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Rec4 - Apocalypse - DVD

Rec4 - Apocalypse - DVD

Spanien 2014 - with Manuela Velasco, Paco Manzanedo, Héctor Colomé, Ismael Fritschi ...

Movie info

Original title:[rec 4] - Apocalypse
Genre:Horror
Direction:Jaume Balagueró
Sales launch:19.12.2014
Production country:Spanien 2014
Running time:Approx. 91 min.
Rated:From 16 years
Number of discs:1
Languages:German, Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles:Deutsch
Picture format:16:9 (2.35:1)
Bonus:Making of, Trailer
Region code:2
Label:Universum Film
Amazon Link : Rec4 - Apocalypse - DVD

Movie: After the gruesome hours spent by the young reporter Ángela (Manuela Velsaco) in the zombie virus-infested apartment building in Barcelona, the members of a special unit manage to rescue the only survivor of the bloody massacre from the house before this is razed to the ground. When Ángela regains consciousness, she finds herself on a quarantine ship on the high seas, far from the civilization that is supposed to be protected from the virus. But are the scientists on the ship really her saviors and is the virus really under control? Or is the danger to humanity far from over?

After the third film, which drifted completely into absurd horror-comedy towards the end, director Jaume Balagueró returns to the original story in [rec 4] - Apocalypse. The action picks up directly from the end of Part 2. In the course of the film there are also references to [rec 3], but you don't have to have seen this part of the series to be able to follow the events in the final (?) chapter. On the other hand, you should have seen the first two movies to be able to understand all the connections at the end. However, the knowledge of the first [rec]-films also brings a decisive disadvantage: you inevitably compare Apocalypse with the predecessors. And there this part just comes off a little worse than the first two films.

It must be credited to Balagueró, however, that he has not convulsively tried to transfer the style of the predecessors to a new location. If Part 3 was already a pure found footage film only in the first half, Part 4 says goodbye to this format almost completely after only a few minutes. As soon as the familiar environment of the infected apartment building is left, the film turns into a rather classic horror flick that only rarely makes use of elements of the currently somewhat overused found footage subgenre. It may be that [rec 4] - Apocalypse feels a little more conventional than its predecessors as a result. But the detachment from the previous format is not only dramaturgically sensible, but also allows a good use of the very atmospheric plot space.

While after the successful intro first quite little happens and the action in the next thirty minutes a little ripples, the film in the second half again really turns on. Here, the story has some very successful moments of suspense and quite crude splatter interludes to offer, which are cut so quickly, however, that the FSK 16 release is quite appropriate. Admittedly, in the gloomy corridors of the floating quarantine station, the claustrophobic intensity of the first film is only very rarely reached. Atmospheric horror with a decent entertainment value, but genre fans get here all the time.

Should [rec 4] - Apocalypse actually be the last part of the series, so you can talk here quite a successful conclusion. While the ending is open enough for a potential sequel, Ángela's story in particular has been satisfactorily concluded. It may be that Jaume Balagueró didn't hit the big time and that this part will never reach the cult status of the original. But despite some dramaturgical weaknesses, the entertainment value is high enough to offer fans of the series 90 entertaining, fun and exciting minutes. And for this there is in the end a very clear: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD has a high image sharpness, which shows only minor quality losses even in the numerous darker scenes. The somewhat reduced colour scheme is atmospheric and contrasts are well matched. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is pleasingly lively and transports not only the dialogue but also the numerous sound effects, both small and large, atmospherically from the speakers. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, in addition to the trailer, there is a Making of (approx. 26:25 min.) worth seeing, which takes a pleasantly commercial-free look at the production. Not much, but good!

Conclusion: [rec 4] says goodbye almost completely to the found footage style of the first parts. Director Jaume Balagueró has the final (?) conclusion of the story as more classic horror fare with some very successful moments of suspense and a gripping atmosphere, but not quite up to the original. Still, a worthy installment in the series, which picks up in quality after the rather over-the-top humorous third film. The DVD presents the flick in good picture and sound quality and the making of included in the bonus material is well worth watching. For this there is a more than satisfied: recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp