Squid Gamedid a lot of things well, but the thing that catapulted it to the forefront of media discussion was its haunting portrayal of real-world issues. Watching desperate people risk their lives for the promise of financial gain while the wealthy and comfortable watch with glee forces the audience to reckon with the grim truth of systemic oppression and exploitation.Squid Gamewas, however, far from the only work to explore those themes through the medium of sick games.Would You Ratheris an American example that finds many points of comparison with the South Korean hit.
The “death game” genre has been enduringly popular for the past several decades. Arguably the first example was Richard Connell’s 101-year-old short story,The Most Dangerous Game. Modern examples probably borrow more from Paul Michael Glaser’s 1987 adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Running Manor Kinji Fukasaku’s 2000 take onKoushun Takami’sBattle Royale. The broad concept of humans competing in games of survival seems to extend beyond genre, tone, and medium, but it manages to maintain its connection to the central theme of the haves and the have-nots.
Steffen Schlachtenhaufen
Stars
Brittany Snow, Jeffrey Combs, Enver Gjokaj, Charlie Hofheimer, Sasha Grey, John Heard, Eddie Steeples, June Squib, Robb Wells
Streaming On
Philo and The Roku Channel
Would You Ratherfollows Iris, a young lady at the end of her rope. She’s in desperate need of funds as her brother suffers the later stages of leukemia and risks death for want of a bone marrow donor. Her doctor introduces her to Shepard Lambrick,a local billionaire whoinvites her to a dinner party that will end with a mysterious game. Fresh out of options, Iris accepts Shepard’s offer and turns up to his mansion to meet the other guests. In short order, Iris and her fellow desperate attendees learn that only one of them is likely to leave the dining room alive. Lambrick intends to challenge the guests to an increasingly lethal game of “would you rather,” in which each contestant must choose to grievously injure themselves or each other as they struggle to survive. It’s a stripped-down torture horror story in which the power of money allows a sociopath toforce a handful of decent people through Hellfor the promise of a better life. Newcomers will be surprised by how dark this story is willing to become.
Squid Game
Would You Rather
Desperate contestants compete in a series of deadly games to win money.
Cruel and psychotic wealthy people watch the events with delight.
The titular competition is a dark and twisted iteration of a familiar children’s game.
The plot is an unsubtle metaphor for abuse, power dynamics, and exploitation under capitalism.
The comparisons betweenSquid GameandWould You Ratherare largely a result of their being in the same general subgenre. They’re boththrillers about death games. They both use a familiar game to pit destitute people against each other for a massive cash prize. Both works stack their casts with characters who have unique yet heartbreakingly grounded reasons to put their lives on the line.Squid GameandWould You Rathersport remarkably similar premises, but the big difference is in execution. The games inSquid Gamehave a fair amount of production value behind them. Massive weapon systems, absurd environments, andover 400 competitors are simplybeyond the scope ofWould You Rather. The American film narrows its focus to a single dinner party and a single game, stripping the premise down to its bare essentials. It’s far less spectacular, but the very personal circumstances create a slightly more intimate death game.
What isWould You Rather’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
The other big difference betweenWould You RatherandSquid Gameis, unfortunately, quality.Squid Gameis a much betterpiece of media by every metric.Would You Ratheris a more niche entertainment experience, whileSquid Gameis an instant crossover hit. Still, the film has its fans. Most critics probably wouldn’t count themselves among those fans, butWould You Ratherhas a positive 61% critics’rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were far less kind, awarding it a 37% positive score from over 25,000 amateur opinions. It’s undeniably controversial, but the film deserves the positive attention it did get.
Would You Ratheris certainly not a perfect examination of the themes thatSquid Gameso effectively captured, but it is a compelling alternative take.The death game genrehas only become more powerful over the last decade.Squid Gamewill guarantee a constant supply of new desperate people struggling to survive in a world that only wants to exploit them for their entertainment.Would You Ratherasks one question in its title and a lot of familiar ones in its plot.
