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jackhammer · 03-14-2010, 07:32 PM

[REC] is a Spanish low budget film that I saw a while back (around 6 months ago). It's a POV film whereby a T.V crew follow firefighters in real time to any emergency call that they get. When they arrive at a block of flats they find that the inhabitants of the block are infected with a virus and they are all trapped in the block by the authorities and have to deal with the virus as it spreads that turns people into violent inhabitants who bite their victims.

Although it does borrow from films such as Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield it was still a decent film with menace and a chilling ending.

So guess what? Barely a year after this it was remade for the American audience and pales in comparison.

The original film worked on so many levels, that the remake missed completely. A big proportion of the original film was improvised with various scenes only known by the writers and directors so when they were employed, the reactions from the cast is genuine and feels more realistic. The cinematographer literally plays himself in the movie so the shots are organic and off the cuff and there is scant explanation as to why these things are happening which is a device that makes you ponder the film long after you have seen it. It is also shot on a low grade camera that is grainy and under lit that it feels as if you are really there.

The remake seems to be shot on film so immediately the claustrophobic gritty vibe is lost and therefore everything seems staged and far less organic. The original ran at a taut running time of 78 mins whereas the remake adds over 10 minutes to shoehorn an explanation into the equation which lessens the films visceral power .

The original was comprised of many first time actors which again heightens the sense of realism whereas the sequel (even though those involved are barely household names) has professional actors on the whole whose presence strips the film of it's base qualities. They also seem to be aware of the lines as the camera seems to anticipate their lines by a split second which is not apparent in the original. This softens the blow of their reactions and I just could not empathise with any character in the remake, yet in the original i felt their fear and terror and was with them every step of the way.

I am not dissing a remake here for the sake of it either. If you can remake a film and build upon it and even improve it then I am all for it but alas it was a quick cash in that missed the plot entirely. Watch the original for sure.

03-14-2010, 07:32 PM	#5521 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	[REC] is a Spanish low budget film that I saw a while back (around 6 months ago). It's a POV film whereby a T.V crew follow firefighters in real time to any emergency call that they get. When they arrive at a block of flats they find that the inhabitants of the block are infected with a virus and they are all trapped in the block by the authorities and have to deal with the virus as it spreads that turns people into violent inhabitants who bite their victims. Although it does borrow from films such as Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield it was still a decent film with menace and a chilling ending. So guess what? Barely a year after this it was remade for the American audience and pales in comparison. The original film worked on so many levels, that the remake missed completely. A big proportion of the original film was improvised with various scenes only known by the writers and directors so when they were employed, the reactions from the cast is genuine and feels more realistic. The cinematographer literally plays himself in the movie so the shots are organic and off the cuff and there is scant explanation as to why these things are happening which is a device that makes you ponder the film long after you have seen it. It is also shot on a low grade camera that is grainy and under lit that it feels as if you are really there. The remake seems to be shot on film so immediately the claustrophobic gritty vibe is lost and therefore everything seems staged and far less organic. The original ran at a taut running time of 78 mins whereas the remake adds over 10 minutes to shoehorn an explanation into the equation which lessens the films visceral power . The original was comprised of many first time actors which again heightens the sense of realism whereas the sequel (even though those involved are barely household names) has professional actors on the whole whose presence strips the film of it's base qualities. They also seem to be aware of the lines as the camera seems to anticipate their lines by a split second which is not apparent in the original. This softens the blow of their reactions and I just could not empathise with any character in the remake, yet in the original i felt their fear and terror and was with them every step of the way. I am not dissing a remake here for the sake of it either. If you can remake a film and build upon it and even improve it then I am all for it but alas it was a quick cash in that missed the plot entirely. Watch the original for sure. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”