[REC] 4: Apocalypse (Blu-ray) (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Action	Trailer-x 3 for other titles
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	95:09
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Jaume Balagueró
Studio Distributor	Gryphon Entertainment	Starring	Manuela Velasco Paco Manzanedo Crispulo Cabezas Hector Colome Maria Alfonsa Rosso Mariano Venancio Ismale Fritschi
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	Arnau Bataller

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     A group of soldiers including Guzman (Paco Manzanedo) and his partner Lucas (Crispulo Cabezas) enter the blood soaked building in Barcelona where a viral infection has occurred to prepare it for demolition. There they are attacked by zombies effected by the virus but Guzman discovers the apparently uninfected TV reporter Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) and her video camera. Then everything goes black.

     When Guzman and Angela regain consciousness they discover that they are on a ship in the middle of the ocean. The ship is run by Captain Ortega (Mariano Venancio) but it is controlled by Dr. Ricarte (Hector Colome) and a group of heavily armed security men. Within the ship Ricarte has set up a laboratory where he is conducting experiments to try to find a serum that will negate the virus. To this end all those who had been previously exposed to the virus, including Angela, Guzman, Lucas and an elderly lady (Maria Alfonsa Rosso) who is the only survivor of a wedding massacre (the events shown in Rec 3: Genesis (2012)), have been quarantined on board the ship. With the help of the ship’s radio officer Nic (Ismale Fritschi, he is Nic in the credits but consistently Nick in the subtitles), Guzman attempts to find out what is going on and to protect Angela, but when an experimental monkey with the virus escapes and infects the security group, all hell breaks loose. Can Dr. Ricarte find an antidote before everyone is infected? Is Angela the key to the solution, or is something more sinister going on?

     As the title suggests Rec 4: Apocalypse is the fourth entry into this horror franchise following Rec (2007), Rec 2 (2009) and Rec 3: Genesis. Rec and Rec 2 were co-directed by Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero (who also co-wrote). The two then went their separate ways with Plaza directing Rec 3: Genesis. For Rec 4: Apocalypse Balaguero is again the cowriter but sole director; Rec 4: Apocalypse also marks the return to the franchise of Manuela Velasco, who appeared in the first two films but not the third.

     Responses by fans of the franchise to this entry, and the third, have been mixed and nearly everyone seems to have an opinion, frequently at odds with others. Certainly, for sheer terror and inventiveness it was always going to be difficult to top the original Rec, which currently has a 90% approval rating on rottentomatoes.com; but for now let’s concentrate on how Rec 4: Apocalypse fares as a film in its own right.

     With Rec 4: Apocalypse Balaguero has abandoned the found footage structure of the first two films and delivered a more conventional film that is more action versus the zombies than horror film. There are still some shocks, the best involving a diseased monkey, and the gory zombie make-up is quite effective (although the monkey is less so). The action is loud and chaotic, using tight, hand-held camera shots, and it is very bloody in places, especially the interesting use of an outboard motor. The setting in the corridors, small cabins, gallery and engine room of a ship adds claustrophobia and tension to many scenes with sudden zombie attacks, the film only opening out occasionally with scenes on deck during a storm. The actors in truth do not have a lot to do; both Paco Manzanedo and Manuela Velasco are effective although the most interesting performance comes from Ismale Fritschi as the very nerdy, and less than heroic, Nic.

     Rec 4: Apocalypse starts where Rec 2 finished. It is a full on action film with horror elements that starts with a tense and bloody sequence in a building before moving to a ship, seldom stopping for breath, or thought. It is quite scary in places, and bloody and violent, and the film does include a twist or two. In summary it is a well-made and exciting film that is worth watching in its own right for those who enjoy the genre of action / horror. How does it stack up for fans of the series? The current rottentomatoes scores for the four films are Rec 90%, Rec 2 71%, Rec 3: Genesis 37% and Rec 4: Apocalypse 78%. Take those for what they may be worth!

Video

     Rec 4: Apocalypse is presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, in 1080p using the MPEG-4 AVC code.

     There are a lot of dark sequences in Rec 4: Apocalypse; a darkened building, barely lit ship corridors, the engine room or at night at sea. Thus the colours, including the reds of blood, were never going to be bright and vibrant, and indeed they look quite dull. Some scenes have a silvery look, others evince that yellowish digital look under lights. Close-up detail is fine but a combination of moving cameras right in the middle of the action and darkness results in some loss of detail in the shadows. Blacks are solid, and the print showed no obvious marks or artefacts.

     The white burnt in English subtitles were easy to read and error free.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1 is the only audio option.

     The audio is great, delivering the sound design an action / horror film requires. Dialogue was clear, centred and easy to hear. The surrounds and rears provided the constant noise of a ship at sea with the creaks and groans of metal, plus engines and later the rain and waves. The lead up to the reveal of the monkey in the galley created a nice tension with sounds out of frame. There were also helicopters overhead and during the action sequences gunshots, yells, thumps and general mayhem. The score by Arnau Bataller was used mostly during long shots of the ship at sea and during the closing credits. The sub-woofer was very active adding depth to crashes, thumps, thunder, the engine and the storm at sea as well as providing a bass rumble at other times to increase tension.

     There are no lip synchronisation issues.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Trailers

     Trailers for Open Windows (1:17), Willow Creek (2:09) and Exists (1:09) play on start-up. These same trailers may also be selected from the menu.

     The Region B UK release of Rec 4: Apocalypse adds a Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track and a making of featurette (27:57). The Region 1 US DVD has the same extra feature; there is no Region A US Blu-ray currently listed.

     Rec 4: Apocalypse is supposed the final film in the Rec franchise, although a brief scene during the final credits may suggest otherwise. Fans of the series have their favourites but this entry has generally been well received. Although it may not equal the sheer terror and inventiveness of the original Rec, Rec 4: Apocalypse is a well-made, action filled and exciting film that is certainly worth watching, whether you are a fan of the franchise or not. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a blast.

     The video is good, the audio excellent. No extras except trailers for other films as we unfortunately miss out on the making of available elsewhere.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall