‘The Rage, Blood from the Sea’ Succeeds with Brutal Revenge and a Throwback Vibe: A Review
A supernaturally charged path of revenge provides good bloodshed and exploitation-era thrills.
Table of Contents
What is The Rage, Blood from the Sea About?
The Rage, Blood from the Sea is a revenge movie with a retro, exploitation-movie vibe.
Rara is at a seaside resort with her significant other, Ifan, when she has a vision of violence. A woman named Lisa was tortured and killed in the motel sometime in the recent past, and her body was dumped into the ocean. A spirit of the sea, Nyai, visits Rara and gives her the power to kill the men responsible for the woman’s death. Over the next few days, Rara, inhabited by Nyai, tracks down the four killers to exact brutal and bloody revenge on them all.
The Rage, Blood from the Sea was directed Yusron Fuadi, director of The Draft (2023), and the screenplay was written by Hikmat Darmawan and Azzam Fi Rullah.Starring as Rara is Violla Georgie, and Ifan is played by Robet Chaniago. Vonny Anggraini plays a police inspector looking into Rara’s murders. The four men Rara is searching for are played by Rory Asyari, Wieshely Brown, Winner Wijaya, and Rayner Wijaya. Jessica Katharina is Nyai Sumekar, and Shalfia Fala Pratika is Kanjeng Nyai.
The Rage, Blood from the Sea Review
From the opening scene to the end of the closing credits, I had a great time with The Rage, Blood from the Sea. The movie goes for a b-movie, 1970s exploitation-film vibe, and it achieves that very well. That’s thanks to the music, some of the camerawork, and the focus on the violence. I love the idea of this movie, and I mostly love the execution. However, there are a few things that could have been done better or differently in my opinion.
First, as much as I enjoyed the kill scenes, they all included big moments that required some questionable CGI. Some of the digital gore is okay, but a lot of it is extremely conspicuous in the wrong way. The practical gore leading up to the big moment is always very good, but the digital exclamation mark at the end looks a bit silly. It undercuts the moment to an extent, so I was a little disappointed by that.
However, as I mentioned, practical effects are used as well, and I enjoyed every bit of that. Plus, the ways the kill scenes are orchestrated are awesome. They’re very brutal with lots of inventively gruesome moments happening one after another. A few of the more extreme moments of brutality don’t use CGI and opt instead for insinuating the most difficult (or too extreme) gory bits off screen or by slightly obscuring them. If all of the digital moments had gone that same route of insinuation, the violence would have been better overall. As it is though, it’s still a lot of fun.
As for the story, I think it’s just about perfect for an exploitation/revenge movie like this. The focus is primarily on the acts of revenge, and that’s all I really need. The pacing is excellent, with the only real downtime being taken for a few humorous moments with the inspectors investigating Rara’s murders (which is also good).
I do think the tension in the movie is lacking in some ways though. Rara is given a degree of strength by the Nyai within her, and she rarely comes up against a real challenge. In a way, her path of revenge reminds me somewhat of The Crow (1994) and how Eric doesn’t face any real personal danger until the end when his powers are taken away. Rara does have her magical powers revoked for a short time, but the problem is resolved rather quickly. That segment could have been built up as a much bigger moment.
Also, I thought the original murder that started the entire path of revenge could have been focused on more. We see flashes of the original crime, but we don’t get a great sense of who the woman, Lisa, was. Rara doesn’t have a personal connection to her, so her acts of revenge end up feeling more conceptual rather than emotional. Torturing bad guys is great, but seeing someone more emotionally invested in making them suffer is even better.
All that said though, the good far outweighs the less good. The story is straightforward, and the cast does a great job with the material. Violla Georgie was especially good with how she managed to be sinister, angry, and vulnerable as both Rara and as a vessel for a vengeful spirit.
The supernatural element is also handled very well. It adds an extra layer of intrigue, and it helps make it feel distinctly Indonesian. After watching the movie I started looking up Nyai since I wasn’t familiar with the term. I have more reading to do on that, but even just a cursory look at some of the meaning behind the spirits shown in the movie helps make the movie feel that much more culturally rich. I love that kind of thing, and I love this movie.
Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Frankly, if the CGI weren’t as conspicuous in certain moments, The Rage, Blood from the Sea would easily be at least a 4 out of 5. This is a retro-themed B-movie made for fans of 1970s-era exploitation, but with a modern feel and a supernatural twist. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys any of those things check this movie out. It’s currently streaming as a digital rental on Amazon Prime Video.
Further Reading
- Dangerous Animals Delivers Superb Genre Thrills: A Review
- Sumala Review: A Bloody Tale of Revenge Based on an Indonesian Urban Legend
- The Toxic Avenger Review
- Best Indonesian Horror Movies
- Best Revenge Movies
- New/Upcoming Horror Movies
- Best and Worst Horror Movies of 2025
