Attention all “Squid Game” (오징어 게임) fans! Earlier in August, Netflix just announced the release date for the highly anticipated “Squid Game Season 2,” set to premiere on 26th December 2024. Time has flown by, and in just a short while, our favourite main character, Gi-Hun (성기훈), will return to face the challenges of the survival game once again. Get ready for another intense season!
Of course, it’ll be a while before we get to see our favourite and new characters in the popular Korean series. So, in the meantime, as we eagerly await the next season, here are five movies and TV series that capture the same intense vibes as the original Netflix hit “Squid Game”:
1. “Battle Royale”
This interesting movie was set in a near-future Japan. The story follows a totalitarian regime that enforces a brutal annual event known as the “Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル)”. In this event, a randomly selected class of high school students is taken to a remote island and forced to fight each other to death until only one survivor remains. This movie has the same concept as “Squid Game” since it centers on survival to become the winner and to live to see the next day.
2. “The Hunger Games”
Are you interested in watching powerful female leads? Luckily, this movie series might serve as a beacon of hope for those who are interested in a beautiful main character and make you feel empowered since the main character was played by one of the most famous American actors, Jennifer Lawrence.
“The Hunger Games” is set in a dystopian future where the wealthy Capitol forces each of its 12 districts to send one boy and one girl to compete in a televised death match. Katniss Everdeen, from “District 12”, volunteers to take her sister’s place and must navigate alliances and betrayal to survive the brutal games. The story explores themes of survival, resistance, and the impact of media spectacle.
3. “Alice In Borderland”
“Alice in the Borderland” shares almost the same plot as “Squid Game”, with their familiarity with playing games in order to survive. This Japanese Netflix original series talks about Arisu, a disillusioned young man obsessed with video games, and his friends, who suddenly find themselves transported to a parallel version of Tokyo. The players must win these games to gain “visas” that allow them to stay alive in the game world.
In the series, the game arenas are often equipped with lethal traps, including laser beams. This is quite similar to “Squid Game” in episode 1, where the players are lasered while playing the “Red Light, Green Light” game.
4. “Money Heist”
The film “Money Heist” (La Casa de Papel) centres on a mastermind named The Professor, who assembles a group of eight criminals to pull out a daring heist, printing billions of euros in order to plunder Spain’s Royal Mint. The robbers must negotiate strong psychological pressure, intricate relationships, and internal issues while they take hostages and fight the cops.
The actor for the main character of the show was played by Álvaro Antonio García Pérez, known professionally as Álvaro Morte, a Spanish actor. He had won the 28th Actors and Actresses Union Awards as the best-leading actor for “Money Heist”. From that point, we can guess how talented he is at playing the role of the main character in the series.
5. “Danganronpa”
This is a mystery anime series set in Hope’s Peak Academy, an elite school where the best and brightest students, known as “Ultimates,” are trapped by a sadistic robotic bear named Monokuma. After each murder, a class trial takes place, where the students must identify the culprit. If the murderer is caught, they are executed, and if the wrong person is accused, everyone else dies, and the killer goes free. Both the “Squid Game” and “Danganronpa”(ダンガンロンパ) stories involve mysterious figures who are in control of the games and orchestrate the deadly events.
If you enjoyed “Squid Game”, you’ll appreciate these five TV shows that offer similar high-stakes drama and intense psychological thrills. With these nerve-wracking plotlines and one-of-a-kind survival games, you might become addicted and binge-watch the whole movie and TV series in a night! So, which show caught your attention the most?
Sakinah contributed to this article.
