[REC] 2 — Film Review By Frank Scheck, July 08, 2010 05:47 ET “[REC] 2″ Bottom Line: Bloodthirsty zombies come out to play to diminishing effect in this DIY-style Spanish horror sequel. It’s nice to see that the Europeans aren’t letting us get too far ahead in the vitally important cultural area of zombie movies. Although “[REC] 2″ — the sequel to the Spanish hit of a couple of years ago that was faithfully remade on our shores as “Quarantine” — doesn’t exactly bring anything new to the genre, it’s no less effective than its predecessor in expertly conjuring an air of low-tech-style dread. This sequel, set mere minutes after the first film, again is set in a rundown apartment building whose residents have all mysteriously been transformed into bloodthirsty zombies that have a nasty habit of popping up unexpectedly. Clearly inspired by vintage predecessors like “The Blair Witch Project,” the film uses the conceit of having all the action depicted through shaky, first-person videocam images. Revolving around the efforts of an increasingly spooked SWAT team to clear the building of its infected occupants, its footage supposedly is being shot by an unseen cameraman, helmet-cams on the soldiers’ heads (is that a common police technique?), and a group of interloping teenagers who naturally document their every move. The all-too-familiar proceedings mostly comprise a series of gory surprise attacks by the zombies, though an effort is made to punch up the narrative via a priest (Jonathan Mellor) posing as a health ministry doctor who provides a cheesy, “Exorcist”-style demonic explanation for the events. Despite the undeniable technical proficiency of co-directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza — they also wrote the screenplay with Manu Diez — the ultimately repetitive “[REC] 2″ doesn’t add much to the original, and the ending that clearly sets the stage for a third entry in the series doesn’t inspire much hope that things will be measurably different. Opens: Friday, July 9 (Magnet Releasing) Production: Filmax Entertainment Cast: Jonathan Mellor, Oscar Sanchez Zafra, Ariel Casas, Alejandro Casaseca, Pablo Rosso, Manuela Velasco, Andrea Ros, Alex Batllori, Pau Poch Directors: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza Screenwriters: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza, Manu Diez Producer: Julio Fernandez Executive producers: Julio Fernandez, Carlos Fernandez Director of photography: Pablo Rosso Editor: David Gallart Production designer: Gemma Fauria Costume designer: Gloria Viguer Rated R, 84 minutes
