Powered by Blogger.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Review: The Sadness


Director: Rob Jabbaz

Screenplay: Rob Jabbaz

Year: 2022


I have already written ad nauseam about how extremely saturated YearScript the zombie genre is, and every movie or series that comes out about it seems to validate the point that many horror fans bring about how the genre and its various variations need a break. Although "The Sadness" is not technically a zombie movie, its parallels are too many not to compare it with the genre from which it obviously draws. 


After living in a pandemic for a while, a new variant of the virus affecting the population surfaces. This new variant turns people into sadists who only seek to satisfy their most depraved violent and sexual instincts, causing a wave of violence throughout the city of Taipei. A young couple tries to find each other again while trying to survive the madness that surrounds them.



Let's start by clarifying what this movie really is. On the one hand, it aims to be a social critique of where we are globally as a society, the state of our mental health, and the state of the pandemic that we are currently experiencing while making itself look more refined than it is. However, this film does not have much in terms of plot, script, or philosophy and is nothing more than an excuse to bring extreme and excessive violence. An example of this is how from a certain point in the film, everything suddenly turns into sexual violence, which fuels my observation that the production team was not interested in social criticism but in seeing how far they could take their idea.


This second is where all the production effort is put. The visual effects are impressive, and a polished skill is noted in this aspect, although on many occasions, it loses realism due to the exaggeration of the violence. In every violent scene, which is like 95% of the movie, the effects make each action look painful, disgusting, or both at the same time, something gorehounds will enjoy. 



In contrast to the excellent special effects, we have an absurd script. Aside from having a simple plot, which is reasonable for the type of movie it is, it fails to be consistent. For example, it's never clear why the Alvin virus (a horrible name for a virus, actually) only affects a few people. It is also unclear why some only seek to kill while others seek sexual violence. The most logical explanation is that the focus was really on having a visually stunning movie and not making sense of the plot.


“The Sadness” is nothing more than pure brutality and violence, backed up by excellent visual effects and turning its back on a cohesive story inspired by the tired zombie genre. For gore fans just looking to have a good time enjoying the special effects, “The Sadness” has a lot to offer. For those looking for a well-developed and intriguing plot, I would not recommend this film. Of course, those who decide to see it must take into account the high frequency of scenes of sexual violence, which are uncomfortable, and where many will choose not to continue watching.





No comments:

Post a Comment