[REC]4: Apocalypse
Year: 2014
Director: Juame Balaguero
Starring: Manuela Velasco
Runtime: 95 mins
BBFC: 18
Published: 16/11/22
Director: Juame Balaguero
Starring: Manuela Velasco
Runtime: 95 mins
BBFC: 18
Published: 16/11/22
[REC]3: genesis was a major departure for the [REC] series. Having almost no connection to the plot of the first two films, and ditching found footage for a more traditional approach, [REC]3 was a big gamble that for the most part did not pay off. But the [REC] story was not over, with [REC]2 ending on a cliff-hanger there was still more story to be told there. But a fourth film was planned to be the finale to the series, ensuring that all loose ends were tied up. So, does [REC]4: Apocalypse stick the landing?
Following the events of [REC]2, a team of soldiers is sent into the quarantined apartment complex to demolish it and leave no trace of the terror that has occurred, but whilst there they find the sole survivor of the nights horrific events, Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco).
Awaking on a boat somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Vidal, her rescuers Guzman (Paco Manzanedo), and Lucas (Crispulo Cabezas), and an elderly woman (Maria Alfonsa Rosso) who was the only survivor of the wedding outbreak from [REC]3, are all captives for experimentation for a cure to the infection started by Tristana Medeiros.
But when a test subject gets loose and begins infecting the crew of the ship, Angela becomes the subject of a manhunt after it is discovered that she is harbouring the parasite that once resided within Tristana Medeiros.
Following the events of [REC]2, a team of soldiers is sent into the quarantined apartment complex to demolish it and leave no trace of the terror that has occurred, but whilst there they find the sole survivor of the nights horrific events, Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco).
Awaking on a boat somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Vidal, her rescuers Guzman (Paco Manzanedo), and Lucas (Crispulo Cabezas), and an elderly woman (Maria Alfonsa Rosso) who was the only survivor of the wedding outbreak from [REC]3, are all captives for experimentation for a cure to the infection started by Tristana Medeiros.
But when a test subject gets loose and begins infecting the crew of the ship, Angela becomes the subject of a manhunt after it is discovered that she is harbouring the parasite that once resided within Tristana Medeiros.
I won’t beat around the bush, [REC]4 is bad. I hear [REC]3 getting a lot of hate all the time for being bad, but whilst it wasn’t a particularly good [REC] film at least it can be enjoyed as a campy horror film; [REC]4 meanwhile is specifically designed for people who like the first two [REC] films, and I can assure you that there is nothing here that will please existing fans, and nothing to entice newcomers to jump in here.
Much like [REC]3, [REC]4 ditches the found footage format for a traditional film approach, however I feel it executes this in a much less interesting way than [REC]3 did. Where the third film started off as found footage and then switched to a traditional format, as well as utilised interesting camera angles wherever possible; [REC]4 just plonks the camera somewhere and hits record, then when the action gets going its shaky cam central and you can’t make anything out. Also I'd like to just highlight how this film is supposed to be taking place the day following the events of [REC] 1&2 and there's a scene where Angela is watching some footage that she appears in from the first film and it's horrendously obvious that Manuela Velasco has aged in the seven years between filming the first and fourth films so it's kind of crazy that they're trying to pass it off as like twelve hours.
I can’t even get behind the story for what it is. You’re supposed to be rooting for Angela but she’s basically the villain now what with the parasite inside her, the actual villains of the film which are the scientists making the cure are technically the good guys because they want to stop this outbreak from ever happening again, and the rest of the crew lack any kind of personality. It then caps the whole thing off with a truly terrible ending that provides no resolution.
I’m just going to stop this review here because I don’t know how many more ways I can say I loathe this film with every fibre of my being. How a film as phenomenal as [REC] could devolve to this baffles me. All four films were created by the same people, with Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza directing all four films either jointly or solo, and Pablo Rosso being cinematographer for all four films…how could all three sequels vary so wildly in quality? I’m so glad to see the back of this franchise and whilst I will always keep the original very close to my heart, and [REC]2 is good enough, I can’t see myself ever wanting to return to the third or fourth entries ever again…and I wouldn’t recommend anybody seek them out.
Much like [REC]3, [REC]4 ditches the found footage format for a traditional film approach, however I feel it executes this in a much less interesting way than [REC]3 did. Where the third film started off as found footage and then switched to a traditional format, as well as utilised interesting camera angles wherever possible; [REC]4 just plonks the camera somewhere and hits record, then when the action gets going its shaky cam central and you can’t make anything out. Also I'd like to just highlight how this film is supposed to be taking place the day following the events of [REC] 1&2 and there's a scene where Angela is watching some footage that she appears in from the first film and it's horrendously obvious that Manuela Velasco has aged in the seven years between filming the first and fourth films so it's kind of crazy that they're trying to pass it off as like twelve hours.
I can’t even get behind the story for what it is. You’re supposed to be rooting for Angela but she’s basically the villain now what with the parasite inside her, the actual villains of the film which are the scientists making the cure are technically the good guys because they want to stop this outbreak from ever happening again, and the rest of the crew lack any kind of personality. It then caps the whole thing off with a truly terrible ending that provides no resolution.
I’m just going to stop this review here because I don’t know how many more ways I can say I loathe this film with every fibre of my being. How a film as phenomenal as [REC] could devolve to this baffles me. All four films were created by the same people, with Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza directing all four films either jointly or solo, and Pablo Rosso being cinematographer for all four films…how could all three sequels vary so wildly in quality? I’m so glad to see the back of this franchise and whilst I will always keep the original very close to my heart, and [REC]2 is good enough, I can’t see myself ever wanting to return to the third or fourth entries ever again…and I wouldn’t recommend anybody seek them out.