Few shows on this planet have the same popularity as the Korean phenomenon Squid Game. Thanks to the masterfully crafted storytelling and Netflix’s aggressive marketing tactics, the show has made it to most OTT users’ watchlists. Beyond the ultra-violent sequences and the thrilling plots, what really works for me about the show is the themes that it talks about. It’s set in a dystopia, which feels so much like our reality. It discusses the survival of people in a society that has forgotten them because they are poor and their lives only mean something when they are for the entertainment of the elite. There are only two ways to escape the harsh reality – to win the game for one lucky person, and for the rest it’s death.
Squid Game‘s much anticipated second season drops on Netflix today. Here are some similar movies and shows that exist in the junction between the ever-growing disparity in our society and the gamification of life itself.
1. Battle Royale (available on Prime Video)
The OG of this genre. While Battle Royale isn’t the first in the last-man-standing survival set of movies/shows, it has inspired a generation of filmmakers to pursue this genre. Even the writer and director of Squid Game has said that he was inspired by the Battle Royale comics when coming up with the idea for his show. Not just this, Battle Royale has been the inspiration behind games like PUBG and Fortnite. When it was released in 2000, it garnered immense controversies and was banned or excluded from distribution in several countries.
2. The Hunger Games (available on Prime Video)
Growing up, The Hunger Games was my first encounter with this genre. The story is based in a dystopian world where teens from oppressed districts are forced to fight to the death in a televised spectacle to entertain the ruling elite. Based on Suzanne Collins’s novels, the movie series stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, who sparks a rebellion against the oppressive forces.
3. Alice in Borderland (available on Netflix)
Whenever you search Squid Game, Alice in Borderland always comes in the suggestions segment, and rightly so. The show revolves around a skilled gamer named Arisu, who suddenly finds himself in an abandoned version of Tokyo. To survive he must compete in a series of deadly games, failing which will result in him being brutally executed by a red laser. A fantastic watch if you ask me.
4. Panic (available on Prime Video)
People participating in a game and willing to face even death for a chance to earn a life-changing sum of money – sounds a lot like Squid Game, right? The plot is somewhat similar, but for Panic, make it for young adults. The show released on Amazon Prime Video the same year Squid Game came out, but just a few months ago. Set in the forgotten town of Carp, Texas, the graduating seniors risk their lives competing in a series of challenges to try to win $50,000 and get out of the city every year. However, the show was canceled just after one season.
5. The Purge (available on Prime Video)
I remember watching The Purge for the first time on the New Year’s Eve of 2018. After the movie finished, I walked out of my house and had an eerie feeling that everyone would try to kill me at some point. It is set in a dystopian future where the United States allows crime to be legal for one day of the year. The movie series asks the question, “What will your morality be if everything becomes legal?”
6. As The Gods Will (not available to stream)
Remember the game ‘Daruma-san ga koronda’ from Takeshi’s Castle where you are out if you are caught moving? Here you die when they move. Sounds similar to ‘Red Light, Green Light’ in Squid Game, right? As The Gods Will is a Japanese supernatural horror film about students who are forced to compete in deadly games to survive. Similar to Squid Game, they are forced to play various children’s games.
7. Death Race (available on Jio Cinema)
Imagine what will you get if you mix Gladiator, Squid Game, and Mad Max. The result is the Jason Statham starrer Death Race. In this dystopian film, the prisoners are given a chance to compete in a car race and earn their freedom. The coolest part, they get to do these in armoured cars. You must have seen this at least once in Hindi on UTV Action.
8. Nerve (available on Prime Video)
We all love playing truth or dare with our friends. Well, as they say, it’s all games and play until it’s not. When Vee participated in an online game of truth or dare called ‘Nerve’, little did she know that she would soon find herself being forced into performing life-threatening tasks. The movie makes you question the virtual world and the perception of reality itself.
Have plans to watch these movies at the year’s end? Click on the ‘play’ at your own risk.