Throughout the past few months, Netflix has been rapidly releasing many apocalyptic and thriller shows. Alice in Borderland was released on December 10th, 2020, eight days before Sweet Home released, another top-rated apocalyptic show. Unlike Sweet Home, Alice in Borderland struggled to gain its popularity in the beginning. Alice In Borderland takes a twist on the usual apocalyptic thriller shows many are accustomed to watching. The story begins with Arisu and his two friends living their everyday lives until suddenly, everyone in Tokyo seemed to disappear. The confused group of friends continues to explore Tokyo’s barren land and walks into a building where the only way to escape is to complete the game inside. However, these games are life-threatening, and one wrong move could lead to inevitable death. The plot follows this group of friends as they complete more challenging games and even learn the truth of the dystopian world in which they are trapped.

The show is filled with many exciting scenes as Arisu comes up with ingenious ways of completing each game. The games are always unique and make the audience truly believe that there is no way to complete it, especially in the last game. The games are the best concept within the show. Since each game is different and requires different skills, such as athleticism and intelligence, it allows for characters that lack one or the other to shine in different situations. The interactions that each character has with one another are also fascinating and diverse. Since everyone is trying their best to complete games and return to their original lives, betrayal becomes a constant theme. It ensures that the viewer is always being suspicious of every new character being introduced. Each character also had unique personalities and exciting backstories of their lives before they were brought into the cursed world.

While the show’s plot might be extraordinary, it lacks one of the fundamental aspects for any show to be successful, acting. There are many scenes where the audience is mesmerized by how the characters solved the game, but then the characters start interacting with others, and sometimes it comes off very awkward. Villains that were meant to portray a psychotic character had failed to do so and instead acted like an edgy teenager.

While the show does lack talented actors, it makes up for it with the games. The games keep the show fresh and new. Every time a new game appears, it is always different from the last and contains a unique completion method. The plot twists that come with the game’s rules also play a role in keeping the audience thrilled. This show deserves a seven out of ten due to some of the actors’ poor performance, but the plot is thrilling and unique enough for everyone to enjoy.