El Juego Del Calamar (2021)

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? :)

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Boring and Disappointing

I will keep this short because I have nothing but negative things to say about this drama.

The games were boring and anticlimactic, the plot is extremely predictable, there were way too many annoying characters and unnecessary drama, cringeworthy acting from some of the supporting characters (don’t get me started on the VIPs), the cinematography was not as good as I expected from the trailer, and lastly, the ending was so bland.

If you're looking for a suspenseful survival game type of drama, watch Alice in Borderland instead. I'm still giving it a rating higher than 5 because as much as the plot is predictable and banal, I still paid enough attention while watching and it was fun guessing what would happen next.

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Worst TV show/drama I ever watched

Seriously, this was the worst show I have ever seen, and I have seen some terrible shows from a variety of different countries.
I got hounded to watch this crap, and it was overrated garbage.

A plot full of holes, sprinkled with a superficial level of capitalism/economic disparity theme, frosted with terrible yelling-talking-acting for no real reason.., and when you bite in there is no substance.

I would say I am avoiding spoilers, but there is no plot to spoil. Do main characters of shows or movies usually die? So you can guess the ending. Games were stupid (and the organizers didn't even consistently follow their own rules) and lacked tension, it never built characters beyond a basic trope, so I did not care when they died and thus the show had no tension.

Story: It was boring and full of plot holes. 1
Acting: CAPS MODE ON! Hollow characters, cheesy cast and theme of the VIP.
Music: I only remember one song and it was crap so 1.
Rewatch: Please no.

I have seen school film projects with better acting and more entertainment value than this.

You are fully entitled to like whatever garbage you choose so if you liked this then cool, but if you've not wasted time watching this, then pick something better.

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Squid Game is not worth your time

The premise of the show is similar to Hunger Games- lots of people in an arena who are pitted against each other and only one can survive. The show starts off okay with an okay protagonist who has his share of problems many of which he is responsible for himself. Then it manages to grip you for the next two while establishing that the games were created to be fair and equal to these miserable participants. Unfortunately, it goes sideways from the fourth episode and seemingly stops being fair and introduces some other characters only to give our protagonists a chance to appear smarter. The games themselves aren't very novel and exceedingly turn away from children's games into the aforementioned hunger games. All is then conveniently wrapped up in the last two episodes without any explanation. It really irked me how many useless plot threads were introduced and remained unresolved. The show-writer believed perhaps that the audience would be dumb and hence enjoy the gorefest they have prepared without any sense. For each major plot thread to be wrapped up completely, each "grey" villain was turned into a complete psychopath as most villains at the end of k-dramas do. The games are built such that females do not get a fair and equal chance at them instead of that being the whole premise of each game. The actors themselves act well and deliver convincing performances. The music is forgettable.

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All flash but no heart however technically superb

Squid Game is a typical dystopian death game depiction with all the tropes that illustrate how humans are capable of the most egregious stuff when pushed to desperate levels . La , la . la.

Did Squid Game do something new , innovative and different in this drama? Not really . It was all rather typical and pretty predictable with an unsatisfying ending. However - it was TECHNICALLY sound.

The technicalities explored in bringing the story of Squid Game to our screens was masterful , adept and scintillating . The music , the wardrobe , the set and the visuals were all sublime . I found myself pausing to stare at the set design and all the intricacies of the visuals . The technicality shows through in the script too . The way the games were constructed especially the glass bridge was written masterfully . One of the best episodes of TV I have ever beheld is in ep 8 of Squid Game. Wonderful.

Now , I had a slight problem with Squid Game . I had a problem with its focus balancing . Focus balancing is when they are plots and subplots and the editors , directors et al balance that .i.e - the main plot has the adequate focus that a main plot should have and a sub plot is noticeably sub to a main plot. Maybe I am obtuse - but I felt as if there were plots that were too consummate to be a parallel or sub plot . Then the main plot just had flash , flash , flash of indulgent poverty and misfortune without much heart . So my emotional desires were being fulfilled elsewhere so in the end - I do not feel sated after watching Squid Game. I have an unbalanced view of it all.

