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Saturday, July 28, 2012

[6.50/10] [REC] 3 Genesis (2012)



Brief review: Five years ago, Spanish directing duo Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza blew all horror fans away with their 'found footage' phenomenon "[REC]" - arguably the scariest movie ever made. Than in 2009, they brought us an imaginative sequel, that went in a direction no one saw coming. In "[REC]³ Génesis", Paco Plaza goes solo for the very first time, in order to show us his own vision for the franchise, and for better or worse, "[REC] 3" differs vastly from its predecessors, in terms of concept, style and execution. That may be disappointing on one hand, but on the other, it feels completely refreshing. The 'wedding party goes wrong' storyline is pretty straightforward and lacking in twists, and the religious explanations do not always make sense, but at least the movie doesn't take itself too seriously and has an unexpectedly great sense of humor. After a 20-minute-long opening sequence, shot in a POV style, Paco Plaza throws the hand-held camera away and gives the movie a 'standard' look, which increases the quality of the visuals and makes them more vibrant. Unlike its predecessors, "[REC] 3" ain't frightening at all, however, the thrills are there, and so is the gore, and the gruesome, cool-looking zombies, which make "[REC] 3" a bloody fun ride of a horror film. The movie also features an entirely new cast of actors, with Leticia Dolera and Diego Martín doing an awesome job in the lead roles.

Overall summary: It's not the horror masterpiece the original "[REC]" was, nor is as inventive as "[REC]²", but Paco Plaza's "[REC]³ Génesis" is still a refreshing entry into the popular franchise, with enough action, thrills and slick gore to please the fans... and everyone else.

This review is also featured on TVFilmNews.com

14 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I've seen the first two but not this third one.

Kev D. said...

I've read both bad and good reviews for this... I honestly don't know what to expect... but that's a good thing.

Unknown said...

Terrific review, but like any good horror fan, I know there comes a certain point at which they can no longer mine the material for anything other than cheestastic silliness. If you think this was all right, I'll trust you, and also because I agree that the original was one of the scariest films ever.

Alex Jowski said...

I've been looking forward to seeing this film for awhile. It's refreshing to hear that the hand-held camera is abandoned partway through because that whole film-making style has been getting old.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, I know. It hasn't been released in the US yet.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Kev, it's somewhere in between good and bad. See it for yourself. I think it's worth it. :)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Thank you sweetheart. I couldn't agree more with you. That's why they've tried something new in terms of shooting style. Did it work? Well, sort of. [Rec] is terrifying, isn't it? :) I LOVE it!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex Jowski, yes, it is refreshing, however, I think that it could have been more effective if it was presented in a POV style.

HorrO said...

Man, I literally just finished watching this movie. I liked the POV, then standard movie view. It was different. I agree, gore was there, and scares were missing but I'm ok with that. I don't want to ruin it for others so I won't say it, but I do have a problem with what they did with the zombies. Hopefully you pick it up, I had a problem with how they acted especially at the end. I didn't care for that, and it kind of changes how I look at the first 2 movies. I might do a review of it, but it will have to be with a spoiler alert cause I feel a need to let out my frustrations with that. In the end, not a bad movie though, but the first 2 were better like you said. Great review!!!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

HorrO, it seems we felt the same way about REC 3, apart from the zombies, which I had no problems with. I like them fast and fierce and not slow and sleepy. :) It was definitely the worst REC so far, but it was still a decent effort. Thanks, buddy!

HorrO said...

So that was my reaction right after watching the movie. After looking back at the previous 2 movies, I now remember why they did that with the zombies. It still didn't really thrill me. They were a little inconsistent with the zombies. Some seamed to run while others just walked. I agree, weakest of the three, and probably because this one wasn't scary. I did like the gore. Now to read your Dark Knight review.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

HorrO, I didn't have any problem with the zombies. I agree, it wasn't scary at all, but I still found it exciting.

Kaijinu said...

not really a REC pic, but hell, I'm enjoying it! XD

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Kaijinu, did you watch this one or not?