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The 8 Show is a new Korean Netflix series which left me more baffled AFTER the trailer ended, than before I watched it.
The premise of the opener states that a broke man joins a mysterious show, and meets seven other eclectic strangers. Their first goal? Figure out the rules.
The trailer also confirms they’ll play it out over 8 levels (and 8 episodes), they can not only resolve their fiduciary issues by winning an infinite amount of money, but also that the game could go on indefinitely.
So, clear as mud, then, and when it comes to the rules, they’re even more baffling, so I won’t go into them, here.
The first contestant we see, Bae-Jin Soo (Ryu Jun-yeol), owes the equivalent of just over £500,000 to loansharks, and our lead walks into a room that’s like the Big Brother house on acid, but his apartment is… empty, and the windows don’t open. Still, it’s more attractive than a Travelodge…
Seriously, since the room is empty, you will still need things, so can buy them, but they’ll cost a fortune compared to your local Aldi. Hence, resentment and anger soon builds up amonmgst the eight individuals in the game – as they each eventually arrive, especially when other disparities come to light that I won’t go into, so as not to spoil the surprises.
So far, I’ve seen the first two episodes, and second one opens with 8th floor getting to her apartment, and how they’re either trying to work together or on their own – since when it comes to a gameshow and a winner, like Highlander, there can be only one – but it’s certainly massively intriguing, and I am looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Also, while The 8 Show is clearly a twist on a ‘survival of the fittest’-type story, the premise is original enough to sustain it as something fresh and new, and so far, this is ace! 😀
And like Squid Game, I think this is also going to be massive.
As an aside, she programme opens by being filmed in a bizarre portrait aspect ratio around 0.6:1, delineating the difference between life before the gameshow they enter, and during it, where it slowly expands to 2.00:1.
Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.
The 8 Show is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Netflix from today.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 40-60 minutes per episode (8 episodes)
Release date: May 17th 2024
Studio: Netflix
Format: 2.00:1, 0.6:1
Director: Han Jae-rim
Producer: Kim Dae-seung
Webcomic: Bae Jin Soo
Cast:
Tae Seok: Rich Ting
Mun Jeong: Anzu Lawson
Bae-Jin Soo: Ryu Jun-yeol
Se Ra: Chun Woo-hee
Philip: Min-Jung Park
Sang Gook: Bae Sung-woo
Moon Jung: Moon Jeong-Hee
Chun Ja: Lee Joo-young
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.