This brings forward my next point with the cast . All did well , but again , the sub/parrallel plot guys showed up the guys in the main plot . The voice acting and tension that the actors showed playing the Pink Soldiers was sublime and top notch whereas the main cast was meh. I was loving the Pink Soldiers and the Front Man more than the main cast . However , I particularly loved Han Mi Yeo played by Kim Joo Ryung . So fantastically crass and vulgar. Everyone else was fine.

The music was fantastic atmosphere control too so top marks for that .

OVERALL- I am surprised that this is the drama that decided to have a chokehold on the global community but I do see its hype . It is a technical masterpiece. And all my points go to that .

Note:It is very gory , gruesome and unsettling egregious so know that when getting into watching this.

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Great potential, yet overhyped

This kind of series is new for a Korean series, but nothing special in it.
Japanese has a lot series that has a plot like this such as liar game, as the god says, Alice in borderland and the list goes on and on.
As for western one we have Saw, Hunger games, Maze runner (maybe ?). and so on.
I get that the director want to picture how adult play like a kid for fortune in cost of a person life in a very realistic way. but they have no idea of what kind of game they should play, so they choose to copy it from any other series with a little bit changes. here is my break down.

First gathering :
everyone sent to the game with their own consent by calling the number from the invitation number yet still asks "why should we trust you ?". really ? wtf ? you should've ask that before give your consent on the phone. AND surprisingly nobody asked "what will happened if i lost the game ?"

1st game Red/Green light game :
70 %+ of the scene copy pasted from as the god says. first they gathered the player, when the game started some random people gave zero shit about the condition and just play the game and get killed. after that everyone scared and scream and the game field become a massacre field, then a 4 eyed smart guy that get a trick to beat the game and save the day .the first game is the best example of copying and rephrasing a bit of your friends homework, good job Mr.director.

Second gathering & game restart:
everything f up. everybody scared, half of the participator want to go home and try to make a vote to stop the game, which supposed to be happened in the first gathering but no lets just vote after everyone is dead. realistic my ass.

2nd game The sugar cookie game:
I cant even call it a game, but okay lets just call it a game, everyone solving it with a brute force method nobody use their brain except for the MC and the noisy crazy girl. very realistic indeed. but at least it came from Korean culture which makes it unique I will give this game some point.

Night time war :
They changed from "game" concept to "survival" . people start kill each other just to win. the plot hole is nobody know that time that there will be only one winner or even they wont know if killing each other will make the game easier/faster

3rd game Tug of war:
Decent game not very unique, no Korean culture included. this game is just an easy answer for "what should we play next. the trick to beat the game is ridiculous. I get that they want to picture brain over brawns. but did they actually did a research about this ?.

The cheating mess and the police investigation :
this plot used for season 2 possibilities. in my opinion its too weak considering how its end.

4th game marbles :
Also a decent game, and an easy option, but they give some Korean culture in here so the game is pretty much unique because you can play however you want. and i love how the characters grow here. the mc who neglect his mother start to care for the elderly more, the 4 eyed guy that struggle to keep his sanity losing his shit, and the girl who lost trust in people found start to trust someone.

5th game The stepping glass game :
I'm not Korean but I'm sure I've seen somewhere about Kids hearing old story about knocking the stone before you step to make sure its safe. so some culture included but surprisingly nobody does that until the last guy that know something abt the glasses. nobody even try to check the step with whatever they bring such as jacket/clothes or anything that can be used. nobody use their brain, where did the "brain over brawls" go from 3rd game ?.

3 last survivor :
I love this one. it pictures how they change after all of the game. the selfish girl became a pure hearted girl, the selfish gamble addict guy became a very caring guy, and the prodigy 4 eyed losing his shit

Last game, Squid game:
No game explanation, as a non-Korean I just see it like a 2 guy fist to fist fight. no meaning, no culture, nothing. ironic considering squid game is the title yet it was the worst game in the series.

