[REC] 4: Apocalypse (2014)
Starring Manuela Velasco, Ismael Fritschi, María Alfonsa Rosso, Héctor Colomé
Di[REC]ted by Jaume Balagueró
It has been seven years since the critically acclaimed [Rec] equally frightened and entertained viewers in the film circuit. Since then, there have been two sequels, a remake, and a horrible straight-to-DVD remake sequel that have helped the franchise reach a worldwide audience on and off the big screen.
Now, in 2014, Jaume Balaguero (who co-helmed [Rec] and [Rec] 2) returns to the director’s chair to conclude the franchise. This time around the horror is not shown through the expected medium of hand-held cameras; instead [Rec] 4: Apocalypse disregards the “shaky cam” format and dramatically switches gears into a higher budgeted action thriller. Will the drastic change of pace be rewarding or insulting to hardcore [Rec] fans? Read on to find out!
[Rec] 4: Apocalypse quite literally starts off with a bang by taking viewers back to the infamous apartment building as a group of soldiers go on a rescue mission and retrieve final girl, and now secretly possessed survivor, Angela (Velasco), before blowing up the building to smithereens.
Thinking she has been saved, Angela wakes up in a quarantine facility and is subjected to being the guinea pig in a series of tests on an ocean liner in the middle of the sea. In the facility she befriends Guzman (Paco Manzanedo), the soldier who saved her; an old woman (Rosso) who is the only survivor of the “Red Wedding” in [Rec] 3; and Nick (Fritschi), a computer nerd channeling Kevin J. O’Connor’s role in Deep Rising.
Unfortunately for the group, an escaped infected monkey inexplicably attacks a chef, not only infecting him but everyone who has eaten the bloody and tainted food that he cooked, thus creating yet another group of bloodthirsty people infected with a possible zombie virus.
[Rec] 4: Apocalypse is a bigger, more frenzied commercial beast than any of its predecessors. Even with its more attractive budget, the film still manages to create the same iconic sense of claustrophobia conveyed in the first two entries in the franchise. Also, fans will be happy to know Angela is the film’s biggest highlight. From helpless victim to villain to a kick-ass “Sarah Connor-like” heroine, actress Manuela Velasco definitely proves that Angela is the most layered “final girl” in a horror film franchise in [rec]ent decades.
The film however sadly jumps the shark (or “jumps the chef” in this film’s case) when it abandons all the mythology and twists that were introduced in [Rec] 2, and although there is a lot of action and CGI blood in the film, there are very few scares (if any), which is the most disappointing factor of the movie.
[Rec] 4: Apocalypse may be a superior entry to the slightly comedic [Rec] 3: Genesis, but despite its bells and whistles, it doesn’t hold a candle to the first two entries in the franchise. If you’re looking for an action-packed thriller that will keep you mildly entertained, then look no further. If, on the other hand, you are a fan of the [Rec] franchise seeking a solid conclusion to the series you love, then please check your high expectations at the door.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
