SQUID GAME
This Netflix series has quite literally taken the world by storm. It has already broken all Netflix records as the most watched series.
To put this into perspective this show was watched by 142 million subscribers compared to 67 million for Stranger things. That is insane.
Before you jump into this show I must tell you that it is best to watch in Korean with English subtitles otherwise the dialog just doesn’t line up. To best describe this series would be a mix between Hunger Games and the Saw movies.
It all begins by introducing characters who are down on their luck and in financial trouble, and then they are all given the offer to break even financially. Sounds good in theory but what they have to do to win are beyond anything they’ve had imagined.
This show is just plain shocking. Some of the morale decisions the characters have to make really gets you thinking about life choices. This series could very well be just plain stupid if it wasn’t for the crew of actors and writers having done a great job of putting it together.
It is so much more than just some grown ups playing games that if they fail they will die. The intricacy of the details really opens it all up, it is difficult to spot most of it but it’s there and will help build on the story.
It really is such a good show, but I don’t think it entirely lives up to the records it has broken, so don’t go into it expecting it to be the greatest thing ever produced.
4/5
FREE GUY
Of course, due to cinemas being closed another movie has been pushed into Disney+. Thankfully it is free this time, avoiding the debacle that was paying $30 for Black Widow. But now since cinemas are in fact opening back up again, I urge you all to go to your local cinema and watch it on the big screen.
Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds is about ‘Guy’ who is what is labeled a ‘non-playable character’. What this means is he is an AI inside a video game, but for some reason he has become sentient and alive, confusing the creators while they fight to protect his existence. From Glitches in the background and the pain of pay to win, it’ll make a lot of sense to gaming enthusiasts.
This is a fun, happy film. When I started to watch this my worry was it is going to be a copy of Ready Player One, and I am always disappointed when people copy good movies because they never live up to it. But I was delighted to find that it took a whole new direction. Ryan Reynold is the perfect person for the role of Guy, along with the supporting characters this movie is well casted.
To summarise, this movie it is totally fresh, which I am thankful for, because it could have been so easily boring and too similar to many films of its kind.
3.5/5
