I watched the first episode of "Squid Game." Was okay, not great. Never watched another episode. I'm not into TV shows and the original episode wasn't good enough to convince me to invest much more time in it. Hence 2022's "OctoGames," a rip-off of that Korean Netflix show. "OctoGames," directed by Rod Hardy, is easier to take...and only an 88 minute investment in time. It is actually pretty good with some nice kills, quirky plot devices, and a very sweet star, Lacy Hartselle. Let us take a look at a rip-off that is even better than the targeted epic.
JaxPro (Brad Belemjian) is a social media king with billions of YouTube followers. He is throwing a contest...OctoGames. A lot of social media influencers are accepted to play not knowing that losing will result in gory death. JaxPro's idea will have the contestants compete in children's games. First up, "Simon Says." This game will whittle the field down to eight. Moving when Simon did not tell you results in being murdered by a sniper rifle or pummeled by a sledgehammer guy in a fox costume (Patrick Sharn). Now JaxPro has the attention of the final eight. Of them, we like Carrie (Hartselle) the best...she's a doll and an aspiring singer. Each subsequent game will eliminate one more contestant.
Hopscotch will be next, followed by an obstacle course, then Musical Chairs, etc. The loser is murdered in gory fashion. Guards with rifles keep the contestants prisoner and sweet Carrie will get sweet on AJ (Luv Patel) and bond with comedienne Maxine (Allison Shrum). The evil Squish (Cael Adcock) will cheat, and we love to hate him. The deaths will be heartbreaking. Betrayal and intrigue will work their ways into the plot. Even JaxPro's sultry GF, Luna (Fallon Gyurko) will be put in great peril...you'll see. The winner stands to inherit JaxPro's empire and billions of followers...for whatever that is worth. Greed, emptiness, and social disfunction, rule the existence of the contestants. JaxPro baited them perfectly and now he laughs at their demises.
Will there be a winner, or does JaxPro intend to murder them all? Will Carrie be the "Final Girl," and if so, will that mean her crush on AJ will have to end? What does one actually do with a billion or so followers...is that even something that is appealing? So don't invest a couple or a few seasons on some over-rated Netflix series when the 88 minute "OctoGames" is a much better investment in time.
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