivations.

However, there were many things I liked. I liked the concept and the metaphor. I can see people think they’re both overused. But "people playing violent games for money" is a concept as old as time. Before Squid Game and Alice, we had Hunger Games. Before that, we had Battle Royale. Before that, we had Stephen Kings Long Walk and Running Man. It still works for me, so no complaints. I think The 8 Show potrayed capitalism and social inequality MUCH better than Squid Game did. It wasn’t just the villains vs the poor. We got to seee both sides. We got to see morally grey characters. Each floor was clearly representing SOMETHING and it showed some truths. Politicians (7) aren’t the highest. The rich are (8). Politicians need the rich to actually do anything. Both need brutality, police and soldiers (6) to really have some power. They need their brainwashed, spineless pawns (4) and they need the lower class to make them money. While the poor work the hardest, only to barely get by and no matter how united they are, it’s nearly impossible to change it. It was depressing to watch, but VERY accurate, that’s what made this show stand out to me. I didn’t mind the gore, it made sense for the story. It was supposed to make you uncomfortable and it did (alhtough I could do without the sleep deprevation thing, because that was way too dark and seemed out of place, only for everyone to just immediately snap out of it later). The actors were all great. The set looked amazing. And I wasn’t disappointed by the ending.

Overall, it wasn’t perfect, but people giving it 1/10 or saying it’s the worst K-drama ever are being way too dramatic. I could understand not liking the gore, but that’s no reason to say it was trash that had nothing to offer, when it clearly isn’t the case. I think 7 is a perfectly accurate rating.

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THE8SHOW IS NOT BAD!

As someone who LOVES psychological thriller, this one is not bad! But I don't think I would recommend this too much, because honestly, everything is just crazy. The plot, the characters, everything! But then, it's not that horrible compared to the bad reviews they are getting.

At first, I thought it was like SQUID GAME in terms of plot. A game with players, all wanting to go home with money. But in the first episode, the rules were "the show will automatically end once killing is involved"(or something), so I THOUGHT it was kind of LIGHTER than squid game. BUT I WAS WRONG. IT WAS NOT LIGHT AT ALL. Due to the fact that the players can't straightly kill each other, they went with torture. Which for me, was 10x worst. You get to watch the players suffer. From them playing human piñata everyday by hitting the players with a baseball bat in their head and then healing them afterwards, to putting clips in their EYES to keep them from BLINKING and SLEEPING for DAYS, it was a little traumatizing.

Plus the fact that they didn't really showed everyone the real reason why the game was made, except for the fact that someone is watching them. (BUT WHO ARE THEY??)

But although I have a lot of questions towards this drama, I still kind of enjoyed watching it.

The actors were good and portrayed their characters well!

CHUN WOO-HEE U SLAYED!!!!!

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A psychological thriller with a simple set-up

Binged all 8 episodes in one night after seeing a tiktok about it. What interested me more were the comments being split so 50/50 on whether it's a show worth watching or not. After completing the series I will say, if you're a fan of psychological thrillers then you'd likely enjoy the show.

STORY:
It's a very simple set-up, all of them are poor or struggling when they come across this "show" that lets them earn money each minute. I won't spoil too much but the show starts to slowly complicate this simple set-up which is what kick starts the psychological thriller aspects. This is a story heavily carried by the characters. It's interesting (and disgusting) to see how a group of 8 different characters work together to earn money in a confined isolated space. There's crazy, smart, immoral, kind, and most importantly, there's so much misfortune. The characters are truly something else. The story itself is not that interesting when you take out the characters hence the 8 stars

ACTING:
10/10 seriously they brought their characters to live. There are some top notch actors who have been in this field for a long long time. You forget that the actors are playing characters....that's how good they were. Listen, Ryu Junyeol might be a shit boyfriend, but he is and always has been an undeniably good actor so as expected he did very well in this show. Though, the 2 actors that caught my attention was Chun Woohee and Bae Sungwoo. Phenomenal acting, they deserve plenty praise.

