- Squid Game season 2 will premiere on December 26
- Excited first reactions tease a ‘crazier’ season
- The first reactions by critics have been released
Squid Game season 2 is close, releasing on December 26. The reactions from the critics and press are in with just under two weeks before the next season hits our screens.
Netflix has a right to be cocky in having an early press screening. When season 1 was released in 2021, it became Netflix’s number-one show of all time and has continued to break records in the three years since. Subsequently, Squid Game got greenlit for season 2 and season 3 which will premiere in 2025.
We know already in Squid Game season 2 that Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) will return for more outrageous games, and apparently, they’re gruesome. However this time, he wants to save the other players and isn’t out to win money.
Curious about how the press reacted to season 2? We have the best reactions here.
How did the press react to Squid Game season 2?
The reactions by the critics and press promise us a great season. MovieWeb summed up the best quotes from reviewers, and they are something.
@RamasScreen described the season as “action-packed” and spoke about the season giving him “pins & needles” and making him “squeamish”. Oh no.
SQUID GAME season 2 was a lot crazier than the first one. It even had its own "The Deer Hunter" moment that got me all on pins & needles, squeamish. This time it's retribution-based & action-packed. Lee Jung-jae once again delivered a ferocious performance.#SquidGame #SquidGame2 pic.twitter.com/dXY6qtcJBf
— Rama's Screen (@RamasScreen) December 9, 2024
Overall reviewers agreed that season 2 is an action fest and the stakes are much higher than in season 1.
Aayush Sharma said that season 2 “intertwines high-octane action sequences with psychological mind games.” As if season 1 wasn’t damaging enough to the brain!
SQUID GAME Season 2 is a masterstroke in escalating the stakes while delving deeper into the human psyche.
— Aayush Sharma (@JournoAayu) December 9, 2024
The plot seamlessly intertwines high-octane action sequences with psychological mind games. Lee Jung-Jae is magnificent. It's bigger and better.#SquidGame #SquidGame2 pic.twitter.com/m3Rbw6EVYd
What were the other reactions?
Many reviewers praised Jung-jae for his performance. Writer Ashley Hurtst described his performance as “masterful” and called the new cast “magnificent”. Joining Squid Game season 2 are new cast members Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, and Choi Seung-hyun, former member of the K-pop boyband BigBang.
'Squid Game' S2 is a brilliant return for Netflix's most popular show. The new cast is magnificent, and Lee Jung-Jae puts in another masterful performance. There's so many amazing action sequences. It's well worth the wait. Get hyped! #SquidGame pic.twitter.com/b5Zz4KdGVj
— Ashley (@AshWHurst) December 9, 2024
Seung-hyun naturally received an enormous reaction when it was announced he’d be joining season 2 as player 230, ‘Thanos’. He left BigBang in 2023 after being a member since 2006.
Senior reporter Germain Lussier also nodded to Seung-hyun’s character, saying “One Word: Thanos.” He also teased that season 2 would deliver “new twists, scenarios, games, and more”.
I've seen Squid Game Season 2 and it's addictive.
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 9, 2024
Not quite as novel as season one for obvious reasons but it goes above and beyond to give us new twists, scenarios, games, and more.
A smart, fun continuation to the story that sets up a big S3 finale. Also one word: Thanos. pic.twitter.com/QX5ZhCPipX
Writer and TV host Jeff Conway gave us some hints concerning what could happen in the Squid Game season 2 premiere.
Conway described season 2 as “mind-blowing” and added he meant this “literally and figuratively”. Well, maybe that’s a clue to the gruesome things that await us in the season premiere. (Players getting their heads blown off perhaps?)
Regardless of what season 2 has in store, we are excited for the new cast, the twists, and the gore.
