Secured the Ambiance, Completely Bombed The Plot

Honestly, I only chose to watch this movie because of Kim Mu Yeol, and I did stay after the plot went south— just for him.

It had a strong start. Ambiance was good, suspense was there, definitely had me at the edge of my seat at some points. The movie has characteristics of a traditional psychological thriller, with a sprinkle of horror into the mix. Cinematography was adequate, nothing wrong with the whole production and acting crew. As always, KMY effortlessly delivered his role and the rest of the cast portrayed their characters well.

Now, with such a good start, what could possibly go wrong?

All was well until the supposed big reveal. The moment that happened, the smile literally fell off my face and I really wanted to slam my laptop into the trash. Not only did they ruin a completely good start, but they just had to recycle some cliche, overused-ass premise that we’ve seen countless of times in the industry— cults. Dear lord, what in the world were they thinking by messing up a completely good start with talks of recruiting the "chosen child" ? A "God child" ? I’ll admit, I did not expect the plot to take this turn. However, I am definitely not pleasantly surprised.

Not to mention, the movie had plot holes you could drive a monster truck through.

Overall, a complete waste of potential down the drain.

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A Harrowing Depiction of Reality

“Chen Nian, you’re the first person to ask me if it hurts.”

Went in without much expectation, but left feeling utterly exhausted— both mentally and physically. "Better Days" is one of the few films I would classify as "masterpieces," which are very few.

The film centers around two young adults who both met eachother connected by their pain and stuck to eachother because of the comfort both provided to ease their pain.

ZDY and JY’s performance in 'Better Days' was more than phoenomenal. The two acted with their eyes. Just scenes of pure silence with the two staring at eachother spoke a thousand words and coveyed thousands of emotions.

Cinematography and production are awe-inspiring. Although the cinematography was relatively simple, the directors really knew how to incorporate the little details, such as background music, certain angles, and other visual enhancers to weave an atmosphere so suffocating, depressing— yet undeniably fitting to the theme of the movie.

That being said, if you’re looking for a tear-jerker, I can’t recommend "Better Days" enough.

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Heartfelt, Meaningful, and Brutal— Featuring Some of The Most Insane Crossovers In Drama History

"Death‘s Game" is one of those shows you inadvertently stumble on, get hooked on the first episode, and end up devouring the entire plate in one sitting; greedily overwhelming your tastebuds with all those flavors all at once.

It’s also one of those really good shows that emerge once every six years or so and leaves you feeling like an entire different person after, like you’ve just lived a once-in-a-lifetime experience solely just by watching it. Everything from the casting, cinematography, storyline, and overall production, are brilliant. Not only did the drama do an excellent job at making a strong impression right at the get-go, it also manages to maintain your attention throughout the drama through its atmospheric setting.

Don’t underestimate those 8 episodes, as you’re going to experience a roller coaster of emotions for each one of them. At times, you’re going to feel like you’re watching a melodrama; at other times, you feel like you’re watching a gripping tale about revenge, or even a psychopathic thriller. I find that the most suitable word to describe the overall plot is by using the term "mixing-pot." now, throwing in a plethora of ingredients (in this case, genre’s) may sound like a call for disaster. However, it can also produce an extraordinary concoction— one that allows the taster to experience flavors of sweetness, bitterness, disgust, revolt, and numbness, and Death’s Game is just that!

Since I haven’t read the original work, I don’t have much of a day in regards to how faithful the adaptation was to its source material. However, Death’s Game was an incredible watch nonetheless. Cinematography, soundtrack, acting, and overall production were brilliant. No complaints there. Plot-wise, it has an original and unique premise, solid pacing, and manages to captivate the audiences attention throughout with its excellent plot execution. Just when you’re a sobbing mess, the plot hits you with some thrilling scenes that’ll leave you with your butt clinched. Sure, there might’ve been a few plot holes and worldbuilding could’ve been focused on a bit more (SPOILER: reincarnation is a difficult genre to tackle. In this case, more clarification was needed to explain where the original hosts souls go after it gets occupied by our main character’s). In addition, the ending didn’t really make any contextual sense and completely disregarded the drama’s worldbuilding. However, I can overlook the first two for the most part because the experience of watching it alone was so mind-blowing and completely destroyed me.

Not to mention, this drama features some of the most ICONIC and UNEXPECTED crossovers in ALL of kdrama history. If you’re a seasoned k-drama veteran like me, you’re going to have a lot of moments where you’re like: "Ariana, what are you doing here?" since you’re going to be seeing characters like (SPOILER) Baek Hee-Seong encountering Mo Tae-Gu and find yourself stumbling for a bit.

All in all, among the 2023-2024 drama lineup, Death’s Game definitely takes the spot for the most memorable, and will remain one of the most highly-regarded masterpieces in (possibly) all off k-drama history.

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