A Tristeza

If you've not heard yet, the movie is quite infamous. Because it goes places (especially visually) that may be a bit too much for some viewers. As others surely have pointed out, the idea is not new. And you won't really see too much of a story here. Actually you may wonder if what we learn from the relationship that our two leads have, was in any way essential or necessary.

But before the mayhem begins, it is always nice to have some ... well quiet time. Also the beginning clearly is a statement - to all the conspiracy theories and to how the world has gone mad. Quite a few stabs at things going wrong - politically but also socially speaking.

That is not the only thing you get though. Apart from the overall plot being lifted from something like The Crazies by Romero, you also have homages to a lot of other scenes from many different movies. Irreversible, Night of the Living Dead, Serbian Film and so forth ... I reckon a second viewing would reveal even more to me.

As it is, this is no holds barred, mostly practical effects violent splatter fest ... take it or leave, just don't judge for something it isn't.

Now I read somewhere online that someone had written something in the likes of "if you're just going to watch one zombie movie this year, make it this one". And that made me actually take notice of the 2021 Taiwanese horror movie "Ku Bei" (aka "The Sadness"). I had initially skipped it back in 2021, and then sought it out here in 2022, as I read that praise of the movie.

So it was with some expectation that I sat down to watch what writer and director Rob Jabbaz had to offer with "Ku Bei". And I will say that it was watchable, for sure, but it just wasn't all that fantastic or outstanding. And the "if you're just going to watch..." sentence hardly rang true for "Ku Bei". As a matter of fact, then "Ku Bei" felt like a Taiwanese tribute to the 2002 movie "28 Days Later", as there were massive similarities.

And as for "Ku Bei" being a zombie movie. No. It is not a zombie movie. Very much similar to "28 Days Later", "Ku Bei" is a movie about people getting affected with some sickness that makes them into raging lunatics that also have cannibalistic and sexual deviant tendencies.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but then again I am not well-traversed in the Taiwanese cinema.

The good part about "Ku Bei" was the gore and mayhem. This movie was bloody, so very, very bloody. In fact, at times it was just too much. There was a scene where there literally was a fountain of blood spraying from the neck of someone. I have to say that I was good and ready to turn the movie off at that time, because it was just infantile stupid. But I opted to stick with the movie and give writer and director Rob Jabbaz a proper chance.

The effects in "Ku Bei" were good. There was a ton of blood and gore, which I enjoyed. And I have to say that the effects looked realistic, and it added a lot of enjoyment to the movie. So thumbs up to the special effects department for this accomplishment.

"Ku Bei" is watchable, as I mentioned earlier, but it is by no means a revolutionary movie in the horror genre. Sure, I enjoyed the mayhem, gore and visceral brutality in the movie. I am a life-long gorehound after all. However, I doubt that I will ever return to watch "Ku Bei" a second time, simply as the storyline just doesn't have enough depth or contents to support a second viewing.

Personally, I think the whole sexual deviant aspect to the infection in the movie was unnecessary, and it just added a level of sleaze to the movie that held it back somewhat. And there were some scenes in the movie that also were unnecessary to include on that account. But hey, a matter of personal preference, I suppose. But if you are a true hentai - go for it.

My rating of "Ku Bei" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The Sadness is one of the most over the top, ridiculous films I have ever seen. I couldn't believe how gory this got. It's absolutely wild and I loved it so much. It's utterly disturbing too with some of the things it does. Just when you think it can't get anymore disturbing it ups that completely. It's fast paced, as soon as everything hits it just gets outrageous and it is brilliant. With it being full pedal to the metal and being incredibly stressful and tense. There's a moment it slows down and it's good to have this moment so you can have a breather before we get pulled back in and punched straight in the face with the extreme scenes and buckets of blood. The Sadness does have many horrific scenes and it's some of the most shocking stuff I've seen in some time. It is though one of the most brilliant Horrors I've seen recently, it's so well made, never holds back with how far it will go and keeps you on the edge throughout. I can't wait to watch this again!

The Sadness is pretty much what I expected (and hoped for) judging from the trailers.

A completely bonkers and hyper violent & disturbing movie that is an intense viewing experience.

While there are some attempts at social commentary, there is not much besides the mayhem and gore going on - but I think most people will be fine with that.

"The Sadness" is one of the most violent and sickest films that I watched in 2023. The setup is interesting and the "zombies" are not the usual mindless and slow monsters roaming around. They are really dangerous because the virus does not inhibit their brain and it actually strengthens their violence. Moreover, the makeup was top notch and they looked truly scary. I liked the fact that there was some kind of villain that was chasing down one of the main characters. The danger felt closer and more personal and it added a captivating layer to the story. However, the script is pretty basic and plot wise there is really nothing peculiar. The acting was just okay and none of the performances could really grab my attention. The dialogues are lazy and after a while it just gets boring hearing vulgarities from these monsters. I mean, I get it, whoever is infected becomes extremely depraved; there is no need to reiterate the concept for one hour and a half.

I have watched many incredibly twisted scenes in my life, but in this specific case there were some things that were really difficult to stand. For sure it is not a film for families or for people with a weak stomach. The practical effects are well done and the attack scenes are directed competently. I believe that this film will make happy body horror fans. My final mark is in line with the average: 6.5 stars out of 10.