REVIEW: '[REC] 3: Genesis'

The third installment in the Spanish horror movie franchise moves out of the apartment building setting of the first two films as the zombie virus breaks loose at a wedding. Click here for movie times. 

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Acknowledging the once-novel found footage style of its terrifying predecessors, [REC] 3: Genesis begins with a fake out DVD menu before cutting to a 20 minute prologue in the form of handheld footage covering the wedding of its two leads, Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martín). Director Paco Plaza manages to get in a few meta-gags about camcorder footage being 'unwatchable,' as well as some ominous business involving an uncle bitten by a stray dog, before the zombie mayhem erupts and the film switches to a traditionally filmed style.

Unfortunately the change in format costs the film much of its gravitas, and the remaining hour plays out as something of a light-hearted comedy. While I admire the filmmakers wanting to switch things up a bit, I found myself completely uninvested in the supporting characters which made their deaths seem a bit trivial. There is some urgency to getting our estranged bride and groom back together, and the two leads are endearing enough (particularly Dolera and her expressive eyes), but the film feels pretty disposable, with Plaza shooting for something akin to early Peter Jackson (some great gore FX late in the piece are very welcome), but ending up on the wrong side of the silly/scary equation.

At 80 minutes [REC] 3: Genesis is a fun diversion, but too slight to take seriously. Let's hope the final instalment reinstates some depth to the franchise, and ends things on a suitably grim note.

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