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[REC]³ Génesis2012 | 80 min | R | 2.39:1
The found footage genre is growing stale, and one of the architects of the trend, Spain’s “Rec” series, is attempting to shake up the formula with an appealing return to conventional scares. The change is necessary after two wildly inventive features drained every last drop of suspense out of POV fury, taking the franchise in a different direction of pure cinematic focus, shifting the non-fiction to fiction as a way to revitalize a second sequel and create a visual shift that supports plans for an upcoming fourth installment. Extraordinarily entertaining, cheeky yet grim, and enjoyably stabilized, “Rec 3: Genesis” is fantastic horror hellraising, while once again pushing the series in a promising new direction. 
On the day of their wedding, Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martin) are fighting normal waves of anxiety, with the bride showing extra concern due to a secret she’s dying to share with her future husband. Taking over a massive mansion for the big event, friends and family pile onto the property, with two videographers making sure to cover every minute of the festivities. When Koldo’s uncle shows signs of strain after suffering a dog bite earlier in the day, party guests are terrified when the man launches into a zombified rage, commencing a spread of a familiar demonic infection that turns the innocent into bloodthirsty monsters. Separated when chaos erupts, Clara and Koldo use whatever weapons they can find to battle back to each other’s loving embrace, finding their war complicated by the appearance of a S.W.A.T. team in hazmat suits sealing off the area, making escape impossible. After co-directing 2007’s “Rec” and 2009’s “Rec 2” with Jaume Balaguero, helmer Paco Plaza has decided to step out on his own for this round, leaving the upcoming “Rec: Apocalypse” to his partner in crime. The singular creative vision demands a fine-tuning of the premise, resulting in a straightforward horror production for “Genesis,” though the change in approach doesn’t immediately reveal itself. Using a wedding day memory DVD menu screen as an introduction, “Genesis” commences with a found footage style, observing the two men in charge of capturing the happy day catalog guest arrivals and ceremony highlights with digital equipment, ultimately covering the spread of the demon plague throughout the mansion, shocked to film the initial bites. Common ingredients of shaky-cam panic and rough camcorder footage only last for the opening 20 minutes, when the action switches over to a more habitual sensory assault, assuming a third-person point of view. 
The storytelling change is handled resourcefully, yet could upset “Rec” purists who’ve watched Plaza and Balaguero manage the found footage gimmick masterfully in the first two pictures. Nevertheless, a little disruption of the norm is welcome, keeping the surprises coming while deepening the backstory for this parallel sequel, which once again covers the religious origin of the demon outbreak, finding the infected powerless when in the presence of spoken biblical passages, broadcast over a speaker system by the wedding official. The core elements of the “Rec” series remain effective in “Genesis,” only the visuals have changed, with the scattered, quaking camerawork of the earlier films replaced by smooth, exceptional cinematography from Pablo Rosso -- a change in imagery foreshadowed by the two cameramen assigned to shoot the wedding, with a family member electing a handheld approach, while the professional videographer trusts in a steadicam flow to his coverage. “Genesis” retains a low-budget appearance, yet Plaza chooses his shots, horror homages, and acts of gory escalation splendidly, keeping the inherent distance of the approach as satisfying as anything that’s come before, only lacking a nervous visual immediacy and the irresistible suffocation of the apartment setting found in the first two “Rec” efforts. Introducing a sense of humor to “Genesis,” Plaza doesn’t slow the film down in the least. The screenplay sets up the divide between Clara and Koldo in the first act, with the rest of the picture devoted to scenes of survival with quirky wedding guests, including a costumed children’s entertainer named “Sponge John,” who bristles at the mention of SpongeBob SquarePants, fearful of copyright entanglements. Weaponry also receives a more cinematic touch, with the bride using a chainsaw to mow down the infected, while Koldo suits up in mansion armor to defend against the demons. Plaza manages some pronounced mischief (the groom’s arc of heroism carries Arthurian might), yet “Genesis” is no comedy, happily reveling in gore zone highlights of ripping flesh and beheadings, with the make-up work marvelous, generating the required gross-out heaves. There are some bleak turns of fate to confront as well, successfully sobering “Genesis” up for the dire final act. At the heart of “Genesis” is a love story, keeping the bride and groom devoted to each other despite the massacre unfolding before them. It’s not a profound union, but there’s enough tenderness to make the characters count, also bringing something of a warm perspective to the cold-blooded “Rec” series. 
“Rec 3: Genesis” doesn’t end with a cliffhanger, leaving the sequel more of a digression than a concrete continuation of the horror show. The change in scenery is tastefully handled by Plaza, who delivers on essential genre elements while stretching out the franchise to keep fans guessing. It’s another blissful joyride in a series that’s supplied more than its share of blood-soaked delights, yet shows no signs of fatigue. Thankfully, there’s more “Rec” on the way. Starring: Leticia Dolera, Javier Botet, Diego Martín, Ismael Martínez, Emilio Mencheta Director: Paco Plaza » See full cast & crew |
 
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