Flick Flak: REC 2
REC 2
Directors: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
With: Manuela Velasco, Jonathon Mellor
18, 84mins, In Spanish
The first REC is one of my favourite horror films, but when I talk to people about it very few have seen it; presumably more watched the American remake Quarantine which came out shortly after the Spanish version, and apparently captured a fair amount of what was so brilliant about REC by copying it shot-for-shot.
The first REC can best be described as 28 Days Later set entirely in a claustrophobic apartment building and filmed on handheld cameras to terrifying effect. While I was expecting more of the same from Rec 2, in fact it goes in a slightly different direction, but for me achieves a truly original, and still scary, film because of this.
The film sets off mere minutes after the climax of the first film where a Barcelona fire crew have been sealed into an apartment building while investigating a supposedly routine callout. In fact there appears to have been some kind of virus released, the sufferers of which display symptoms not unlike rabies.
Now we join a SWAT team as they go in with a health official to try and contain the situation. And from there the plot surprises and escalates beyond what we could have expected. I won't ruin it, but it builds brilliantly on what was hinted at during the climax of REC and makes for a zombie film unlike anything I have seen.
REC 2 continues in the same style as its predecessor for the first portion, cranking up the unbearable tension as the SWAT team makes its way to the penthouse, where some of the back story is revealed. After this they ease a little on tension, though still packs in scares (including one moment where I'm sure that my friends and I reacted like a cheesy American audience in a trailer, hands flying up to faces).
The change in style is an interesting move. Like Alien compared to Aliens, the first film works so well because the characters were vulnerable, largely unarmed and facing the unknown. You might expect to not feel tension for a heavily-armed SWAT team, but the makers of the film use the new dimensions created for different scares, and more often, a sense of sheer panic (for instance the chilling moment when a SWAT, faced with several infected people, points his weapon and click - no ammunition).
I did feel that the film falls down slightly compared to the first in that I did not find myself caring for the characters as much as I did for the fire crew and the very cute woman accompanying them – every time pandemonium erupts in Rec you find yourself praying that no-one gets hurt. This time around I felt less emotional impact at the events.
REC 2 is slightly predictable in places, especially compared to the first film which excelled in things happening without warning to really create an unbearable tension. However, REC 2 keeps you on your toes with an unusual storyline, and by switching the main protagonists half way through to a group of teenagers who have snuck into the building with a camcorder.
On the one hand this cleverly shows us what has been happening elsewhere at the same time, and brings in some unarmed and (fairly) sympathetic characters to worry about, but on the other hand it also means a complete break in tension.
There's not much else to say about REC 2 without spoiling the excellent story.
The handheld camera style, as in the first film, really makes you feel as though you are right there amongst the action, and makes for both truly nerve-shredding tension and panicky action. For me the story makes this film stand above many other standard zombie films for sheer originality.
In short, REC and REC 2 are equally must-watch, and if you are a fan of horror and have not seen these films yet, make sure you do!
Any comments, please don't hesitate!
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