[Rec]²

Good sequel, about as good as the original. I thought the camcorder-perspective might be a worn medium, but it is well and originally done here. Suspense is great, effects are good, plot is fairly original. Maybe too many twists, too many contrivances and other horror clichés, but it all works out OK in the end.

Rec 2 picks up just moments after Rec. Now a SWAT Team and a medical officer are being sent in to clear up any mess. It's a simple, but still a powerful premise. It was kind of nice touring the same building again, seeing the remains of the previous film. The SWAT team POV also sets up some fantastic 1st person shooting scenes. This has to become a game at some point. The attacks do become a bit repetitive, but the story is given an extra kick by expanding on the demonic possession themes. This sets it apart from other zombie/virus movies. It had plenty of jumps and did unsettle me. Wouldn't mind watching the two films back to back for an ultimate experience.

A somewhat nice continuation of the first "Rec" movie.

"Rec 2" picks up right where "Rec" left you when it ended. So that is nice.

The characters in the movie were believable and well portrayed, especially because they have that every-day-man-and-woman feel to them, they are just like you and me. That makes the movie all the more real.

Again, picking up the scenery and sets from the first "Rec" movie makes for a good scenery with a constant underlying sense of dread and claustrophobia.

The make up on the infected were good, and the effects were nice as well.

Again the camera work was amazing, makes you feel like you are right there in the middle of the chaos. The way the movie is shot works so well, it is like participating in a superb horror game.

Now, what I didn't like about "Rec 2" was the whole possession and Christian propaganda approach they had decided to turn the story to. But looking beyond that, the movie in its entirety came together as a good experience. There were no major frights though, but there was a constant thrill and a sense of being stalked and feeling boxed it. That worked so well.

The ending was very predictable and anti-climatic though. And as such the movie experience is just a notch below the first "Rec" movie. And I am sure this will also spawn a crappy Hollywood Americanized version of the movie, like the first "Rec" movie. It is a disgrace to movies worldwide when Hollywood decides to sink their greedy claws into a good product and milk it for what its worth.

Not as cohesive or frightening, as the first REC (which is one of my favorite modern horror movies), but still a tense and thrilling horror ride, more often than not. This is a direct continuation of the original, and happens in and around the same apartment building on the same night. 

REC 2 takes the supernatural elements of the first movie and further explores them, which sets it apart from some similar zombie-type films. No complaints from me there, I enjoyed the expansion of the overall mythos and the added backstory/explanation for some of the people and events of the first film. On the negative side, I did find the new characters introduced in this one to be almost universally unlikable and annoying. Did that ruin the movie? No, but I definitely cared about the well-being and survival of these people less than those that came before. There's also a slight feeling of repetition that comes with using the same location again, but that's understandable considering the direct plot continuance.  

REC 2 is basically more of the same, so if you enjoyed the first, there's no real reason why you shouldn't see this. It's not quite up to the same quality, but it's worth checking out to see the interesting direction the story goes in.

excerpt, full review at my location - REC splattered its way onto our screens three years ago, and part of its power was the fact this small- budget Spanish horror tale seemed to come out of nowhere. The sequel will struggle to match it simply because it lacks the surprise element which made the first one so great, right?

Apparently there are to be two more films, one a straight sequel and a prequel. The sequel will, like this one, carry on pretty much straight after the ending, but it will be hard matched to equal this one. REC2 introduces some humour which the first one lacked, but to go down that road too much will spoil all the hard work that the first two. We'll see…

A gloriously nasty Spanish roller-coaster ride up and down the stairs of that Barcelona apartment block – just don't eat too close to the film. Seriously, it's that gory.