[REC]4: APOCALYPSE [2014]

Jaume Balagueró, co-director of the first two [REC] films, returns along side star Manuela Velasco for what is promised to be the fourth and final instalment of the Spanish horror series.
Taken place immediately after the the events of the second film, we find Ángela mysteriously woken up on a seemingly isolated oil tanker on sea, which is in danger due to her still carrying the deadly virus.  It's a bit of a bumpy ride but returns to the grisly style of the first two films, unlike the hilarious third film (which I actually quite liked).  There's plenty of horrific moments to please fans of the series but also a great deal of "really?" groan-worthy moments that should be taken with a grain of salt if you're willing to reach the end.  Plenty of gory action, "fuck yeah!" kick-ass moments and white-knuckled tension to satisfy yet it never really quite reaches the heights of what a grand finale should be.

3 zombie monkeys out of 5

[REC] [2007]

Writer/directors Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza add some much needed terrifying adrenaline to the found footage genre in  the first of the [REC] horror film series.

By playing with claustrophobia, hysteria and horrified confusion, [REC] manages to keep you permanently on edge as soon as the story kicks into high gear.  Besides an impressive performance from Manuela Velasco, the rest of the cast of characters are a little one dimensional but you'll never notice with your poor little heart beating too fast to really think about it.  It's a simple little movie that delivers the goods to the jaded horror movie buffs waiting for something scary to come along again.

3½ dogs named Max out of 5

[REC] ³: GENESIS [2012]

The third installment in the [REC] horror series, titled Genesis, features director Paco Plaza flying solo this time around.  

Thankfully, the found footage aspect of the series is dropped 20 minutes into the film and plays the rest of it out like a regular film, completely ignoring why these films are called [REC] in the first place.  In a bold move, a healthy dose of humor is inserted into the film, risking alienating hardcore manboy fans of the more serious predecessors. It's more laughs, nary a thrill or chill and contrary to it's title, Genesis, no real explanation of the origin of the "virus".  As troubled as the film is, I found it to have it's entertaining moments and not as bad as the 2nd film.

2½ Spongebob copyrights out of 5

[REC] ² [2009]

The sequel to the Spanish found footage film [REC] falls off it's feet right from the very get go, mostly due to the inane ending of it's predecessor.  

Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza both return to the roles of writers & directors, 15 minutes after the events of the first film so it's nice to have a bit of continuity. Halfway through the film it abruptly changes character focus on another group, which happens to be simultaneous with the first half of the film.  I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff, so it became a bit better from then on, still not enough to prevent some huge yawns.  

2 rocket launching blow-up dollies out of 5