HE GENIUS OF SQUID GAMES; HOW IT CAPTURED THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET
Art
If by now, you have not seen the popular Netflix series, Squid Games, congrats! Peer Pressure has nothing on you! We know it was good because, aside it raking the highest number of views in the history of Netflix so far (111 million views as at 13th October, 2021), Squid Games has birthed thousands of follow up memes, that keep popping up all over the internet. Those of us who have seen the movie, appreciate that it was as captivating as it was entertaining. Now let us dive deeper into the reasons why a South Korean Drama was able to dominate the international market out of the blue.The language caused us to pay attention
To watch a movie in a different language other than English, for many people, means that movie should be worth the extra attention. We do not only focus on the translated captions on our screens but also on the visuals; this is only bearable when the movie is absolutely worth it. More so, it naturally makes us pay extra attention to the movie — sometimes, playing back to re-read parts we missed.The music from the first game lingers in the brain
Red light green light is the title of the music from the first song. At the moment, it has been remixed into hip hip, trap, RNB, funk reggae, and many other music genres. This is because it’s hard to forget. The irony of a lullaby-like song accompanied by shocking gruesome murder, makes it even more difficult to erase from our memories. We still are not sure if Squid Games left us traumatized or entertained.
“The irony of a lullaby-like song accompanied by shocking gruesome murder, makes it even more difficult to erase from our memories”The concept is fun, and at the same time disturbing, which equals captivating
How far will people really go in order to escape life-threatening poverty? History has records of people going as far as cannibalism. It’s interesting because somewhere at the back of our minds, we all know we might do whatever we need to do to survive. Given the second chance to change their minds, after witnessing how far the game really meant to go, only a handful chose not to partake any longer. What was more interesting was the secret understanding many of us had for those who went back to try their luck. Squid games only exaggerated and dramatized an everyday phenomenon, where people continue to gamble unwisely on very slim odds. Now, what is more entertaining than watching a movie that hits so close to home?It leads to personal epiphanies, and leaves the watcher with lessons for life
It pays to be a balanced and responsible adult; on the other hand, it hurts to live without a plan
The life of the protagonist of the Drama, Seong Gi-hun alone, leaves us with lessons for days. These include: It pays to be a balanced and responsible adult; on the other hand, it hurts to live without a plan, but instead be entrapped by gambling and borrowing. Also, that, gaining lots of money, while losing our loved ones in the process is not worth it. Again that, it also pays to be a good person despite the fact that we may have lots of flaws. The other Characters equally bring a ton of epiphanies and lessons to us, but this is not an article that spoils the movie for the next watcher.The Visuals and Imagery
I bet anyone would be able to understand a large part of the Drama, even without sound or captions. The visuals were brilliantly intriguing, and utter worldly. That alone was enough to draw many views, but coupled with a great story, the Squid Game was bound to top the charts from the get go.It leaves you wanting more
Now this is a classic mark of a great movie; It does not leave you in regret for wasting your precious time. Instead, it leaves you imagining scenarios where the movie continues — it leaves you wanting closure like a lover who has been cruelly ghosted by a partner who was supposed to be their better-half.Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk really had us in our seats with this one. I bet no one will have to be told to look out for his subsequent works. He came ready for the international market, and has indeed captured our attention.