7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Centers on a young TV reporter and her cameraman who cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams--which begin a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.
Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David VertHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 30% |
Thriller | 26% |
Mystery | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
This Blu-ray release of 'REC' is currently only available in a four-film boxed set with 'REC 2,' 'REC 3: Genesis,' and 'REC 4: Apocalypse.'
By the time REC released in 2007 neither its structure nor story were exactly groundbreaking concepts. The film released in a world that
years before embraced The Blair Witch Project which many might call the "grandfather" of the
"found footage" genre.
Revolutionary or not REC perhaps further proved the genre's viability and helped pave the way for similarly structured films to follow,
whether its own sequels (save for the fourth) or those telling different kinds of stories, ranging from the haunted house Paranormal Activity films to the monster movie Cloverfield. REC works for several reasons: it's very lean,
even
more intense, and relentless from beginning to end. The nightmare is presented tangibly and terrifyingly, engrossing the viewer into the mayhem,
the fear, and the clutches of the unknown within an inescapable building on total lockdown.
The film was shot to appear as if it was filmed with a news camera. It is often lit by the camera's light and without any "professional" lighting. The result is a raw look, lit harshly by that mounted light and the fluorescents inside the building or whatever light streams in through windows from the outside. The result are colors that are less than ideal for depth and saturation. There's a flatness to colors that is the rule from start to finish, even in the opening minutes before the madness begins. Tones are a bit muddy and bland but effective within the film's stylistic context. The same observations hold for detailing. The camera is not of cinema grade, favoring more of a local TV level quality (and from years ago at that; the movie was made in the mid-2000s). Various artifacts abound, details are never tight or intimate, and clarity is only as good as the camera's resolution, quality, and the supporting lighting allow. It's sharp enough to matter when needed, such as towards the end when some major revelations are discovered by means of newspapers and paperwork. This is not a pretty picture by any means, but its faithfulness to the source earns it high marks.
REC includes a pair of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one in the native Spanish language and the other an English dub. Both tracks offer satisfying volume at reference level and impressive aggression defining various elements. Both are a bit "boomy" but maintain a healthy clarity insofar as the material allows; this is not a "polished" track in the traditional sense, captured through the TV microphones but it has been engineered for some sonic impact along the way. For example, the track enjoys some positive reverb around a firehouse basketball court in the film's opening minutes, finding an authentic location recreation and feeling for basic immersion into it. Once the action begins, chaotic din proves well balanced, such as when the first man attacked is taken downstairs and treated in the lobby. The sound cues are a little unkempt, lacking polish, but are well capable of drawing the listener into the chaos and, really, the somewhat unkempt nature may be even more effective in creating a grisly, uncertain environment. The track offers some extreme subwoofer output, such as at the 26-minute mark, and several examples of both discrete and motion sound effects throughout the film. Dialogue is clear (under the film's unique sound parameters) and center positioned for the duration.
REC 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.
REC may not be inspired moviemaking, but it's effective moviemaking. It's intense and stable in its instability, well capable of fully drawing the audience into the terror and amplifying fear, irrationality, and the unknown over straightforward scares and gore. It may not have been the first "found footage" film but it's certainly a very polished example thereof. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray is a delight. Quality video and audio are paired with a nice array of supplemental content. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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