Thursday 28 May 2009

Where's The Pause Button?



REC was one of those movies that everybody else in the universe has seen...except me. People would either encourage me by saying "Come on mate, It's brilliant!" or "The girl in REC is really cute!". Perhaps expecting the same old, same old, I put it on the shelf for a rainy day.

Well that rainy day finally came and REC is stunning. In the tradition of Blair Witch and Cloverfield, it's shot from a first-person perspective with a video camera crew filming a TV show 'While You Are Sleeping' with the programme's attractive presentor. It sets up the story slowly, getting to see the energetic personality of host Angela and the firemen she'll accompany later.

On arrival at zombie central, the mystery and suspense is built, only breaking for breif and shocking moments of violence. Epically long steady-cam shots maintain the anticipation of scares while unpredictable situations and characters are thrown into the mix to spice things up. The movie steps up the intensity in the final twenty five minutes, while the finale delivers a frenzied, viceral horror that is practically unrivaled.

Like Cloverfield, the hand held technique puts the viewer into the heart of the story, forcing themn to consider how they'd react under the circumstances presented.

After careful consideration, soiling oneself is a dignified, and entirely proper option, given the occasion.

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