Squid Game: The Challenge, a new British reality competition series, premiered on Netflix on November 22. The ten-episode series is based on the popular South Korean drama Squid Game, in which 456 contestants from all over the world compete in children’s games for a whopping $4.56 million prize.
The show invites English-speaking contestants to compete in real-life versions of fictional Squid Game challenges such as Red Light, Green Light. The games put players’ physical, mental, and emotional limits to the test in order to increase cash prizes, and losers face real consequences.
Squid Game: The Challenge went to number one in 76 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, within three days of its Netflix debut.
The reality show’s popularity grew quickly but received mixed reactions. Some find its physical challenges compelling, while others argue that adapting the scripted drama’s biting social commentary into an unscripted format is a mistake. Nonetheless, the show maintained the global sensation that the original Korean series had started.
Squid Game: The Challenge: Review
Squid Game, a South Korean thriller series, and its British reality competition spinoff Squid Game: The Challenge share certain elements but differ significantly in format, execution, and theme, and thus are not the same.
Squid Game: The Challenge has a Tomatometer score of 42% based on 24 critic reviews on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that critics have given it mixed or average reviews overall. It does, however, have an audience score of 89% and 500+ ratings.
On Metacritic, a Metascore of 50 represents mixed or average reviews based on 20 counted critic reviews, providing a more complete picture. Notably, the user score is significantly lower at 2.1, indicating generally negative feedback from 15 user ratings.
Some reviews on Metacritic highlight perceived strengths such as the show’s diverse cast and creative reimaginings that infuse gripping suspense and affect human drama without resorting to excessive violence.
Furthermore, praise is focused on the show’s ability to effectively build tension and put participants’ morals to the test by presenting them with difficult choices and ethical quandaries.
Some reviews, on the other hand, express disappointment, describing the show as bloated and lacking the artistic impact of the original series. Similarly, negative reviews label the show as a cynical, depressing shambles and advise viewers to rewatch the original Squid Game instead.
What is the difference between Squid Game and Squid Game: The Challenge?
Squid Game, which premiered in 2021, is a fictional scripted show set in South Korea that follows 456 indebted contestants as they compete in lethal versions of children’s games for a 45.6 billion prize. Masked guards kill losing players while wealthy spectators watch.
Squid Game: The Challenge, on the other hand, films 456 global and non-fictional contestants, including influencers from various backgrounds, competing in the UK for $4.56 million. Compared to the original games, losing results in elimination rather than death.
Squid Game employs South Korean actors to play fabricated desperate characters, whereas Squid Game The Challenge features real competitors from all over the world.
Squid Game delivered bleak anti-capitalist commentary and societal inequality critiques. According to critics, The Challenge ignored such social messages in favor of entertainment and competition.
While The Challenge was directly inspired by the original show, it added new elements such as character assessments and extra games. It also omitted Squid Game’s complex character development and plot arcs. Instead, it adheres to reality TV conventions such as contestant interviews and interpersonal conflicts.