MUSIC:
I don't really watch shows for their music score so I don't thave much to say. I didn't think anything was out of place so the music does fit the scenes

REWATCH VALUE:
Yeah well as with all psychological thrillers, rewatch values is quite low. The charm of these shows is seeing the story progress. Once you know how it progresses it's not that fun anymore so I personally wouldn't rewatch it.

OVERALL:
A good short watch for anyone who likes premises like this. Power through the first episode where our main character laments about how broke he is and it starts to get better.

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My opinion on this recent drama “The 8 Show”

tbh i LOVED it. the acting, casting, and story was so captivating. i usually point out flaws but i wasn’t even paying attention of the small flaws of the show. if u like a show that the characters have to fight for survival like “Alice in Borderland” and “Squid Game”, then you’ll definitely love this. the cinematography was amazing and the story omgomg AHHH! the acting was actually amazing. you can tell that the actors really wanted to act good and rlly went deep with their character. the characters each have TOTALLY different personalities and they have to work together to survive. however as in every show, there comes a multiple problems throughout the show and conflicts which makes the show been more captivating.

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Beware if you can't stand cruelty

I truly loved the first 2 episodes. Until about episode 4 I found the show exciting and then things took a turn for the worse. Life can already so miserable so if you're looking for an escape, this show isn't it. It depicts the worst of human nature, frustrating characters, the insanity and of course the sadistic aspect. It was extremely hard to stomach. It hit me like a gut punch and that's where I started to lose interest and had to speed up just to get through to the end.

Would a show with pleaasant people have been as entertaining? Perhaps not for such a genre. But then I also do not find these kinds of horrific shows entertaining and I keep forgetting to check details of Netflix Korean dramas which tend to contain nudity (male in this one) and extreme forms of violence (torture) compared to what ordinary Korean dramas would consider depicting. Basically I just read the synopsis and went in blind.

Another aspect that I disliked is the awful ending that is quite underwhelming but teases a second season. I'll pass thanks.

I have rated it a 6.5 because I thought the concept was quite good (a bit like Squid Game - similar set-up but worse in many ways). Also because I enjoyed the first half as well as the mystery behind each character. However I still don't understand the actions of some of the characters while some were just a victim of lazy writing or ignored entirely. The only positive is the unpredictability of many characters and the perspective and conundrum of a very ordinary unspectacular male lead.

If you aren't triggered easily then you might find this show more enjogable than I did. Personally, I will never be able to rewatch this.

I didn't notice the OST other than the "i'm so lonely" sped up as the intro. It was meh.

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"Blurry Game: The Confused Quest with an Unknown Host"

Trying to be cheap version of squid game and not up to it's level. It was frustrating to watch this show , it was so lagging in many areas and the host of game what is he wants from them is very unclear, it is not like squid game too like punishing them or making them to do some difficult tasks like that! The host is existing or not, i feel sometimes it is big boss game show and i feel that so entertaining than this. I wasted so much in this bullshit series. It is only 1 time watchable , if you have so much free time you can waste your time on this series or else just watch some other ongoing kdrama which are much better than this. It is torture for them or for us, idk it feels torture for me to watch this show.

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How far will you go to reach your (money)goal?

A good written thriller that is a reflection of how society works. I first thought this was a reality show, little did I know. As soon as I saw Korean actors I knew it was based on a webtoon.

In the first episode when they needed to change their clothes I thought will it be something like Susunu Denpa Shonen? Although I think certain stuff have been inspired by that show. 8 totally different people (who are a representation of society) will be living together earning money by being in the show, everything is being recorded (and aired as well), yup just like our capitalistic world.

If they want to extend their time there they have to ‘earn time’ so they can earn money (by participating). But soon they find out they have to find different ways to earn time, which includes behaving is ways that are usually not acceptable/ethical. It drives people to the edge just to survive for the money. You see how greedy human beings are and how their “higher status” makes them behave and look down on others. Just like in society were having more/earning more money makes you have a higher status and power.

