71
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyShot in shaky handheld style, [REC] is a bit like George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead, but, you know, actually scary.
- 100Film ThreatFilm ThreatMasterpiece.
- Guaranteed to scare the pantalones off you.
- 88LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenIt’s the moral imperative of the found-footage formalism that sets REC apart, transforming Angela’s camera from a visceral instrument of voyeurism into a tragic, last-gasp tool of truth and justice.
- 80Time OutNigel FloydTime OutNigel FloydA brilliantly staged early scare signals that the safety rails are off and, despite an unexpected, last-minute swerve into the supernatural realm, the edge-of-the-seat tension is sustained to the very last second.
- 70Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesIf you can tolerate 79 minutes of joggling images you’ll probably find this entertaining, though writer-directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza overplay their hand with a late-breaking back story that rips off one movie too many.
- 60EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanEven thought it's the third such effort to employ handheld camera in a zombie flick, this has more than enough shocks to hold its own.
- 40The GuardianXan BrooksThe GuardianXan BrooksMidway through, the plot blows a gasket and the camerawork turns altogether crazed, joggling us about in the semi-darkness while the soundtrack rings to distorted screams. Expect pitch and yaw and lots of gore.
- 40VarietyAlissa SimonVarietyAlissa SimonLazily scripted, without even a pretense of character development or psychological depth, it offers nothing new for genre fans and no reason for mainstream auds to bite.