The winner :
the after game , messed up mc losing his shit. classic drama. not bad, but not good either.

Conclusion :
A great potential series with a lot of "but" and " it could be better". not a very interesting series, I found myself fall asleep out of boredom few times. I don't know most of the actor/actresses, but i think they are good since i like how they potray the change of the characters during/after the game. None of the music stuck i my ears or get into my daily playlist, not the song/singer is bad is just the song choices for the theme or placements could have been better.
worth the watch ?. yes if you just want to Netflix and chill and love this kind of genre, no if you want to watch a really interesting psycho series.

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Squidward has more appeal ...

Another flop from Netflix.

Do they change writers halfway on projects?

Or maybe they just toss storylines up in the air and go with which one hits the floor first.

It seems the expectations for a good watch are falling lower and lower.

Society is now entertained by the glibbest drivel.

This was way overhyped and had more holes than a slice of swiss cheese.

Maybe I am just too critical and think too much, but most of this was unrealistic.

Too many moments of cringe based off of the lack of simple logic not being used.

And that's putting it kindly.

We're continually being mocked by the elite, why subject ourselves to more mindless tv based on this concept?

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As I finished Squid Game last weekend I saw it was # 1 on Netflix. On my tiny little island of all places. Just a couple of years ago people scoffed at me when they found out I was watching kdramas. Squid Game is basically just a korean movie that has been extended to 9 episodes and in many ways I think it is a very typical gory and violent story that you often find in Korean movies. Something that has been slowly finding its way into Korean television in recent years, especially with shows produced by Netflix. And it is clear that a lot was put into this series from what it's visuals, to the choice of actors and the budget etc.

As I said Squid Game was a bit of a typical story from this type of entertainment that you often find in movies from countries like Japan and Korea (like Battle Royal) and for me it was not that original with them and neither did they do something new with this type of narrative. Which may be why there was very little to the story that actually surprised me. even if I really enjoyed watching it. I found it a bit typical and it mainly just reminded me of other such stories that have come before it.

The violence is not for everyone. I can stomach quite a bit of it without it bothering me. I often think the violence in this type of stories goes a little too far but there is a purpose to it in some ways and the story puts a lot of pressure on your endurance as a spectator, because that is the purpose of it. It's hard for the characters, it should be hard on you. You can hardly look away even if you want to and that is one of the traits of these types of stories. And in that Squid Game is very successful.

The story starts off with a bang, but after that is does take it's time to find it's footing but when it manages it toward the middle part the show becomes really binge-able, before taking a slight dip towards the end. The theme of the effects of late stage capitalism and it's grip on our society and the situation that has created among us is very interesting and the story does a good job underlining that.

Really good amount of suspense going on there and some good character moments in between them, although I thought the story never really took full advantage of it's characters as it spent more time on other aspects of the story. It was also a little too noticeable to me that this was written by a man based on how some of the characters were written and it bothered me a bit. I think the choice of actors, who are all great, made the character more interesting than they might be.

I felt the ending was a little too empty which slightly made the ride on this roller-coaster of a story slightly less thrilling. It didn't leave that much behind. I felt I was missing some emotional payoff from the story. I felt like the personal journey was a bit lacking in the end so it didn't stick the landing. And I didn't feel like enough questions were answered in the narrative. It was as if the story was relaying little too much getting another series. And I appreciate kdrams for giving me complete stories in one season.

This is a nine-part gory Korean film. It really felt like it was made with that sort of target audience in mind; those who really enjoy this genre of Korean and Japanese films (as this is one of the most popular genres of Asian films in the west, which I sometimes find a bit sad but I also understand the appeal). It's good gory entertainment and I can see why it is as popular as it is. It's thrilling, violent and addictive while it's going on but it didn't leave me with much in the end except maybe blood and gore.

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