Nowadays, the most popular drama is the Korean drama "Squid Game" broadcast on the Netflix platform.
Gameplay in Squid Games. Photo/ Stills from "The Squid Game"
So far, the results have been eye-catching: the number of broadcasts has reached the top of Netflix's global new drama list; the actor Zheng Haoyan, who plays Jiang Xiao in the play, has increased her personal social media account by 8 million fans; Netflix's social media account in South Korea has also replaced the avatar with a wooden person...
South Korean Netflix replaced the social media account avatar with the wooden man in the play. Photo/Screenshot of a social media platform
But at the same time, it is also controversial: its sub-shots are suspected of plagiarizing the Japanese drama "Listen to the Words of the Gods"; the director prides himself on being the founder of "Infinite Stream"; the costumes of the characters in the play are accused of plagiarizing the physical education teacher costumes played by Chinese actor Wu Jing in the 2019 movie "Teacher Good"...
For the content of the play, netizens also have their own views. The praise mostly focused on the plot stimulation and the excavation of human nature; a considerable number of critical voices believe that the character modeling is flat, the game is too simple, the male protagonist lies to win, the plot is old-fashioned, and the ending is excessively sensational.
Squid Games is about a group of desperate people in desperate need of money who receive a mysterious invitation to join a game. In order to win 45.6 billion won prize money, 456 contestants from different backgrounds were locked up in secret places to play.
Each round of the game is a traditional game that Koreans play when they are young, such as one,two or three wooden people, but the consequence of failure is death.
This is the setting of the classic "infinite stream" genre works.
Almost all "infinite stream" works are sold with complex game rules, treacherous scenes, and visual styles full of bizarre imaginations.
The success of such works is to attract the visual elements of suspense, thriller and excitement, so that the audience can enter the story and complete the exploration of human nature.
Under this setting, it is not an exaggeration to say that the "infinite stream" work comes with its own traffic, and the same is true of Squid Games.
Moreover, the main creative team of "Squid Game" is strong and the cast is luxurious. Some netizens called its lineup "the top match in the top match". Judging from the completion of the play, the performance, rhythm, art, lighting, and game level design are all excellent, all of which show that this is a "good selling" episode.
All kinds of elements have earned enough eyeballs.
Squid Games highlights the reality of the world with cruel games at the cost of life again and again: the player has no winning method, no great reversal, only the inner entanglement that hovers on the edge of good and evil again and again; it reveals the underclassmen who are toyed with, the lives that are priced, and the fairness that is distorted.
From the "skin" to the "core", "Squid Game" is trying to show the audience, which is an excellent masterpiece that can reveal the "depth of human nature". But here, we can only evaluate its "good looks".
Compared with the previous plays such as "Gambling Apocalypse" and "Fraud Game", "Squid Game" is obviously much weaker in the game, there is no complicated game rules and complex reasoning process, and the display of human nature is therefore extremely "far-fetched".
The real core of the "infinite flow" lies in the choice of good and evil under the pressure of the limit, which is also the charm of the "infinite flow".
"Selling well", but the wisdom is insufficient, the game logic is weak, and the "depth of human nature" will become a "fig leaf" for the weak script. In addition, the male protagonist's character modeling is too thin, and there is no growth and change in the plot, and the forced sensationalism at the end affects its wind evaluation.
"Squid Game" has thus become a "high-end fast food" that is only refined and standardized by the main creative team.
Although "Infinite Stream" was the first attempt to create Korean film and television series, the creative team of "Squid Game" still followed the fixed industrial script structure and skillfully applied it to the creative process. On this basis, Korean characteristics were added to form a stylized "Korean drama".
Therefore, although "Squid Game" is slightly deficient in the "core" and character building, it is still a successful work that combines Korean local culture with the genre of "infinite stream" and tries to industrialize the production of the series.
Prior to this, Korean dramas have also had attempts outside the "infinite stream" genre. From "Kingdom" to "Sweet Home", after being broadcast on the Netflix platform, although there was no fire of "Squid Games", it was also well received.
For example, the "zombie type" "Sweet Home" is as eye-catching as the "Infinite Stream" Japanese drama "Alice in the Land of The Dying" in the same period.
Now, with the help of the global platform, Korean local film and television practitioners are gradually realizing mass production, that is, the ability to industrially produce such dramas.
However, in addition to the more successful exploration of "Busan Trip" as a genre film, in terms of dramas, it can be said that whether it is a "zombie" theme or an "infinite stream" theme, relying on Local Production in South Korea will still be very difficult.
Therefore, the fire of "Squid Game" is still the inspiration for China's film and television drama practitioners: how to better realize the industrial production of genre dramas.
Behind this, the first emphasis is still on the importance of the platform, to maintain the influence of a series, there is still a need for a platform with considerable influence to escort.
In addition to providing financial support, this platform must also have the ability to mass-produce typed high-quality dramas, and on this basis, with the help of platform advantages, in order to expand its influence and truly go global.
Beijing News commentator | Ding Hui
Edit | He Rui
Intern | Wei Yingzi
Proofreading | Wu Xingfa