18. Review of Netflix's Alice in Borderland (2020)

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 If you can handle blood, violence and subtitles, you HAVE to watch Alice in Borderland.

Adapted from a manga series, Alice in Borderland follows Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his friends as they find themselves transported into a desolate alternate version of Tokyo, where they are forced to compete in games to collect cards and extend the days they have left to live.

The show is a perfect combination of everything I enjoy about anime and live action - lots of action, tension and crazy story concepts with the element of seeing a real flesh person going through those things, making things seem so much more real and intense. 

The show being live action also meant that the cinematography elements hit even harder, especially in the first episode where the setting is established through eerie extreme longshots, emphasising just how desolate Tokyo had become.

The games are extremely difficult and usually result in the losers of the games meeting a gruesome end; rather reminiscent of the Saw Franchise (2003-2017). I found myself constantly trying to predict and second guessing what the solution could be, leaving me shocked when the real resolve was revealed.

The games make an interesting commentary on how brutal and selfish people can become when forced into a desperate life or death situation, and how conspiracy can lead to catastrophe very quickly within a short timespan.

Filled to the brim with plot twists, interesting characters, great shots and impressive special effects, I would say that Alice in Borderland is a must watch.

~Paige Nicole


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