The Wasteland (2021) User Reviews

More thriller than horror

[isaacochoterena · 6/10 · 28 January 2022]

This movie doesn't have many horror elements, it feels more like a thriller.

Lately the movies that are sold to us as horror end up being something totally different, just like this one, which has a lot of suspense that works. Although the film shows how loneliness can be a terrifying emotional breaking point, it does not have aspects of a horror film, but the suspense it generates by showing how isolation and abandonment can destroy a person's sanity works. The acting is very good, the production design is also good, and the direction conveys the suspense and mystery that the plot describes.

The execution isn't the best, but it's suspenseful and well-done made, so it's effective in terrifying you psychologically for a while.

Father, mother, son and the ...

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 13 January 2022]

... holy(?) ghost? Actually not so holy ... on the other hand does it exist? And if it does, what is it? There are a lot of questions here, that you have to decide if there is a definitve answer for here. Because I think the movie remains quite vague - even when it is showing you things. Are they actually there? And if they are, what are they? Questions and more questions come up.

The actors are really doing a great job - there is nothing while at the same time there is so much. It may be called wasteland, but even in the empty space of nothing, our mind will fill in things - no pun intended. Depending on how much slack you are willing to give or cut the movie, you'll be able to enjoy this more or less than others who are watching it. I think the script needed a bit more work and maybe they needed a bit more time and money to realize certain things (not just effects)

Now that was different

[northernpine · 3/10 · 24 January 2022]

If you consider disparaging...depression...and dislocation a horror movie, then this one's for you. While the acting was quite good...the story line just gives you an Ill feeling. Not my cup of tea.

Don't bother

[creetar · 4/10 · 6 January 2022]

80% of the movie is a hysterical mother screaming for her weakling "Diego", absolutely not a must-see, there are plenty of better movies than this snooze-fest.

i should've watched paint dry

[mrrebel-80382 · 1/10 · 10 January 2022]

Plot? Nope, horror, nope, sensible? Nope... this if you want to call it a movie is just 100 percent crap. It makes no sense from beginning, middle or ending. I feel like I've lost brain cells just watching this crap.

Strangely engaging

[imdb-14850 · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

Brilliantly written, acted, and produced. A simple story in a modest but effective setting that delivers an engaging, at times disturbing, insight into the frailty of the human mind. More psychologically unsettling than scary.

SLOW AND DEPRESSING

[Guanche48 · 2/10 · 7 January 2022]

Horrible movie! All the way!! Not scary at all, slow and terribly depressing movie. Avoid it, if you don,t want to develope a depression.

Horrible, sad, mean, very dark rooms, depressing,

It's all about the little boy

[DaegT · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

First things first, i don't consider it as a horror movie. It's more about the development of the little boy. From an intrinsic kid bounded to his house to an independent and courageous one who finally can break free. The so-called creature, on the other hand, could simply be set up as anything: Tallman, werewolf, vam..... etc. You name it. So I wasn't not surprise at all when I saw the creature at the end of the movie.

This film has got every element balanced well. The only drawback is, well, it occasionally dragged me a bit. It could have been a better one if I wasn't that tired. A few more jump-scare or flashback could probably help a bit.

Not Good - Not Awful

[pdbordelon · 5/10 · 6 January 2022]

This movie had good acting, good cinematography, decent music, and the makings of a good story. Unfortunately the "story" is all sizzle without the steak. The story is confusing, never resolves in a satisfying way, and leaves the viewer trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It wants to create mystery like The VVitch but is nowhere near the sophistication in terms of writing and layers that the VVitch has going for it. If the VVitch is a 10 this is only half as good and trust me Im being generous. One other thing of annoyance is the way the characters, especially Diego, are ALWAYS so non-compliant when told to do something. The boy Diego never listens to his mom when she tells him to do something. He never listens to his dad. The mom doesn't listen to the dad or the son. The dad doesnt listen to the mom or the son. This constant and stupid defiance is exhausting. I hate people that don't listen! Anyways its worth a watch but keep expectations LOW.

