RATING: 3/5
The first [REC] was an inventive and frightening horror movie, which was shot in first-person point-of-view. But it's sad to say that this much-anticipated sequel tries too hard to be ambitious while losing much of the first film's impact of suspense and element of surprises.
Sure, there are plenty of surprises here, particularly in the twist ending involving one crucial character. But the overall movie feels more like a typical Hollywood-style approach -- clever but showy three-act narrative thrust; showy gimmicks of SWAT team-camera angle, shoulder-mounted camera view and normal camcorder point-of-view; and cardboard characters.
The sequel's shifting tone from zombie genre to THE EXORCIST-like approach is quite refreshing mix of both if not overly-ambitious. There is an open-ending that leads to [REC] 3, and one might wonder if the gimmick can survive for the third time?
Only time will tell.