It is a very interesting psychological thriller that makes you guess what everyone’s motive is for acting in a certain way. I was blown away by the first 4 episodes and after those episodes I was wondering how everything will enfold. Overall very well written script and 8 episodes were enough to get the main message, but I also have so many questions unanswered.

Similar shows: El hoyo (Spanish movie), Squid game, Night has come, Happiness (Korean movie), , Alice in Borderland (Japanese series)

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This was such a difficult watch. I can understand why some people have rated this so poorly. I honestly couldnt stomach the violence after some time and by the end i just watched on x1.5 speed to find out how it all ends. I like the premise of the show and there were some scenes that literally had me laughing out loud, floor 3 played by Ryu Jun Yeol was HILARIOUS. His inner monologue was comedic gold - (that scene where he boasts about how he can best the game because he is so good at being poor and then sleeps on a bed off newspapers & cardboard??. And that time he inserts a bidet into his mouth because he thinks its an electric flosser ?). the dark comedy was done so well. I saw the humanity in all the characters except floor 8 honestly. I found her character to be a caricature and it didnt make any sense. Even floor 6 made some sense to me, we know people are capable of torturing people for money & power but floor 8 was shedding fake tears, prancing around, behaving erratically, - she was not a real person and i hated her so so much. I am gutted she wasnt once slapped or punched in the face. Overall, i didnt hate the show but it could have been less gratuitous. Also epsiode 7 scarred me so bad and by the end i wanted someone to die just so floor 3, 7 and 2 could leave and the game could end. In some ways i felt like the sadistic people behind the cameras watching them because i couldnt turn away from all the gore -- which was probably why the writer made the decision to not reveal the ppl behind the camera

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An low budget Squid Game

I can't help but compare this to Squid Game in terms of the game show form of a thriller. More accurately, this is like Squid Game meets Survivor meets Lord of the Flies.

I don't know why this has such a low rating. The show starts off slow but that's because they're figuring out the rules. Once they have, then it's about competition and strategy - betrayal, alliances, and backstabbing are inevitable.

This show is about the experience of humanity and what it means to be human - in all its raw ugliness or stark beauty. There's never a dull moment but full attention is required to watch the show. It is a highly intelligent show but only after much reflection. It's probably commentary on the state of politics and society at large -about the failure of democracy, the down trodden and the different classes of society. But for now, I'm just going to take it at face value and say it's a bloody (literally) awfully good show.

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Why… ?

I don’t know what to say about this show…
I didn’t read synopsis, articles nor reviews about it so I didn’t know what to expect from this (I wanted to watch it just because of Chun Woo Hee).

And hmmm… It was a disturbing show and I feel a bit uncomfortable.

This is a critic about power of/and money, hierarchy in society, human nature/behaviors, survival, etc…
So we quickly understand the message behind this show but I feel uncomfortable about the way it has been delivered.
I’m probably a bit too sensitive but I think it could have been delivered with lower level of sadism, brutality, cruelty, torture… (I agree with another reviewer, it made me think to movie « Saw »).
I don’t like this kind of shows but if I’d have to watch a similar show I’d prefer Squid Game which is a bit « fairer » regarding status of each character.

Casting and acting were good (tbh I prefer Chun Woo Hee portraying nicer characters).
Directing/prod good as well (8 episod is enough).
Didn’t pay attention to music.
No rewatch value for me (too much free violence)

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BETTER THAN SQUID GAME

I don't like comparing two dramas just to favor my favorite one, but just this one time, I wanna say, "THIS WAS BETTER THAN SQUID GAME".....O! MYYYY! LORDDDDD! THIS IS HOW A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER IS DONE....
Every episode depicts a new dark element of our society. But it also shows some humane sides. We, as a society have fallen soooooo low that we've started normalizing ABSOLUTE satanic behaviors, yet some people still have some what of a human side to them. Greed, lust, wrath are forbidden for a reason, they not only rot our souls but also the core of our society.

THIS DRAMA COVERS A WIDE ARRAY OF EMOTIONS, felt by both characters and the audience.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama if you can handle a huge amount of psychological and physical torture.

p.s, I gave a low score to music because there's something VERY CREEPY about those songs in this drama.

