I know what you're possibly thinking. It may seem a bit weird that for my first review I've decided to go for a sequel, but I thought as it's quite a recent film on this much loved subject I'd go for it as I don't want to jump in at the deep end and review a classic straight away for I might upset people with my opinions. I think I'll leave that until I've acquired a few comments and found out what people really think of me.
So. Anyway. REC 2. If you haven't seen REC then please go watch it before reading any of this or watching the sequel. If you have seen it and have yet to see the sequel then you are in for a pleasant surprise. As far as sequels go from my years of experience in lethargic movie watching, they can be hit or miss. I could list my opinions on what sequels are "hit" and which ones are "miss" but that would probably bore the face off of you. I'm pleased to announce that this particular film falls under the "hit" category.
The movie begins with a small group of SWAT team members making sure their on-helmet cameras are working as they prepare for their mission which is to enter the apartment building which is the large but claustrophobic feeling set from the original title. Before entering the quarantined site they are introduced to a medical officer who is to accompany them on their experience and call all the shots. His character quickly becomes the boss of the operation and at this point in the film you strangely, delightfully realise that the SWAT members have as much lack of knowledge about the mission ahead as you do watching the film. With no way out of the building but the medical officers say so over his voice recognition walkie talkie, they are well and truly trapped inside a world of horror that awaits around a few scary corners.
Over the years there have been a lot of ways thought up for how a zombie outbreak can commence, whether it's a plague of rabies, a science experiment gone wrong, a genetically modified virus for military use or acid rain, there is one particular idea that is quite rare and possibly first brought to life in Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, the paranormal. After hints from the discovered notes and newspaper articles left pinned up against the penthouse wall in this films predecessor (I know it's all in Spanish and these writings didn't have the desired English subtitles, but upon it's release I was one sad enough to google translate said articles, either that or you might have learned the translations from watching the American re-make "Quarantine".)this comes up as a nice follow-up sparing no detail. I'll stop myself in my tracks as the more I'm thinking about the film whilst writing this the more I'm reliving it and I'm bloody enjoying it and could end up spoiling the whole film for anyone who might stumble upon this review.
The only minor gripe I had with this film was at about the half way point when the story starts from another angle, from the view of three rebellious teenagers who follow a fireman and a man who claims his wife and child were trapped in the building into the house of horrors via the sewers. This story line wasn't my gripe as it is imperative to the films flow, but more the fact that every group that enters the building just happens to have a video camera of some description. I guess it had to be done somehow.
Overall I was very pleased with the film as, to be honest, I wasn't expecting that much from it. After watching the trailers for it I made a decision that there was no way it could be better than the first one. I couldn't have been more wrong. What really did it for me was the full blown dive into the paranormal with imaginative ways of using the hand-held camera style to an advantage but without allowing the film to lack in gallons of blood and guts. And there's nothing I like more than a film's plot being completely unraveled by it's sequel. Bravo.
Verdict: 4 out of 5 fast running, old, fat lady zombies.
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