Late to the Party: Squid Game

Where were you when you first heard about Netflix’s Squid Game? For me it was videos on TikTok using the red light, green light song. After being bombarded with videos and photos for a month I decided to check it out.

The story starts with Seong Gi-hun, a man who has lost everything and is living with his mother. He has no money and keeps getting himself into trouble. After winning big at the tracks he tries to pay off his debts but finds out his money was stolen. He then gets invited to play games for money.

When he gets there, he finds a friend from school, who is supposed to be this bigshot businessman, and the person that stole his money. After the first game they realize there is much more to these games than just winning money.

As the games unfold we start to learn more about all the players. The games are played with deadly consequences and at times it can get graphic and gory. If you have a problem with blood then you might not enjoy Squid Game.

From episode six until the end you will sit there with your mouth wide open and sobbing. There is so much life built into the characters and to watch them all start to break down, one by one, is hard.

The most important thing to come out of the popularity of Squid Game is that it proves American audiences are fine with reading subtitles. For a long time a lot of foreign films and shows never made their way to the United States for fear audiences would reject them. Squid Game proves that if it’s good, we’ll watch it. But that shouldn’t shock anyone, look at anime and its popularity.

By the end you are so engrossed that you forget you’re even reading subtitles. You are so excited to see what the next game they must play is, how will the main characters survive, and who will be the ultimate winner. It’s suspenseful, funny and just the right amount of blood (and this is coming from someone that doesn’t typically enjoy bloody things).

If you’re looking for something violent, gory and a good story then look no further than Squid Game. It’s the perfect thing to break the rut of cookie cutter shows and true crime documentaries on Netflix.