'The Game: You Never Play Alone' movie review: Trolls, thrills and toxicity in Tamil OTT space

This is a game that starts smoothly, but the coding occasionally falters. Netflix’s new Tamil thriller, adapted from the French 'Le Jeu' (2018), feels timely, grappling with the hot-button issues of the day — online trolling, casual misogyny, catfishing, and the creeping dangers of a virtual world that refuses to stay in its lane.

Game designers Kavya (Shraddha Srinath) and Anoop (Santhosh Prathap) are part of a start-up where the hustle is constant, rivalries run deep, and the boss veers into toxic territory. Their games are gaining traction, but so are Kavya’s battles — with male colleagues who can’t digest her talent, anonymous trolls spewing bile, and a family that demands more than she can give.

The first few episodes pull you in with chapter-like cliffhangers straight out of a racy airport novel — one even ends with a bloodied stiletto. The screenplay is tight, the premise gripping, and Shraddha nails Kavya’s tightrope act between steely defiance and quiet vulnerability. Chandini Tamilarasan is compelling as the sharp-eyed inspector, while stand-up comic Syama Harini adds spark as Kavya’s colleague.

However, as the series progresses, the glitches show. The mystery becomes predictable, the gaming world remains a glossy backdrop rather than an immersive universe, and the villains arrive straight from cliché land. Subplots fizzle before finding shape. Still, credit to the makers for venturing into uncharted Tamil OTT territory and keeping viewers engaged — if not fully on edge.