Liar Game: The Final Stage

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama Thriller

Caught this movie after watching all the season episodes. Although the series were somewhat predictable because I've followed the manga so far, it's still slightly better than the movie. The series' more or less similar to the manga, except for the final episode, which gave it a closure. As for the final stage, it felt like an extended version, refreshing, yet not as awifying (I know, this word doesn't exist).

Followed the main characters from the liar game once more, Nao Kanzaki and Akiyama as they are "forced" to enter the final stage of the liar game. The liar game is a game forcing everyday people to participate in it, whereby they have to cheat or lie their way to get "money" from their opponents. They themselves are given a million yen each round (4 rounds in total - based on the series) and they have to try to seize their opponents millions. If they fail to do so, and are deceived or too dimwitted to keep their own, they will owe the corporation a million yen in debt. In other words, it's a vicious cycle... but thankfully, that vicious cycle ended in the drama series.

For the final stage, the director has brought back a couple of familiar faces from the past "battles" and introduced many new ones, to play a game of the Garden of Eden. It's a game whereby the participants are given a chance to win millions of yen by casting "apple" votes. There are 3 different kinds of apples, golden, sliver and the normal red ones. The game works similar to a "majority vote", and the majority will get to win a million yen for every round... However, if either of them were to cast sliver or gold apples, there will always be a loser. But if all were to cast red apples, they would each get a million. The tough part lies in another ideal opportunity for an individual, whereby if he/she were to cast the only gold or sliver apple, and the others red, he will get billions out of it, and everyone else will lose $$.

Sounds complicated? It's easier to just watch the movie because if there's one thing commendable about the entire series or movie, it makes understanding of the games so much easier than just reading it. The game isn't that ingenious, the twists weren't well developed or well played and the introduction of another "X" individual just backfired at the end because it doesn't make sense (*spoilers ahead* How did the corporation plant "X" when "X" was just another individual and not working for the corporation?)

Apart from these major flaws, the entire movie was pretty smooth and worked out quite fine. Too much of it reminded me of The Gamer and Saw, which diminished the entire ingenuity of the plot. Worth a go.