9 Shows and Movies to Watch After the Squid Game

9 Shows and Movies to Watch After the Squid Game

"Squid Game" is taking the world by storm. This South Korean drama has become one of Netflix's biggest hits with its violent and twisted take on popular children's games like "Red Light, Green Light." Well-drawn characters and thought-provoking reflections on capitalism are also reasons why the TG staff is one of the millions of viewers who can't help but watch "Squid Game."

After watching all nine episodes, you may want to watch more; Netflix has yet to announce a "Squid Game" Season 2, but fortunately, there are similar shows and movies to fill the void. Here is a list of films to watch after "Squid Game.

"Alice in Borderland," like "Squid Game," features characters who must win the game or face fatal consequences. As you might imagine, it is also a violent and bloody exploration of human nature. In this series, based on the manga of the same name, hardcore game enthusiast Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his friends are trapped in an alternate version of a dystopian Tokyo. There they are forced to participate in a series of games like tag and hide-and-seek. If they win, they survive and move on. If they lose, they die. If they do not participate in the games, their "visas" to the Borderlands expire and they die.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83 Rating TV-MAStreaming on Netflix

If you've ever played Fortnite, you know the premise of the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale. Based on the novel by Mitsuharu Takami, it is one of the most influential films in the genre (many see "The Hunger Games" and others as owing a great deal to "Battle Royale"). In a totalitarian society, a class of ninth graders is sent to a deserted island, each given weapons, maps, and supplies; three days pass, and if more than one person survives, everyone dies. In other words, the children must kill each other until there is only one winner. Battle Royale was so controversial at the time that it was banned in several countries and was never officially released in the United States.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88 Rating Streaming on NRAmazon Prime Video

This Korean fantasy horror drama, like The Squid Game, fulfills several elements: survival, deep relationships, and violence. Sweet Home centers on a group of people holed up in an apartment building when monsters begin to exterminate the human race. One resident becomes a gluttonous monster; teenager Hyun-soo (Song Kang) unites with his neighbors to survive. As the monster preys on them, a tense atmosphere prevails in the building.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83 Rated TV-MAStreaming on Netflix

The life-or-death scenario in "3%" is metaphorical rather than literal, but like "Squid Game," this Brazilian dystopian thriller is a provocative meditation on class inequality and capitalism. In the show, most of the world lives in poverty inland. Only 3% of the population lives offshore, in a colony of glorious utopian harmony. Every year, 20 year olds are given the chance to go Offshore. To go Offshore, they must participate in a series of tests, ranging from a brief interview to a test to solve a fake crime scene. Those who pass the "process" win not money, but an escape from a bleak life to paradise.

Rotten Tomatoes Score N/ARating: TV-MAStreaming on Netflix

Like "Squid Game," the 2014 Japanese supernatural horror film also features a deadly round of children's games like "Red Light, Green Light" appears in the film. The story follows Shun Takahata (Sota Fukushi), a high school student who spends his time playing violent video games. One day, his school is turned into a battle royale arena, and he and his friends must fight to survive. Children all over Japan and the world face similar ordeals. Shun and the other players compete for their lives and to find out who is behind this stupefying situation.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 57%Rating: TV-MABuy on Vudu

In this 2019 thriller, six strangers receive mysterious invitations to join an escape room with a $100,000 prize: one is a college student, another is a wealthy day trader, and a third is an Army veteran with a different background. When they enter the room, they find that it is locked and that the level of the room is rising rapidly. You also notice that some rooms remind you that you are the sole survivor of various disasters, such as plane crashes and car accidents. But who is the ultimate sole survivor?

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 51%Rating: PG-13Rent on Amazon

Like "Sweet Home," "#Alive" is not game-centric; the 2020 Korean film is a survival story featuring friendships built during a tragic time, Much like the atmosphere between Gihoon and Il-nam in "Squid Game." Junu (Yoo Ah In) is alone in his family's apartment when the zombie outbreak strikes. He locks himself inside the house, but begins to lose his sanity when the food, water, and Internet run out. On the verge of suicide, Junu sees a signal from someone in the building across the street. The two send supplies by zip line and bond over walkie-talkies. But the zombies are relentless, and the two must work together to survive.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%Rating: TV-MAStreaming on Netflix

Based on the manga of the same name, the anime series follows high school student Kaname Sudo, who receives an invitation to play an app game. When Kaname opens the app, he learns that he is participating in a battle to the death in which players fight each other with a superpower called "sigil". Unlike other battle royale stories, "Darwin's Game" does not force players to participate. Instead, they choose to play for money, ego or other reasons. Kaname, on the other hand, proceeds on a quest to end the game for good.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/ARating: TV-14 Streaming on Netflix

It feels a little silly to include this blockbuster franchise on the list. Still, if you somehow missed "The Hunger Games," this is a great opportunity to catch up. The movie takes place in a dystopian world divided between rich and poor districts. Each year, each district must send two teenagers to participate in a death match. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is from the very poor District 12 and takes her sister's place in the game. Using the hunting skills she has developed from her life in the forest, Katniss is completely focused on getting out of the arena and back to her family. The Hunger Games is not as violent or gory as The Squid Game, but it deals with similar themes, such as the gap between rich and poor and the human condition.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% Rating: PG-13 Streaming on Hulu

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