A beautiful metaphor at work

[pesburcuerdogan · 9/10 · 10 January 2022]

It is nothing about monsters, supernatural or physical beings; it is the soul of a child, who is fighting or not fighting against the fears of his time, the fears embedded in the region, thus the fears of his parents. I loved the idea; very real, very Freudian, very deep inner-human mechanisms developing in the childhood. And the "wasteland" is the childhood itself, mostly wasted in the cause of the fears of others.

Personal film with interesting language

[mql21 · 7/10 · 9 January 2022]

'El páramo' is not a simple horror film. It is, in fact, a much deeper film with an interesting gaze towards fear, loneliness, the loss of loved ones and what remains after they leave.

David Casademunt, director of the film, lost his mother at age 15 and, according to his own words, the virus of fear settled in at his house for almost a year after the loss. This goes to show that the film is probably a therapeutic excercise to openly talk about what happened during that dark time, almost as dark as the film, and express how that 15-year-old teen felt during the process.

'El páramo' is narrated through the look of Diego (Asier Flores), a kid who feels lonely and whose loneliness increases as his parents vanish multiple times troughout the film, phisically, psicologically and literally.

This feeling of loneliness is probably the main topic of the film and is reinforced with love for film language through the use of recurring very long shots, where Diego becomes a small ant as compared to the inmensity of the portrayed landscape. What he loves and takes for granted is vanishing, as does his own integrity as a child, so he feels alone and abandoned to its own fate.

Casademunt proves that he knows what he's doing and understands how to craft a film, from story, to script, to camera movement and shot selection. Hopefully there's more of his work coming and we have news from him soon.

Boring at best

[kaefab · 4/10 · 8 January 2022]

Well netflix is usually a hit or a miss for this one its in the middle, the movie is boring almost nothing happens.

I do understand you must eat but those poor rabbits i got attached more to them then anyone in this movie who where annoying at best.

OMG so brutal

[edwardhutchinson · 2/10 · 21 January 2022]

If you like very boring movies that waste 90 plus minutes of your life, you should watch this one. Or, maybe you can't sleep? This movie should help that too. If The Godfather is a 9/10 then this movie should be a minus 50. People should be ashamed of making movies this bad. I only gave it a 2 because the boy was a good little actor. The Wasteland IS a wasteland.

Very reminscent of 'The Wind'

[iamtherobotman · 7/10 · 6 January 2022]

This is a decent film. It's pretty much a Spanish remake of the 2018 film 'The Wind', which dealt with the effects of 'Prairie Fever'. It's very well acted, and does create a certain tension. Well worth a watch.

Very odd movie

[diescobarmdq · 5/10 · 7 January 2022]

They say sometimes less is better, but in this case, I wish there was more.

The setting, cinematography, music and even the acting is good, but at the end all I can say is: What was going on? Was it a ghost? Was it a creature? Was it a product of their imaginations? Was the mother crazy? What the hell was happening?

A very good suspense and drama-driven movie but with a very unsatisfying ending.

I reminded me of The Babadook (which scared the hell out of me by showing nothing), or the VVitch, which was actually scary.

Terrible!

[Mr_cat87 · 3/10 · 6 January 2022]

I dont understand the 6.5 rating for this movie! It is terrible, meaningless and has no story line. Dont waste your time and watch it. I am really disappointed. However, I would gladly give a 7 for the photography and photage really good work for those behind the camera.

Bautiful and powerful

[Lillywonderland · 10/10 · 10 January 2022]

The Wasteland is totally a must see. What an epic ending! Far from being a simple jump scare product, it explores the sickness of isolation and fear, how this turns against ourselves. It's a slow burn and a coming of age movie. It has a bit of western, bit of drama, bit of horror and bit of thriller. If you are expecting to see a fast-food jumpscare bloody movie, this is not for you. It happens to be more like a A24 production or even Shyamalan one. Mostly it is a psychological thriller that talks about our fears and how the fear it's a dark emotion that could make you see monsters everywhere.

