Directed by Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza
Genre: Found Footage
Plot: A series of men dressed in SWAT-like attire (actually from the Grupo Especial de Operaciones, or GEO) go to the apartment building from the first [REC] movie to control the out-of-hand situation. They are looking for any survivors. The virus isn’t airborne they learn, but in fluids like blood and saliva, so the masks they are wearing in the beginning of the film aren’t necessary, Dr. Owen tells them. Dr. Owen is an official sent by the Ministry of Health to investigate the outbreak.
Martos, one of the GEO men, enters an apartment where there is a record playing. He turns off the record and is promptly attacked by an infected. He is bitten, and almost immediately becomes an infected himself. Dr. Owen begins praying over Martos and they shove him in a side bedroom, hanging a crucifix on the door. The commander yells at Dr. Owen to tell him what the hell is going on, “Because clearly, you know more than me!” says the commander.
It turns out Dr. Owen is actually a Catholic priest, and that virus was originally a demonic possession scenario. He was sent by the Vatican to investigate the case. Dr. Owen is looking for a girl, the original one who was possessed. Her name is Tristana Medeiros, and she was an 11-year-old who began showing signs of possession. They need a vial of her blood, and then they can leave the building. So, the Church and Dr. Owen discretely set up shop in this apartment building. No one is to know the real truth. The Church wished to find a chemical antidote for possession which they can synthesize from Tristana’s blood.
There is a demon child on the ceiling. Dr. Owen kills the kid. They search the penthouse suite, but do not find the blood vial. After uncovering a secret crawlspace, Fernandez finds the vial. The vial eventually breaks. Dr. Owen is understandably upset by this turn of events. He says the only way to get a blood sample now is from Tristana herself.
The perspective eventually shifts, and we are suddenly with 3 people outside of the apartment building with a camera. They eventually see the emergency vehicles and locate an open manhole cover. They walk through the sewer, and some officials follow them down there. They find a staircase leading to none other than the building where the main action is taking place. The officials then weld the entrance into the apartment basement shut, sealing them inside. One of the teens finds a gun on the floor, and the gun “just goes off.” Dr. Owen and one of the men from GEO (I think it’s the commander) appear. The commander takes the gun from the foolish boy.
Dr. Owen still needs the blood of the girl to make an antidote for the virus. Dr. Owen and company then locate Angela, the main character from the first movie, and ask her where Tristana is. They question one of the teens who has been infected. It turns out Tristana is able to speak through any of the infected people. Through the teen, she says to go back to the penthouse suite. Tristana says the only way to see is in darkness; in other words, the GEO must use infrared light.
Ending: Angela goes with them to the penthouse. Chaos ensues, but I don’t want to give anything else away! You’ll have to watch until the end; a shocking turn of events, to be sure.
Final Thoughts: The cinematography on this film is great. Every shot was well planned and well executed. The team of filmmakers here is the same as the original [REC]. A lot of them reunited 2 years later for the sequel. I should mention that [REC] 3: Genesis and [REC] 4: Apocalypse are also made by the same people.
Grade: B+ This movie ties in with the first film very well. If you want to know what ultimately happened to Angela, you certainly need to watch this one! You certainly won’t forget this ending! Don’t forget to also watch [REC] 4: Apocalypse to continue the saga with Angela!
Have A Good Day!