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Society in 8 episodes

Note: the rewatch value is only low because i dont rewatch this type of shows.

I have enjoyed every second of this show. True it is a mash up of the platform and squid game , so maybe i m being subjective by saying this show was better because , this exact cast hit the nail perfectly for me.

In a very detailed manner, this show depicts life as we know it.

From the moment we r born, our life is partially dictated by our social class, An important factor that gets assigned to each one of us randomly.

Just like the characters picked the cards with no pre notice of the consequences, that absurdity and randomness of that moment is really what we all share in life. A moment that is familiar to all of us. A moment we have no control over, even though they made the choice themselves, we can hardly pin the responsibility of that choice on them. If you believe in luck , then that just might b the answer to this controversy.

Life starts off by randomness and absurdity. Like a cards game, the cards are dealt by chance, what you do with the cards later on is up to you. But if we r being honest , what can you even do when u r dealt a losing hand, just like the 1st floor man. He had his hopes up , just like all poor people, dreaming of climbing the social ladder, and changing their fate.He was dupped by the organizers , and thought that he could change rooms if he had 1 billion. Just like how the bottom class in society is sold fake dreams of going from rags to riches if only they work hard, if only they save up a certain amount of money. Only to find out , their dream is not really attainable. The 1st floor man walking on a tight rope -literaly- was a beautiful metaphorical image of how poor people struggle between life and death , in their journey to the top of the pyramids. The way he kept jumping only to fall in a fiery pit -literaly- and burn away to his death, was a devastating image of desperation.

I find the 3rd floor man the most intriguing one, i assume he reflects the common man in its most common aspect. During the talent show, he had no talent to show, he s not the smartest compared to the 7th floor man , he s not the strongest compared to the 6th floor man . He s not the most candid as the 5th floor woman , he s not the most sly like the 4th floor woman, he s not the bravest like the 2nd floor woman and he s not the cruelest like the 8th floor woman. If he was a drawing , he would be the stickman. easy to draw , with nothing to catch the eye. Simply trying to fit in within the crowd , his strategy was based off not attracting attention, to stay invisible. And i think it s brillant how he was the one to destroy the cameras. By doing so , he stayed true to his motto, to stay invisible.

Throughout the show we see the different ways people within a society organize themselves. They displayed many political regimes and economical currents.
Capitalism: each room had a different income , and the whole concept of the game "time is money" , the consumerism displayed by 8th floor woman ...
Socialism : sharing the work load when they climbed the stairs aswell as sharing the food..
Democracy: voting and sharing ideas as a whole community...
Totalitarianism / dictatorship: When the elite was making all the decisions , while the rest were merely suffering the consequences....

And plenty other concepts were referred to, like slavery, weapon acquisition , technocracy and others... A theme that was most memorable to me , is when the 8th floor woman bought the CCTV tapes of the other players. Just like the elites in our modern society gather data of us , track us, and have us under a microscope through social media, street cameras and satellites ...

The 8th floor woman was the perfect illustration of the rich category. The best part was when she started painting people s pain and then quickly moved on and bought a cute dog. As you may know, the high class people take interest in stupid paintings , spending fortunes of a couple of splashes of paint, pretending that they have deeper meanings, and possibly reflect someone s suffering. They love to run donation parties to help the poor, pretending to sympathize and care, but at the end of the night they all go back to their high towers, to their spoiled cute little pets who get groomed and fed 10 times the salary of the lower class man.

Now, since the game was a show meant to entertain, who r these people that are being entertained? and what were the acts that entertained them the most ?
I dont have an exact answer for the first question, that should be left to
everyone s interpretation.My theory was that the audience were the gods, because when the 1st floor man was floating in the sky, it seemed like he was ascending to the heavens. But this theory seems so far fetched since i can confidently say , the audience was entertained by the most immoral and heinous acts like sex and torture. Which doesnt align much with what
gods represent.

In conclusion, there are alot of things to analyze in this show, many human traits to study, and so much of the human's tragic comedy to think about.

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