Alice in Borderland (2020-2025)

hit and miss,

As my predecessors mention, the first 4 episodes are really sublime. It is a kind of Japanese mix of Saw and the Brazilian 3%. The games are a lot more brutal than in 3% and a little less raw than Saw. The first 4 episodes this is really a wonderful combination. The games are high pace and intensive so that the episodes really fly by. However, after episode 4 there is a little more story and philosophical gibberish in between, so that the pacing is suddenly completely lost.

Episodes suddenly take a little too long, we get flashbacks, monologues, and a lot of bombastic violin music where earlier in the series the games were the main focus. Alice in borderland is therefore really only suitable as binge material as it is easier to see as a whole. And as a whole, it's a great entertaining snack of about 200 calories. It quells the appetite for a few hours, but there is still a decent meal to eat.

3.5*

Translated from Dutch · View original

Long-winded, sentimental second and final season, with endless chatter about feelings and unnecessarily stretched (and rather far-fetched) game rounds, often spread over several episodes. At times quite exciting as well as quite brutal and bloody, but it all goes on for far too long and eventually the story goes in a direction that is actually not fascinating at all.

Translated from Dutch · View original

It's in a row with bad decisions, weird emotions at the wrong times, very unbelievable that way. Sometimes people suddenly know a lot about the situation, sometimes people seem to have been there for months or years and have survived, other times that is not possible. It's all not well put together. I did watch it because it was "only" 10 episodes but I would skip a second season.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Watched because this should be in the same vein as Squid Game, but this is a lot more mediocre. This series has some melodramatic moments, such as in the second and last episodes, where we see speeches that are supposed to be emotional, but feel over the top, and where the series lets go of all (feigned) acumen. I'm not impressed with how the protagonist survives in the second episode, nor how cunning the game should be in the last episode. This series promises a "wow, what a ingenuity" feeling, but doesn't make it true. 2*.

Translated from Dutch · View original