2023 Show
Ha Byung-hoon · South Korea · Korean
Sonder is reimagined as a refreshing multi-character survival thriller in this fantastical K-Drama
When life gets tough, especially without money or opportunities, it can be hard to cling onto life. There’s the real temptation to end it all, but what if Death is tired of this last resort? Death’s Game reimagines life after Choi’s suicide as a video game, whose limited lives function like reincarnation into different save points, and whose game over means eternal damnation in hell. With such an interesting premise from the popular webtoon, some of the best actors in Korea, and no way of being able to predict what would happen in Choi’s multiple, varied lives, Death’s Game reinvents plenty of today’s K-Drama tropes while possibly reconceptualizing how we feel about life and death… if it’s able to stick the landing when the second half drops this January.
At the brink of going to hell, Yee-jae must cycle through twelve separate lives and twelve separate deaths in this reincarnation drama.
After losing the will to live, Death confronts down-on-his-luck Choi Yi-jae and makes him earn the chance at another life, if he can figure out how to survive their death.
With a premise like this, you would think that Death’s Game would be on the positive side with where the main character would have to learn to appreciate life. It feels like he’ll still go through this lesson, but the first few episodes don’t just feel like a contemplative story to lecture about the value of life– instead, it feels like an action thriller caused by fantastical horror elements, where Choi has to do everything he can to survive, just to avoid hell. It’s an interesting story, especially as it will involve 13 interconnected timelines and mysteries, all with different styles per character. While there’s a slight imbalance between some of the timelines, and it’s difficult to get attached to a single character, Death’s Game's singular approach is intriguing to watch, and it’s such a unique way to approach the question of what is worth living for.
Prime Video, why aren’t you promoting this as much?
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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