I think the direction is amazing, the story is sensitive and deep, the music and performances were perfect. I don't understand why so many reviews are talking about "how bad it is because it has a slow tempo and no jumpscares"... I mean, what's the hurry?? Why do you need to be scared all the time?? There are lots of types of thriller/horror movies; slow long ones, easy ones, fantastic ones, strange ones, erotic ones...All types are good and necessary. Personally I prefer this kind of horror movies, not the "fast and empty fair attractions" that other people may enjoy. This one gave me exactly what I wanted, good and beautiful cinema, good thinking and good message. Just for you to know, 'The Shinning' was a total failure when it came out, nobody liked it, but nowadays it is a cult film, we should watch movies with clean eyes and learn to enjoy every bit of them.

Slow start but a very beautifully shot and well crafted movie

[inexplicable007 · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

My title says it all. While I wouldnt rush to see this movie again I cannot deny it is skillfully made from the set design the artistic shots the acting and even the suspenseful scenes. The director is very talented and white the movie started off a bit slow I was immersed in the environment and time of the characters and what they were going through. The young boy and the actress portraying his mother did a fantastic job and the movie gets really intense/creepy in its last half hour. That being said I wish there had been more to the story and an explanation of what was going on outside of the character's stretch of land to flesh out the eti u more.

DNF

[halfxbreed23 · 3/10 · 7 January 2022]

I stopped around the 42nd minute. I just can't do it anymore. It seems like ever since Ari Aster made his stamp on cinema we've been inundated with "atmospheric" films. Films that are a "slow burn" and take time to develop. These just aren't for me. I enjoy character development but not at the expense of story. I'm bored beyond words so I guess I'll end this review too.

as a creature film lover

[nublingnoob · 4/10 · 7 January 2022]

This was bad, just so slow, and what happens is just nonsensical

The mum is just shooting with a shotgun wildly (which as we all know have short ranges) from what seems like 100's of yards away, then a few scenes later, moans that shes only got 2 bullets left while the dumb kid runs around openeing all windows when something is running around the house

this is much more some kind of a artfilm with some deep message on something, but i dont care about that, so them types of people might like it,

but i just want to see monsters or aliens eating and killing ppl then some hero kicking its ass, and this film is not that.

Missed Potential

[Zac_124 · 5/10 · 22 January 2022]

On a technical level, The Wasteland is rather bloody good. I cannot stress this enough that it is beautifully shot with great performances from every actor. Even the kid surprisingly enough. However, the film is mostly uneventful. Not a lot that is interesting happens aside from the occasional moment of decently built up tension. The film excessively lacks any interesting character and the third act feels like every other typical horror film.

The film is a metaphor for depression. On paper, this sounds like a really clever concept but it fails in it's execution. As the film has shoddy character development with it's characters just suddenly turning mad half way through and making unrealistic decisions, the metaphor just does not work as well as it should of done. I'm not invested in these characters as they are not fully defined. We are not given a full explanation on why they went mad, they just become mad and that is it and therefore I do not care.

The Wasteland should of been a great film. It had a clever concept with very talented actors and some incredible cinematography but the script just did not hit the mark.

Worth a watch, without expectations

[mrwildgoose · 5/10 · 8 February 2022]

Good performances, especially from the kid, who is desperately trying to make sense of it all, and to protect his mother. Also about how the safety measures that we erect around us could end up hurting us in preventing healthy growth.

David Casademunt

[yusufpiskin · 7/10 · 6 January 2022]

Another great movie from Netflix Spain.

The Spaniards are the god of contemporary horror cinema. Along with this fact, a magnificent visual and sound engineering is accompanied by unique actors and actresses.

David Casademunt, who is only 37 years old, took full advantage of all the opportunities offered to him. There is not a single blank scene in the movie.

He didn't make unnecessary disgust and jump scare.

Also, I won't go without saying that Asier Flores is an amazing young talent.

Don't bother unless you like Z budget movies!

[duckboy-94171 · 1/10 · 7 January 2022]

Probably one of the worst movies I've ever had the unfortunate experience of watching! Unless you enjoy horrible directing, scripts, & acting well this would be the right movie for you oh yeah they threw in a little implied incest for the viewers as well, disgusting!!!

Nope

[treywillwest · 7/10 · 22 May 2022]

A beautifully Beckettian work about choosing the horror of life over the comfort of death. It also looks like Bela Tarr read too much James Joyce.

Maybe they could done more with those creepy dolls. Maximize that conflict as my screenwriting profs used to say.