Squid Game: The Challenge: Ruthless, efficient spectacle
Review Overview
Spectacle
9Suspense
9Subtlety
6David Farnor | On 26, Nov 2023
Part 1 premiered on 22nd November 2023, with four more episodes to follow n 29th November and the finale on 6th December.
You couldn’t make it up. Netflix finds itself a huge hit with a satirical Korean thriller about a reality TV series in which 456 contestants competing to win $4.56 million – only for each person who gets eliminated to actually be, well, eliminated. And then promptly makes an actual reality TV series in which 456 contestants compete to win $4.56 million – only for person who gets eliminated to be, well, not literally eliminated, but that doesn’t stop the players leaning into the drama. It is, in short, as unsubtle as TV gets.
That feeling is reinforced from the off, as it becomes apparent that Netflix has spared no expense in bringing its lavish, garish parade to life. The colossal sets are a convincing replica of the originals, from the Escher-like staircases to the gigantic common room with industrial bunkbeds and the masked guards with neon pink jumpsuits. The games, too, are familiar, with the first round recreating the infamous Red Light, Green Light challenge – a musical statues showdown overseen by a creepy gigantic doll with laser vision to detect movement. Others include the tricky cutting out of shapes from a crispy honeycomb cookies using a needle – and part of the fun is seeing the contestants not only recognising the challenges but also anticipating which ones are coming up.
But whether they anticipate what’s in store or not, Squid Game: The Challenge bulldozes through their preparations through sheer, relentless competition – and what keeps you hooked is watching each person being forced to put themselves ahead of everyone else. From a mother and son who both enter the contest together to a guy who professes that he’ll be satisfied coming in second place and helping someone else win, alliances form and bullies emerge. Even those who think they are savvy enough to build storylines and label opponents as villains for the cameras still end up feeling the pressure of the format – one person is almost reduced to vomiting before a competition has even begun.
With every twist and cliffhanger comes a wealth of slow-motion and Hans Zimmer-sized musical flourishes, each one designed to conjure up the maximum spectacle possible. That determination to entertain undermines at every step the satirical message of the source material, brushing aside its pointed commentary on inequality, capitalism and exploitation of people’s needs. But the more time we spend with each contestant, the more we uncover what’s motivating them to compete, from mortgages or cars that needing paying off to the desire to support family members and loved ones. We may not quite get attached to these people, but there’s a certain sympathy to be found, as the blunt efficiency of the competition not only exposes human nature but the very real problems of a world amid a cost of living crisis. The result is a fast-paced and gripping machine that’s laced with poignancy, but isn’t interested in stopping to linger on it. Subtle, it ain’t, but it’s very well executed.