Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ a Hit or Miss? Why Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo’s New K-Drama is Not Your Ordinary Survival Game
Netflix has once again wowed the viewers with a thrilling series through Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo's Kdrama Squid Game.
Helmed and written by "Miss Granny" director Hwang Dong Hyuk, the mystery crime drama follows the story of 456 contestants with different backgrounds who were lured into participating in gruesome survival games.
With the whopping cash prize of 40 million USD, participants dig into the activity without knowing that the childhood game will turn into a bloody deathmatch.
Squid Game Cast and Synopsis
The Netflix original series stars Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo alongside Heo Sung Tae, Wi Ha Joon, Jung Ho Yeon, Anupam Tripathi with special participation from Gong Yoo.
The 48-year-old actor who starred in the movie "Deliver Us From Evil" took on the role of Seong Gi Hun, who still lives with his mother after his wife divorced him.
What pushed Gi Hun to join the contest was to pay off his ballooning debt and to take his daughter, who is about to go to the U.S with her stepdad.
As for the "Prison Playbook" star Park Hae Soo's character, Cho Sang Woo, is Gi Hun's childhood friend whom he accidentally gets reunited with while playing the game.
Initially, Gi Hun thought that his friend was now a big shot after graduating from one of the prestigious schools in Korea, Seoul National University, with a degree in business. Unfortunately, he has a billion won debt and facing multiple charges due to this,
For Cho Sang Woo, he wanted to win the prize to pay off his debt and retrieve his family's property which he made as collateral.
READ MORE: Watch Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo and More Attempts to Survive the Death-Defying Challenges in 'Squid Game' Trailer
Viewers React to Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo's Kdrama Squid Game
After premiering on September 17, the Netflix series gained the public's attention due to its stellar cast, intriguing storyline, and not to mention, jaw-dropping visuals.
Unfortunately, some netizens raised that 'Squid Game' is identical to the Japanese film "As the Gods Will" and the series "Alice in Borderland."
As for the 2014 thriller movie, viewers highlighted that the Squid Game Episode 1, where it featured the childhood game red light green light is quite similar to "As the God's Will," where a creepy-looking figure kills any student who was caught moving.
Why is Netflix Squid Game Different from Other Survival Games?
Amid the suspicion of some viewers, PD Hwang Dong Hyuk revealed that during their production, he was told that the series was similar to the Japanese film.
However, he explained in the press conference that the likeness of the two is only "coincidental."
"The first game was the 'Mugunhwa Has Bloomed' game since I wrote the script in 2009. That is the only coincidental similarity and has nothing in relation to that film. I did not copy anyone. I actually would be the first since I wrote it first," he mentioned, as obtained by a media outlet.
Interestingly, there are many reasons why "Squid Game" is far different from other survival games.
Life-Changing Decision and Opportunities
In the Netflix series, the contestants were previously given a chance to back out after most of them had decided to terminate the game.
It came after they witnessed how brutal the game can be.
The survivors have the chance to go out and continue with their lives but chose to get back to the game after encountering difficulties that push them to continue the match.
The Childhood Games as a Metaphor
During the press conference, the 'Squid Games' director revealed that the children's game featured in the mystery thriller K-drama is a metaphor of how competitive society is.
"I thought the game was a perfect metaphor for our highly competitive society. So 'Squid Game' was a perfect name for this series," he mentioned.
Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo's K-drama' Squid Game' was released on September 17 and can be streamed exclusively on Netflix with a total of eight episodes.
IN CASE YOU MISSED: Netflix Thriller Series 'Squid Game' Starring Lee Jung Jae and Park Hae Soo Unveils First Teaser + Announces Official Release Date
KDramastars owns this article
Written by Geca Wills
