REC 3: Genesis

REC 3: Génesis (stylised as [•REC]³: Génesis) is a 2012 Spanish horror film directed by Paco Plaza. This film is the third installment of the REC series.^[4] It is a parallel sequel to the first two films, taking place before, during and after the films. It was released in cinemas in Spain on 30 March 2012.^[5] with more international premiere dates that followed. The world premiere took place in Paris at the Grand Rex on 7 March, followed by midnight screenings at the South By Southwest Film Festival on 9 March. In the U.S., it was released via video on demand on 3 August and was released theatrically on 7 September 2012 in select cities. Sony Entertainment released the DVD on 6 November 2012.

It begins in the series' trademark found footage format but switches to traditional cinematography early on.

The film was followed by a fourth installment, REC 4: Apocalypse, in October 2014.

Plot

Koldo and Clara are about to celebrate their wedding day. The wedding is filmed by Koldo's cousin, Adrián, and their wedding photographer, Atun, plus footage cuts from other guests' mobile phones and cameras. The guests travel to the wedding reception, held in a huge mansion, on chartered coaches. Adrián films his uncle, who says he was bitten by a dog, but says he will be all right.

With the party in full swing, Adrián's uncle begins showing unusual symptoms such as vomiting. Adrián also captures people outside in hazmat suits, searching the area and a police car arriving. Adrián's uncle falls in full view of everyone. His wife approaches to help but he bites her neck, then vomits blood on another guest. More guests infected with the demonic virus burst onto the dance floor and begin attacking people. Amidst the chaos, Koldo and Clara are separated from each other. Koldo ends up with Adrián, Clara's sister Tita, Atun, and a guest named Mencu, who is nicknamed Royalties. Koldo asks Atun why is he still filming and destroys the camera. From then on, the film returns to a normal third-person cinematic view. The group tries the back exits but encounter more infected guests. CCTV footage shows the infected now roaming in the ballroom.

They discover they fit through the air-conditioning vents, apart from Atun due to his size, and head outside. Koldo is attacked by Paloma, the woman the Uncle vomited on. Adrián and the others help him kill her. Royalties tries to use the police car's radio to get help but is attacked. The sirens are set off, attracting the infected towards them. Adrián, Koldo, and Tita find refuge inside a chapel where other survivors have gathered. The survivors reveal infected cannot enter the chapel and that holy water hurts them. Clara's voice comes over the P.A. system and, knowing Koldo is listening, tells him she is all right and reveals she is pregnant, something she wanted to tell him earlier. Encouraged, Koldo suits up with a knight's armor to find her with the help of an employee, telling the other survivors to get the children to the charter coaches and escape.

In the mansion, Clara and the priest from the wedding ceremony are hiding in the control room. A horde of infected people begins trying to break into the room. The priest claims "it's too soon"; he refers to "Genesis" and talks about the nature of the demons reciting from the book of Jude. They escape through a window. Clara finds best man Rafa and Natalie, Clara's friend; they soon encounter more infected. In the mirror, the infected are shown as reflections of Tristana Medeiros. The priest holds them off by freezing them with prayer while the others escape. Koldo searches with the employee for the control room, but the man is then killed by the infected. Koldo then finds the control room and witnesses the deaths of Adrián and the survivors from the chapel as they are attacked by the infected during an attempt to escape by coach. In the background on the TV, a news report regarding the quarantine of an apartment block in central Barcelona is shown, revealing that the events of this film are happening concurrently with the events of the first and second film.

Clara, Rafa, and Natalie find "Sponge John", the children's entertainer, and they try to escape, but Natalie is attacked. Outside, Clara faces her infected mother. John shoots her, but later gets bitten as Rafa and Clara go underground into a tunnel. Clara refuses to leave without Koldo. Inside, Koldo turns up the volume on one of the songs on the dance floor, the song from the start of the film. Clara goes to find Koldo, as she sees this as a sign. She fights off a horde of infected, but Rafa is bitten. Clara decapitates him and flees from the infected. She and Koldo find their way back to each other at last. Their reunion is short-lived as a swarm of infected crash into the kitchen. When they began to think they will die, all of a sudden the infected all freeze as the priest recites Bible verses over the P.A. system.

