[Rec] 2

Where [Rec] was the Alien of hand-held, first-person horror, [Rec] 2 follows more closely with the action-heavy Aliens. Both sequels, while respecting their horror roots, amp up the intensity and focus on the action, relegating scares to a close second. [Rec] and Alien are horror films through and through, wanting to scare you more than excite you, and their sequels are really action films that maintain a thrilling and frightening atmosphere. There are more similarities than this (the fact the follow-ups focus on military teams the most obvious, something fellow action-horror sequel 28 Weeks Later does to the original 28 Days Later), but the similarities are more homage than rip-off. What is important is [Rec] 2 is a damn fine sequel and film in its own right.

The film begins just minutes after where the first finished, with a small SWAT team moving in to infiltrate the apartment building quarantined to control the deadly virus that killed nearly everyone off in [Rec]. They are joined by a doctor/priest who seems to know more than they do about the going-ons of the virus, as well as some random kids who appear towards the middle of the film. In all honesty, [Rec] 2 is not a character driven film, instead, directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza keep their eye on action and deliver thrill after thrill. This may be the films major fault, though it isn't really a detractor at all, mostly because we don't have time to care that we don't really care or no about these people we are watching. [Rec] 2 compliments [Rec], where the first film spent more time building dread and letting the audience get to know some of the characters, the second film tries to advance the plot, aka the mystery, surrounding the virus.

Which leads us to the second biggest change from [Rec] to [Rec] 2. What began as a film featuring a virus changing people into living zombies, we are now treated to (spoiler?!... not really) a supernatural action-thriller. The virus is more than just a bad case of rabies, it now has ties to some freaky demonic stuff. It could have been a silly and ridiculous premise, but Balaguero and Plaza pull it off, keeping the developments coming and employing a few tricks to expand the universe and environment they set up in the first film. Luckily, the addition of the supernatural element juxtaposed nicely with [Rec], which hinted at some of these developments, so whether the directing duo planned this from the beginning or not is up for debate, they do manage to make it work.

The actors all do a decent job of seeming real, but because they aren't all that important, at least on a personal basis, the focus should be applied to the camera work. [Rec] 2 simply makes filming what is happening important and essential to the story, so it doesn't feel forced to have a camera around all the time. And, in another Aliens homage, the SWAT team uses helmet cams, which allow the main cameraman to tap in to these feeds at will. It allows for more to happen and to be seen, while still maintaining the first-person narrative. So credit once again to the directors.

[Rec] 2 is exactly what you want from a sequel, especially one stemming from the horror genre, and it gets so much right in its limited runtime that any faults are hard to notice/complain about. It feels like a cap to the story, keeping everything contained in two films, but should there be a third, it seems that it will dramatically change what we are used to for this series. Let's hope this finishes it, where it can remain on top.

Genre - Horror (3.5)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (2)
Production (4)
Directing (4)