One of the many good reasons to keep a diary is that you can relive a fragment of your past emotion on any given day. Like today. Reading what I wrote after watching [●REC] gives me chill. I did not remember that the first episode was that scary. Comparatively speaking, the sequel is less scary, the camera still shakes but not that much, and for sure, my face did not turn pale and my hands did not turn cold after watching [●REC]², alone.
When I watched [●REC] one and a half years ago, I have just started learning Spanish. Just completed the first 10 lessons as my online diary says (another good reason to keep a diary – for future reference). Back then, I could only recognize a very few basic Spanish words spoken on screen. Now that I am three months short of reaching a two years of Spanish learning journey, I could recognize a few more words when watching [●REC]². The feeling is exhilarating as I have a low expectation on what I can gain from this linguistic journey. Language, is not my strength. A few more words and phrases I can make out? I am happy. Happy to see progress.
Perhaps this time I am smarter. I chosen a seat not too close to the screen. The camera still shakes, but it was not as bad. Perhaps the camera did not shake as bad to start with. This sequel starts from where the previous episode has left off. Instead of a team of firemen and a TV presenter, we have the SWAT team and a health officer entering the same building to investigate the situation. First episode is rich in suspense while in this episode, more focus is on the story development. After all, the audience more or less knows what is going to happen, when and where the abomination is going to jump at the team.
While I would not necessarily classified this as a true horror – no one jumped or screamed inside the theater, fans of [●REC] should not give this a miss. The way the story is told is different. Timeline is shifted back and fro and the focus of the group gets alternated as well. More than one camera is used to tell the story. And there are some nice twists to the overarching story too.
For sure, there will be a third episode. And I am waiting with anticipation.