As they go outside, they are attacked by Koldo's infected grandfather who, being deaf, cannot hear the priest. Clara is bitten and tells Koldo to cut her arm off before the infection consumes her. Koldo does so and they leave. However, when they reach the exit, they discover everything has been quarantined. Clara then vomits blood, showing that she is infected. Devastated, Koldo takes her outside where the police and a GEO team tell him to let her go. Clara and Koldo share a final kiss before Clara bites his tongue off and attacks the armed men, who shoot both of them down. In their final moments, Clara and Koldo hold each other's hands as they die of their wounds.

Cast

• Leticia Dolera as Clara
• Diego Martín as Koldo
• Ismael Martínez as Rafa
• Àlex Monner as Adrián
• Sr. B as Atun
• Emilio Mencheta as Tio Pepe Victor
• Javier Botet as Niña Medeiros
• Mireia Ros as Menchu
• Carla Nieto as Rebeca Viñas
• April jane Aningga as Wendy
• Blai Llopis as Quiquín

Production

The film began with the shooting on 4 April 2011 and ended on 20 May 2011. Post-production began on 23 May 2011. The shooting lasted for seven weeks in Barcelona. A teaser trailer premiered in September, while a theatrical trailer was released in December.

Reception

The film has received a broad range of reviews, mostly mixed to negative, due to the straying from the original two films' serious overtones.

Metacritic.com gave the film 45 out of 100 with mixed reviews based on 11 critics.^[6]

At the New York Post, writer V. A. Musetto said the film is enjoyable to watch, giving it 4 out of 5 stars^[7]

However, it received a negative review from Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez, who said that "if a fourth entry wasn't already in the works, [Rec] 3: Genesis could have easily represented the nail in the franchise's coffin."^[8]

Release

REC 3: Génesis was released on 30 March 2012 in Spain. It was released on DVD in August 2012. The US release date was 3 August 2012 via On Demand services with a 7 September 2012 theatrical release date that followed. It was released on DVD in the US on 6 November 2012.

Comic

A comic book compilation was released in 2012 to accompany the release of REC 3, titled REC: Historias Ineditas. The book presents five different story arcs set in the REC series, illustrated by five different artists.

1. The first, ENCERRADOS (Trapped) follows the Teenagers trapped in the Apartment, following Tito's possession. They're released and taunted by Tito. Before they can escape however, they are shot down by a new group of GEO's who have come to rescue Angela.
2. The second TRISTANA, provides the backstory for Tristana Medeiros, who becomes the possessed after being raped.
3. The Third, ZOOMBII, deals with an infected man making his way to a Zoo, where he infects the animals.
4. The fourth titled EL EXPERIMENTO (The Experiment), follows the priest, Padre Albelda, (the dead priest from the second film and the man heard on the voice recording at the end of the first installment) attempting to end the Medeiros Girl's life in the apartment.
5. The Final Arc follows the Infected Uncle from the third film and reveals what happened to Max (the infected dog from the first film).

Sequel

A fourth film was released, titled REC 4: Apocalypse, with Manuela Velasco reprising her role as Ángela Vidal, the reporter from the first two films. In an interview to Fangoria, Jaume Balagueró stated that the film doesn't have an apocalyptic style presumed by its title, saying that "all of the movies in the [REC] series have the same budget, so you’re not really going to see big scenes of Barcelona full of zombies; they’re just not intended that way. There has to be a story that’s controlled and strong". The film follows the events of the second film, and loses the "found-footage" style. Production began in 2013. At the 2012 Sitges Film Festival, it was announced the film would have its world premiere there in October 2013. An Announcement Trailer was released late November of the same year, confirming the return of Ángela Vidal.

However, on early May 2013, Balagueró, in an interview, revealed that the film's production had been delayed and the film would premiere sometime in mid-2014. A Teaser Poster and updated premise were released early May. Filming began early July 2013. In April 2014 a theatrical trailer was released and in late August 2014 the final trailer was released. The sequel was released on October 31, 2014.

References

External links

• Official website
• REC 3: Genesis on IMDb
• REC 3: Genesis at AllMovie
• REC 3: Genesis at Box Office Mojo
• REC 3: Genesis at Metacritic