Rec 2 (2009)

Back in 2007 when the cinema verité style of filmmaking was still reasonably fresh, writer/director Jaume Balagueró released his Spanish language horror film effort to huge critical acclaim. It was an excellent film in every way with many truly frightening scenes. Fast forward a few years and we are treated to the inevitable sequel that was hugely anticipated by the fans of the original. Suffice to say it’s a huge disappointment that seems to have forgotten the elements that made the original so popular.

The sequel picks up exactly where the original film ended but this time the action follows a team of Spanish police as they are tasked with entering the building to escort in a medical officer and to search for survivors. They are almost immediately set upon by the infected inhabitants leading the loss of one of the team. After pressing the medical officer for answers it seems as if things are not as they seem and the cause of the infection is much more sinister than a simple infection.

The actual story behind the action of Rec 2 is very good as it ends up going in a completely unexpected direction. There is a much more complex film with many more plot points than the original that even brings in a supernatural element to the story. The problem lies with the films execution; to put it bluntly it plays out more like an action computer game than a film. Gone are frightening scenes of the original that have been replaced by countless action scenes that simply don’t work and are almost incomprehensible at times due to the overuse of shaky cam. The camera point of view shifts at various times from soldier to soldier which almost feels as if you are changing character in a first person shooter game. I really can’t stress enough how similar this looks to the countless zombie games that are flooding the market. Balagueró has actually managed to come up an interesting back story for the infection and if he focused on the slow building tension and scare tactics of the original then this sequel would have been every bit as good as the original. The final twenty minutes are excellent as the plot unfolds without the silly action scenes. Sadly it’s not enough though and we end up with a severely inferior sequel despite the good ideas.

Rec 2 is a huge disappointment that ends up feeling like you are watching someone play a computer game. It’s unfortunate as it has an interesting back story and some nice ideas but suffers from its execution. More of an action film than a horror; this comes no where near to matching the quality of the original.

4/10

Tron Legacy (2010)

Tron Legacy (2010) IMDB Link

We have had to wait 28 years for the sequel to Disney’s 1982 film Tron but in this case it is completely understandable why. Although the idea behind the original Tron was a good one, the effects available at time just couldn’t match the director’s ambitious ideas. That certainly isn’t the case now and we finally have the film that original tried so hard to be.

The plot picks up 27 years after the original with Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin from the original, stumbling upon his father’s creation after a mysterious page is sent from his father’s old arcade. Sam ends being sucked into the same digital world that his father both created and ended up being trapped in. He is forced to undertake a variety of games before eventually finding his father and along with a unique digital creation born inside the world, must fight against another of his father’s creations that has turned bad and is determined to escape to the real world and force his own unique version of perfection onto us all.

The standout feature of Tron are the effects, they really are excellent. The digital world is wonderfully brought to the screen with an array of different colours and stunning visuals. Even if you have no interest in the actual plotline, the film is worth watching for the effects alone. As for the actual story, it’s solid enough and remains interesting throughout without ever being anything special. The action scenes are excellently done and provide great entertainment but the midsection is surprisingly devoid of action and really slows the pace of the film down. It picks up again in the third act but unfortunately the ending is your typical Hollywood cliché that you will see coming a mile away. The acting is solid throughout, even if Jeff Bridges is playing a lesser version of The Dude. The CGI version of Bridges as Clu looks very strange and doesn’t quite work although it’s a minor gripe.

Tron legacy is a solid sequel to the ambitious 1982 original that provides excellent effects throughout, some solid action scenes and a decent story. It’s certainly nothing special but as popcorn films go you could do much worse than give this a look.

7/10