Rec2 [DVD]

REC was one of those films that proves yet again recent American horror is in a pretty poor state and was of course remade about ten minutes after the original was released. Doubtless REC 2 will be remade by this time next week.

Anyway, the first question fans of REC will be asking is is the sequel as good? With a big smile on my face, I'm happy to say yes. Beginning almost immediately after the first film ended, part two starts with a SWAT team and a doctor entering the apartment building to find out what happened to the camera crew, firemen and people who lived in the building. It's not long before they discover they're knee deep in the brown stuff and things are going to get worse.

I did wonder if the handheld camera issue would be a problem. After all, there was a reason for it in the original film. However, rest assured it's justified in the sequel and becomes almost as much of a character as the SWAT members and the infected. We see through their eyes and there are several moments in which it seems the infected are coming for the viewer, such is the effect of the camerawork. I was also pleased by some very nice touches - spotting the people from the first film who are now infected, the splashes of blood in the same places as before, and the use of an exit/entrance briefly mentioned in REC.

While some of the mystery from REC concerning the cause of the outbreak has been cleared up, there are still plenty of questions left and still plenty for us to enjoy in what is one of the best horror sequels I have ever seen.

I loved Rec and was looking forward to watching the second part. As a recent convert to the zombie movie genre, Rec had me on the edge of me seat all the way through, and although I was little disappointed with the ending it didn't ruin it for me.

So, decided to see the whole thing through to the end and watch Rec 2. I won't go in to the plot as there are plenty of other reviewers who have.

For me, this lacked the tension and jump moments that the first one had managed to do so well. I don't know whether that's because you knew the layout of the building this time and what was potentially waiting in each apartment, or whether it's just that the script and action wasn't quite as good this time round. I have no problem with the hand-held camera thing, it can work really well and that's been proven in a few films now, including Rec, but on this occasion I just got a bit bored of it. There were a couple of times when the camera was put on the floor so all you could see were feet running around. Both times it just annoyed me, it felt lazy.

My partner hated the whole religious aspect of the film, but I found that quite refreshing for a Zombie film, it wasn't just another unexplained virus turning people mad. Quite a nice twist I thought.

Where as I would sit and watch Rec again, I have to say that this DVD will be going to the charity shop now after one watch. It just didn't grip me and I didn't care about the characters, where as in the first one you got to know and like the group of people trapped inside the building, in this one I couldn't have cared less who survived and who didn't, I just wanted it to end.

It was watchable, but not really enjoyable or memorable. I gave it 3 stars for - It's Ok. That's it. No more, no less. It passed some time on a rainy Sunday night.

Well I didn't have high hopes for this sequel if I'm honest (I loved the first, one of my favourite horrors ever), so I decided to make the best of it by watching it late at night in blu-ray with the headphones on full volume. I was very pleasantly surprised, and would argue that it is better than the first in almost every sense, and along with Paranormal Activity 2 it's up there as potentially the best horror sequel of all time

** spoiler **

The infamous ''green scene'' ending to the first movie is reprised, and it is much more terrifying than it's predecessor.

To sum things up, I think I might have to watch an episode of Frasier before I go to bed