[REC]4: APOCALYPSE (2014) Reviews and overview

  

‘The time has come’

[REC 4]: Apocalypse aka [REC]⁴ Apocalypse and [REC]: Apocalypse is a 2014 Spanish horror film directed by Jaume Balagueró, and the fourth instalment of the [REC] series. The film is a direct sequel to the second film taking place immediately after its events.

Main cast:

Manuela Velasco, Héctor Colomé, María Alfonsa Rosso, Paco Manzanedo, Emilio Buale, Críspulo Cabezas and Paco Obregón.

Plot:

Ángela, the young television reporter who entered the building with the firemen along with her cameraman, manages to make it out alive. But what the soldiers don’t know is that she carries the seed of the strange infection. She is to be taken to a provisional quarantine facility, a high-security installation where she will have to stay in isolation for several days.

An old oil tanker, miles off shore and surrounded by water on all sides, has been especially equipped for the quarantine…

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Reviews:

‘Relentless horror ensues as the tanker’s cramped confines become an incubator for the new outbreak. With copious amounts of gore, guts and blood spilled at every turn, it gets quite overwhelming by the halfway mark, and I kind of missed the tongue-in-cheek direction of the third outing. There is, however, a nod to Genesis when an elderly lady turns out to be the only survivor of the wedding massacre in that film.’ Peter Fuller, Kultguy’s Keep

‘With [REC] 4, Balagueró returns to the main storyline and to the kind of claustrophobic setting where [REC]really thrives, ditching the slapstick splatter of [REC] 3 without sacrificing zombie gore. As a result, fans disappointed by the series’ brief sideways turn into horror-comedy will regard [REC] 4 as a return to form.’ Katie Rife, A.V. Club

‘Apparently edited by a Guillermo De La Cal on speed, and lensed by Pablo Rosso with a crispness and clarity that leaves nothing to the imagination, REC [4] grips as the action lurches efficiently from one claustrophobic area of the vessel to another while bloodied, distorted faces pop up at porthole windows. It’s punchy, but it does not scare and rarely surprises either as drama or concept.’ Jonathan Holland, Hollywood Reporter

‘Balagueró and co-writer Manu Diez do include some plot surprises, but are mostly content to spring the same old scares. It’s a less distinctive film than the oddly sweet, ultra-gory [●REC]³ Génesis – which didn’t find favour with some [●REC] purists – but it keeps its pot boiling decently. Last-reel developments suggest any [●REC]⁵might go the mutant fish route.’ Kim Newman, Screen Daily

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