Movie Reviews
[REC] (18)
Perhaps more so than any other genre, horror shamelessly caters to the ever-changing whims and fancies of its audience.
The bogus documentary style of The Blair Witch Project appears to be back in fashion thanks to Matt Reeves' sci-fi romp Cloverfield and George A. Romero's gore-splattered Diary Of The Dead.
Rec was actually released before both of these films, premiering in August 2007 at the Venice Film Festival. An American remake entitled Quarantine is already in the can, to be released in the autumn. Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza's excellent collaboration works to a familiar template, glimpsing a nightmare scenario through the lens of a television news crew's handheld camera. Sound quality alters from one scene to the next as the camera's microphone struggles to pick up muffled conversations.
Ambitious television reporter Angela (Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo spend the night at a city centre fire station in the company of officers Manu (Terraza) and Alex (Vert) to record a late night news programme.
A seemingly routine call to an apartment block, where an elderly woman is barricaded, provides the TV cameras with some action - much more than Angela and Pablo bargained when they find themselves in the midst a deadly virus that morphs mild-mannered people into flesh-crazed predators.
This is a lean, fast-paced 78 minutes of frenzied attacks and breathless chases. The absence of any star names means every character is fair game.
The one flaw is the ending, which feels contrived and you'll spot it well in advance.
12:21pm Friday 11th April 2008
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