Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

REC 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 28, 2021

This Blu-ray release of 'REC 2' is currently only available in a four-film boxed set with 'REC,' 'REC 3: Genesis,' and 'REC 4: Apocalypse.'

REC 2 might be the near-perfect Horror sequel. Here's a film that's relentlessly on-point. There's not a wasted minute. The entire movie is frenzied and panicked, quick to draw the audience into the story and expand on the story from the stage that the first film introduced and set into motion. It's a little more polished by design, too, but still well within the first film's structural parameters and gruesome, claustrophobic, first-person perspective stylings. It's "bigger and better" yet still familiar at the same time.

There's no gap in the action between REC and REC 2. As the film begins, a quartet of GEO (Spanish SWAT, essentially) arrive on the scene and find the building wrapped in plastic and its only point of entry and exit a makeshift tunnel leading to the lobby. The four officers -- Fernandez (Oscar Sánchez Zafra), Larra (Ariel Casas), Martos (Alejandro Casaseca), and Rosso (Pablo Rosso) -- meet the mysterious Dr. Owen (Jonathan Mellor) who informs the men that the virus infecting the building's tenants is not airborne but rather transmitted through saliva and blood: bites, essentially, and splatter from grievous wounds. But the officers quickly come to learn from Dr. Owens that the virus isn't just "a virus" but rather demonic possession and that the Catholic church is deeply involved with a mission to retrieve a blood sample from the original infected. Violence quickly follows as the officers, and Owens, find themselves outnumbered and, even with guns and God on their side, fearful for every step they take.

REC 2 is relentless in both violence and exposition. Almost literally in every new room and in each scene there is a new revelation and new opportunity for horror violence. The GEO team is ceaselessly pursued by scores of terrifying creatures that were once human beings but that are now something else: vicious demons bent on devouring flesh. The first-person perspective, as with the first film, only amplifies the sense of immediacy, danger, claustrophobia, and lack of escape and amplifies the jump scare technique when creatures seem to spill out into the arena from seemingly nowhere. Gunfire against them proves effective in isolation but a magazine holds only so many rounds and with the possessed essentially bullet sponges there’s often nowhere to go but down, for one of the living to fall victim one way or another. The film is brutal and unapologetically so. Even if the perspective and the camera and the jerky cinematography and the lighting don’t allow for close-up views of the most violent content, that which is seen in a snap can prove just as disquieting and uncomfortable as another movie’s front-and-center violence.

Beyond the pulse-pounding pace and near incessant violence is some expansion of series lore that plays on the foundations laid by the first film and introduces new perspectives and pronouncements as to what is happening and why. In the first film it was a gradual realization of what was happening. Here there’s less an element of surprise but REC 2 makes up for the quote-unquote predictability of expectations by further advancing the story in a steady drip of information, both as it builds the franchise and pushes the contained story in this film forward. Granted the story pretty much is the series of reveals and the action, but even as it’s somewhat thin on paper it plays very well on the screen. The audience is kept breathlessly engaged and at a rapid 84 minutes in length the film never gives the audience room to breathe, just as its characters never have a moment to rest.

REC 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

REC 2's 1080p picture quality is more stable and improved from the first film. The camera used seems to be of higher quality and yields a firmer, more capable, more confident presentation yet one that still maintains the same photographic structure and core aesthetic that was such a key ingredient in the first film. Clarity is more reliable here and even while the jerky camera motions remain there's no denying the improved visual clarity and finer detailing, even in poor light with the film often lit from few light sources and primarily one right at camera's position. In the best case scenario – such as the opening moments inside the police vehicle – core definition to faces, the black GEO uniforms, and little odds and ends inside the vehicle are sharp and precise. At worst in the darkest locations where everything is dim and dark the picture understandably loses some stability but makes up for it in sheer atmosphere. Superior coloration is in evidence, too. Bright red blood, yellow safety vests, even skin against the black GEO uniforms enjoy fruitful tonal output. Still, most of the movie is dark and without much opportunity for all but the most intense colors, like those just mentioned, to make an impact. The film isn't concerned with anything but atmosphere and, aesthetically and narratively, it's the darker the better. But the Blu-ray handles it well, keeping noise in check, black levels rather deep and true, and compression issues minimal. This is not a traditionally "good looking" Blu-ray but that it reflects the original content rightly earns it high marks.

REC 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Spanish language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack carries the film's sonic content well. As with the first film listeners should be ready to extend it some grace. It's not meant to reflect a finely engineered Hollywood listening experience but more the somewhat unkempt and raw sound effects as captured by the cameraman throughout the building. But core clarity and overall quality are excellent in this light. Spatial awareness is often exacting both outside the building and within its blood-soaked walls. In the opening scenes there's a satisfying swirl of honking horns, helicopters flying overhead, chatty crowds and even a barking dog setting the stage for the bustle taking place outside. That is countered by some eerie interior atmosphere heard in corridors and stairways and rooms. There's a sense of sonic dread with drips and creaking doors and even heavy breathing and nervous footfalls which frequently give way to screams – of possessed souls and terrified humans alike – which are sharp and cutting. Gunfire is deep and dominant and seems realistic in its hard-hitting depth within the enclosed spaces. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. Optional English subtitles default to "on" in support of the native Spanish language track.

REC 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

REC 2 contains a number of extras, including an audio commentary track. As it ships in the above-linked boxed set, no DVD or digital coopies are included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza deliver a Spanish language track (English subtitles are included) that is in much the same style as that which they recorded for the first film.
• The Making of REC 2 - In a World of Infected People (1080p, 1:58:14): This two-hour making-of marathon explores the franchise in general and the making of this film from a number of perspectives and opinions and levels of access in exacting detail. In Spanish with English subtitles.
• Behind the Scenes (1080p, 55:37): Another lengthy piece that explores the film and its construction in even more detail, including intimate behind-the-scenes access.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:07 total runtime): Scenes with no identifying markers.
• Extended Scenes (1080p, 3:35): Additional content lengthening several scenes and expanding upon some of the support characters.
• A Walkthrough of the Set (1080p, 9:09): "Reinventing" a familiar space for the sequel and exploring new areas not seen in the original.
• REC 2 on Tour (1080p, 8:58): At the Venice Film Festival.
• Sitges Film Festival Press Conference (1080p, 11:24): The filmmakers discuss the picture at the Spanish festival.
• Theatrical Trailers (1080p, 4:14): Four trailers.
• TV Spots (1080p, 0:59): Several very brief TV ads.
• Image Gallery (1080p, 3:32): A number of photographs from the set followed by promo materials from around the world. Images auto advance. There is no accompanying music.

REC 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

REC 2 could be compared to a haunted house picture. Nobody knows what might be around the next corner or beyond a closed door. Blood is everywhere. The location is dark and eerie. Monsters literally jump out of nowhere and they're as relentless as they are crazed. There's little hope for survival, particularly as ammunition dwindles, faith fades, and reality sets in. The movie is lean and efficient, maybe not a narrative powerhouse or character driven masterpiece but well capable as a relentless Horror experience. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray delivers excellent video and audio presentations and also includes a quality array of bonus content. Highly recommended.