Netflix’ original series, “Squid Game” may look all colorful, but the reality it portrays is dark and brutal
Recently released Korean drama, Squid Game, is the current talk of the town for those who are into dystopian, and disturbing. Squid Game was lauded for its vibrant visuals, great cinematography, and awesome scoring. However, the show’s main strength lies a layer deeper than what meets the eye.
The show is about a mysterious organization that recruits a number of Koreans who are in a huge amount of debt to compete in series of games that will reward them with billions of prize money—that is if the players make it to the end. Now, what makes Squid Game a hit is its close-to-reality concept, that at one point in the future people could really join if it became real. The idea of trying to escape an unfortunate situation like being stuck in debt or poverty, or being thrown into a situation that only benefit a higher power is something that hit quite close to home.
Squid Game is not the first of its kind, and if you’re having a hangover from this show, here are other movies and series you can watch to help you get over this Netflix series real quick.
Alice In Borderland
Alice in Borderland is a 2020 Japanese science fiction suspense-thriller drama streaming television series based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. It’s about an obsessed gamer, Arisu, who suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive.
3%
3% is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in near-future Brazil, most of the population lives in poverty in an area known as the “Inland.” However, there’s a chance to be part of an elite group that is chosen to live in a virtual paradise, the “Offshore.” So, in order to do that, each 20-year-old gets a chance to make it to the island paradise by taking a series of “tests” every year.
Battle Royale
Since Squid Game is often dubbed as Black Mirror meets Battle Royale, this film is should be in this list. Battle Royale is a Japanese action-thriller film in 2000 which tells the story of 42 9th graders who are sent to a deserted island, with a disturbing mission to kill each other and be the last one standing.
Circle
Falls on the absurd category, Circle is a 2015 American science fiction psychological horror-thriller film about fifty strangers facing execution, and have to pick one person among them to live.
The Hunger Games
Also on the list is a friendlier version of all mentioned above, The Hunger Games, a dystopian film trilogy. It is about a place called “Panem” which was supposedly once known as North America, and the “Capitol” which serves as the hub of Panem, and was surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Now, the Capitol, as where the seat of power was also located, is harsh and cruel and forces all districts to send one boy and one girl to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Gantz: O
Gantz: O is a 2016 Japanese CGI anime science fiction action film, which tells the story of a teenage boy who was brutally murdered in a subway station, and suddenly awakens just to find himself resurrected by a strange computer named Gantz, and forced to fight a large force of bizzare looking “aliens” in Osaka.
Takeshi’s Castle
If you only want the colorful and fun games aspect of the Squid Game, you will love this game show, which you also probably know, and might give you major nostalgia feels. Takeshi’s Castle was a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1990, which dozens of contestants throw themselves into a variety of daunting physical challenges as they attempt to storm Takeshi’s Castle and win the grand prize of 1 million yen.
Related: With The Rise Of New Streaming Services, How Is Netflix Going To Keep Up?
