[REC] 4: Apocalypse

The fourth & final instalment in the REC franchise, REC 4: Apocalypse concludes the horror that began in 2007 with REC, which still remains one of the scariest horror flicks ever made, was followed by an inferior yet effective sequel in 2009 before hitting an absolute low with a needless third entry that was more a spin-off than a sequel and replaced the nerve-racking tension of the first two films with elements of comedy to serve as a parody of the series.

With REC 4, the tense & claustrophobic atmosphere of the first two films makes its return & so does the ever-adorable Manuela Velasco. Set right after the events of REC 2, the story of REC 4: Apocalypse follows Ángela Vidal who after being rescued from the doomed building is taken to a ship, that's miles off the shore, for further examination. However, things are set in motion when a test subject escapes from the lab and ends up infecting the ship crew.

Co-written & directed by Jaume Balagueró, REC 4 discards the found footage style that was so expertly employed in the first film and replaces it with conventional photography but with that, the effectiveness of those chaotic, frenzy camera-work also diminishes. It still uses the shaky cam technique but it fails to recreate the same chilling vibe of the original. The story isn't compelling enough for a final chapter and what Balagueró has done with Ángela's arc is just absurd.

Despite picking up the story from where it left off in the second chapter, REC 4 spends too much time in setting up its premise by introducing characters no one gives a damn about, and even when the terror begins, it's all poorly executed. The scares are cheap & ineffective and the film as a whole feels more like a generic action flick than a visceral horror. It's good to have Manuela Velasco back but her character undergoes a sudden transition which never works in the film's favour.

On an overall scale, REC 4: Apocalypse is definitely a step up when compared to the turd that was REC 3: Genesis, is similar in look & tone to the first two chapters of the franchise and although by no means it is a fulfilling conclusion of the series, there is no denying that it could've been much worse. Failing to completely tie up all the loose ends, leaving a few questions unanswered and utterly devoid of any scares, REC 4 may not be a total disaster but it's still finishes as a forgettable finale.

I really lost hope after i saw Rec 3 !!! A wedding !! a Bride who does a karate Moves :P

But thank god Rec is Back to the Story of "Ángela Vidal" and they connected the story to the first two movies ,,, amazing turn of events ..

The plot this time literally elevated to a new level ... Ohh and the ending is just another thing.

The scenes is so thrilling this time,, Jumped out of my seat a couple of times ;)

I still have no idea if there's another movie Rec 5 ;) but if there is ,they better make it connected and around the same story..

The Set is Genius.,. full of surprises and curves which were useful to make more frightening.. it's really amazed me though how you can do so much in such a small Set or location ..

So it must be also said the cinematography and the visual effects are Applaudable.

It is our belief that about ten years removed from the end of the franchise that the REC films will be considered horror classics that delivered from first entry until last. The first REC was released in 2007 and followed a television reporter and a cameraman as they accompanied emergency workers who were called to an apartment complex where a terrifying outbreak had been reported. Produced and shot in Spain, the film was interesting enough for Hollywood studios to remake the film with Jennifer Carpenter in 2008.

REC2 followed in 2009 and put a whole different slant on things. What we thought was an outbreak of a disease was brought into question. A possibility of demonic possession was introduced as a potential cause for the horror and this twist added multiple layers to an already engrossing story.

REC3 was an all-out blood fest. The setting was moved from the interior of a dark building to what was supposed to be a joyous wedding. As the wedding party fights for their survival, the red messy stuff covers the screen in an absolute gem of a whimsical horror film.

And as all good things come to an end, we have REC4 to close the books on the franchise. The setting is again changed for the third sequel. Our survivors are now fighting within the confines of an ocean liner where the zombie/rage-induced hordes. Manuela Velasco again plays Angela – the lone survivor of the REC2. It is her awakening on a high-security facility floating on the ocean that catapults the story.

Angela is able to team up with a small group of survivors and together they use just about every tool or weapon not nailed down on the ship to fight off the apocalypse and ensure their survival. Jaume Balagueró, who co-directed REC and REC 2 with Paco Plaza (Plaza directed REC 3 solo), returns to helm the fourth instalment of the saga and finish the series off with a spectacular and bloody bang.

There is a tremendous amount of fun to be had in REC4. The floating vessel is the perfect setting to induce a claustrophobic and seemingly hopeless feel. The kills in the REC series have gotten more and more flamboyantly violent in cartoonish escalation and REC4 has some kills that had our packed house audience clap and cheer in unison with its execution.

There are some interesting turns in the overall story arch some which are fun and others are almost groan inducing. The characters in REC4 are not as interesting as the other installments and once every character was trotted out, I was dead on in my assumption as to who would make it to the closing credits. Still, this is horror. Fans of the genre and the series are sure to find enough in REC 4 to make the experience enjoyable. The series never really lost steam from its opening in 2007 as it reinvented itself a few times along the journey. This journey is just bloody fun.

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It's a good go-ahead but a bad one. The film is about Angela's story after she escaped the building. The surprises inside the film obviously liked it. Especially the images shown from the 1st and 2nd movies were beautiful. It's really ridiculous in some parts of his fiction. The end result is the same as many virus-related films. Apart from the first one, I would say that three other films were definitely shot for money. The reason is that I think the concept of other films is more action oriented. If you do not watch movies other than the first REC.

⭐ 100/50

While the first REC was a very atmospheric, genuinely scary movie with some new genre elements added, especially in the way the action was captured, by now the REC series has slipped into the cliché trap.

This time around it's zombies on a boat. The director tries to emanate the claustrophobic feeling of a setting like the isolated camp in The Thing, but falls short.

The production is quite good for a horror movie, especially the acting stands out, but one can not help but feeling this is a cash machine franchise that has been milked too far by now. It's still a far better production than most straight to video horror flicks, but by now REC is not the captivating (low budget) horror sensation of the first movie, it's slightly better than run of the mill zombie movies.

Not essential and only if you are a big fan of the series.