[REC]2 (2009)

January 27, 2024 11:04 AM

[TRAILER] Moments after where the first film left off, a doctor and a SWAT team enter the quarantined Barcelona building where a virus has turned the residents into a pack of ravenous monsters.

Starring Manuela Velasco, Jonathan Mellor, Oscar Sánchez Zafra, Ariel Casas, Alejandro Casaseca, Pablo Rosso, Claudia Silva.

Directed by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza. Written by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, Manu Díez.

66% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Available for digital rental. JustWatch.

posted by DirtyOldTown (5 comments total)

A step down from the first film, but still very solid.

If the characters aren't as likable, at least the setup is already done, so they can get right into the action.

Like the first, this also ends with a HOLY SHIT visual. (Literally a clip of the last 65 seconds of the film.)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:07 AM on January 27

He's not credited, but this also stars Javier Botet as Trisana Medeiros.

Botet, who is 6'7" and 123 pounds (owing to Marfan Syndrome) is a tremendous physical actor, gifted at working under extensive makeup. You may have seen him as the title characters in Mama or The Slender Man, as Count Dracula in last year's The Last Voyage of the Demeter, as The Crooked Man in The Conjuring 2, or in other roles in It, Crimson Peak, or many other films.

More about Botet in this archived article.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:21 AM on January 27 [1 favorite]

I usually don't go in for the "found footage" style, but thoroughly enjoyed [REC] 1 & 2. I liked how the horde in part 2 was made up of familiar faces from part 1. Repeated falls down the stairs get intense, especially watching both parts back to back.

Also, part 2 has the best priest reveal in cinema, and other twists that kept me engaged until the credits rolled.
posted by abraxasaxarba at 1:03 PM on January 27

Oh, also, I remember [REC] 2 coming out right around the time I read Let The Right One In, and how pivotal scenes in that book and this film took place in complete darkness. The film adaptation of LTROI omitted the scene, maybe because there wasn't a way to visualize action taking place in complete darkness, or maybe that scene (and the plot line within which it occurred) was just too horrific; but [REC] 2 had a clever solution. Of course, evil thrives in complete darkness.
posted by abraxasaxarba at 1:12 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

I enjoyed this one much more than REC, honestly, at least at the time (I haven't seen either in many years); it did something different with a zombie formula that was already kind of played out (note: I tend to burn out on formulae five to ten times faster than most audiences, to judge from the longevity of the average trend). The possession angle was pretty cool and fresh, at least in 2009.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:03 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]