Squid Game: Unleashed review – a masterclass in missing the point

Netflix
The signature games of the TV show – such as Red Light, Green Light – are among the 40+ here, but they’re neither exciting nor competitive

Squid Game is not a subtle show. It is impossible to misinterpret its very obvious message that the games are bad, and people should NOT be driven to such desperation by a merciless capitalist system that they will murder each other for rich people’s entertainment. I would not be the first to point out that there is some conflict in the fact that we, the viewers, are watching all these competitors get killed for our entertainment, but still: despite the violence, despite the shock value, there is no ambiguity around the narrative intention.

In this spin-off video game from Netflix, by contrast, the games are not bad. They are supposed to be fun. You run around colourful obstacle courses trying to kill as many of your fellow players as possible to advance yourself to the next round, their cartoon avatars crumpling comically when stabbed or burned or shot only to respawn seconds later. When you win, you get money and tokens to buy new zany outfits for your vacantly smiling character, and then you go again. In this madcap tumble, the message of the TV show is … rather lost. This is a Squid Game adaptation for people who think that Walter White was in fact the hero of Breaking Bad.