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Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

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Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#41

Post by Sebb767 »

omnicognate wrote: post #18
miguelmurca wrote: post #7

To be completely honest I don't understand the appeal of Squid Game. It's a very thin metaphor around super shocking imagery --- and don't get me wrong, although it's not my thing, I can understand people liking slasher movies and the like, but I don't understand why this discourse that Squid Game is very deep (and anything other than cheap gore horror) became so popular.

You get the same every time this is done: Hunger Games and Battle Royale were also hailed for much more than the competitive brutality idea they were built on, and really they had little else to offer but that. For some reason people seem to feel the need to say they enjoyed it for reasons other than just enjoying inventive, competitive death games (maybe they really do, I don't know). Anyway, I loved Squid Game but…

> IIRC, the maker of Squid Game was quoted as being unable to contemplate what a season 2 would involve. Are you kidding? Just put a new bunch of characters through a new bunch of games, sprinkle a bit of extra plot on it and keep up the production values. People will watch an infinite amount of this

Even though you don't see it, I'm pretty sure the creator tried to tell a deeper story in this series. And from that perspective, it's quite obvious why a second season couldn't just be a repeat from season 1.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#42

Post by tsegers »

peakaboo wrote: post #30
silvester23 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The acting is superb, I really have not seen a single actor fail to deliver. Have you seen the episode with the VIPs? They are terrible across the board. Their delivery sounds like NPC background dialogue from a third-rate low-budget video game.

You picked the worst acting of the series as an example here. The previous episodes actually did have superb acting. One huge difference to American and British shows is that nobody tried to be cool in squid game. They were acting like humans would.

If someone claims that not a single actor failed to deliver it's a perfectly valid response to use the worst actor as a example to the contrary.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#43

Post by donkeyd »

biddit wrote: post #24
silvester23 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The acting is superb, I really have not seen a single actor fail to deliver. Have you seen the episode with the VIPs? They are terrible across the board. Their delivery sounds like NPC background dialogue from a third-rate low-budget video game.

If you were to view their script and line delivery through the lens of a non-English speaking Korean audience, which this show was targeting, I think you'd find that this is a non-issue. The same way that the vast majority of shows and movies produced in America for American audiences contain absolutely atrocious foreign dialog...

This is exactly how I interpreted it. I'm Dutch and the film interpretation of my countrymen is usually someone with a German accent, someone who gets high or a prostitute. No American will ever complain about that.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#44

Post by vowelless »

miguelmurca wrote: post #7

To be completely honest I don't understand the appeal of Squid Game. It's a very thin metaphor around super shocking imagery --- and don't get me wrong, although it's not my thing, I can understand people liking slasher movies and the like, but I don't understand why this discourse that Squid Game is very deep (and anything other than cheap gore horror) became so popular.

Its shocking and gore, portraying a totalitarian sub society with hints of communism. It reminds us of North Korean. But for some reason, westerners think its a “critique of capitalism”.

Edit: to clarify, the “hints of communism” here refers to the game on the island, not south korea. These people willingly left capitalism to join this weird commie authoritarian style game to make money.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#45

Post by z3c0 »

peakaboo wrote: post #30
silvester23 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The acting is superb, I really have not seen a single actor fail to deliver. Have you seen the episode with the VIPs? They are terrible across the board. Their delivery sounds like NPC background dialogue from a third-rate low-budget video game.

You picked the worst acting of the series as an example here. The previous episodes actually did have superb acting. One huge difference to American and British shows is that nobody tried to be cool in squid game. They were acting like humans would.

It's also not afraid to have protagonists of questionable character. Northern Asian media at least understands that people aren't perfect and crafts excellent stories of growth at the hands of a self-inflicted struggle.

Western media is full of level-headed, mild-mannered, sharp, witty, moral paragons of protagonists with motives that are practically announced from loudspeakers.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#46

Post by pastacacioepepe »

miguelmurca wrote: post #7

To be completely honest I don't understand the appeal of Squid Game. It's a very thin metaphor around super shocking imagery --- and don't get me wrong, although it's not my thing, I can understand people liking slasher movies and the like, but I don't understand why this discourse that Squid Game is very deep (and anything other than cheap gore horror) became so popular.

It's pretty easy to understand and not deep at all.

All those people prefer to go back to the game where it's almost certain they will die but that at least gives them one chance, rather than living a normal life in a ruthless capitalist society that treats them as garbage.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#49

Post by vowelless »

MildlySerious wrote: post #31
boppo1 wrote: post #17

I enjoyed squid game, but it bugs me that everyone says it's a critique of capitalism. They're literally participating in a centrally planned system.

Out of desperation and lack of options, yes. Then they are shown the horrible nature of it and still decide it's the least bad thing for them.

Lol absolutely not. They participate out of free choice.

Its a warning that people could choose to participate in a centralized, communist totalitarian system if they are encouraged to do so. It reminds us of the communist revolutions from the early 1900s and a lot of the leftist rhetoric from today.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#50

Post by pastacacioepepe »

vowelless wrote: post #44
miguelmurca wrote: post #7

To be completely honest I don't understand the appeal of Squid Game. It's a very thin metaphor around super shocking imagery --- and don't get me wrong, although it's not my thing, I can understand people liking slasher movies and the like, but I don't understand why this discourse that Squid Game is very deep (and anything other than cheap gore horror) became so popular.

Its shocking and gore, portraying a totalitarian sub society with hints of communism. It reminds us of North Korean. But for some reason, westerners think its a “critique of capitalism”. Edit: to clarify, the “hints of communism” here refers to the game on the island, not south korea. These people willingly left capitalism to join this weird commie authoritarian style game to make money.

> with hints of communism

Seriously? It portrays current South Korea, which is one of the most capitalist societies in Asia. Did we watch the same show?

In fact, most of the circumstances that bring the players in the squid game are due to poverty and failed capitalism.

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