Netflix Real-Life SQUID GAMES A ‘War Zone,’ ‘Savage Game’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Netflix’s hit Korean SQUID GAMES series left many viewers concerned due to its excessive violence, sex and language. Now, the streaming platform has announced a real-life competition based on the show.
SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE follows 456 competitors vying for a chance to win $4.56 million.
While the competition is “non-fatal,” the violence depicted in the original series left many disturbed.
Movieguide® reported:
SQUID GAME, which Netflix released in September, is a South Korean fiction series about a group of contestants who compete in children’s games for the chance to win money.
While the premise seems harmless enough on the surface, the penalty for the contestants in SQUID GAME is death. Unfortunately, the show does not hold back in its depictions of the contestants’ gory death scenes.
“While THE CHALLENGE is the non-fatal version of the SQUID GAME story format, the production nonetheless generated controversy with contestants alleging to The Sun tabloid that they were ‘treated like animals’ and ‘tortured’ — particularly during the Red Light-Green Light challenge where they said they had to stand motionless for hours in freezing weather,” the Hollywood Reporter wrote.
“This is a savage game,” one player admitted.
“This game has to be played with strategy,” another player said.
Another competitor revealed, “I’m gonna be your best friend, but I will absolutely double-cross you.”
“It was like a war zone,” one contestant admitted. “Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold…Some were crawling by the end. At least one was carried out on a stretcher.”
“While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue,” Netflix and multiple producers said when accused of misconduct.
In January, the Hollywood Reporter wrote:
Netflix has defended freezing cold conditions on an outdoor U.K. set where its real-life Squid Game unscripted series saw contestants sustain injuries while competing as winter temperatures plunged below zero.
On Wednesday, the streamer and its co-producers pushed back on claims in The Sun tabloid newspaper that players had been severely injured during production on a former air force base near Bedford, in England’s eastern region, during a rare cold snap.
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures. While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue.”
This new game, while entertaining for some, takes its inspiration from content that could harm children.
Movieguide® previously reported on the violent themes that occur in the series:
Despite its rapid rise to success, viewers and their children should be aware of the faults this show contains.
One of the largest flaws in the show is killing and violence.
When someone is eliminated from the games, they are murdered. Some scenes are more graphic than others, however. The first game of Red Light Green Light is the most excessive. Multiple people are eliminated at a time, and viewers can see the utter fear take over the remaining contestants as they realize they are about to die.
There is also a scene where someone commits suicide due to the pressure of the games.
One of the most grievous character developments in the show is seeing innocent people turn into murderers outside the games and even in common areas when the games are not being played.
Characters use excessive foul language clearly meant for mature audiences with multiple profanities and obscenities used throughout the series. There is also some potty humor, as well as sexual content with a graphic sex scene and male and female nudity, along with naked women are covered in body paint. There is also a discussion of homosexual actions, though the character does not go through the action.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
