MovieChat Forums > [Rec] (2007) Discussion > [Spoilers] Something that eludes me

[Spoilers] Something that eludes me

posted 15 years ago by emptyspaces153
7 replies | jump to latest

Okay, this is obviously a movie that doesnt go very deeply into explanations or anything of the sort, except for that one scene at the end when you see the apartment, which made me think whoever lived there tipped off the CDC/whatever organizations kept them trapped in there. However, if it was just the little girl that was infected with "tonsilitis" (lol), and whoever it was she bit, why did they have to send the firefighters and Videl into the building in the first place?? There are many reasons they wouldnt want a REPORTER possibly blowing their cover, and there was no reason to send firefighters since they werent planning on saving anyone in the first place, and they were not infected. So why quarantine them? seems like a major plot hole to me. FYI, I havent seen REC2 in case they come up with an explanation there...

Sidenote: I actually enjoyed Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity alot more than this one because I found this movie to be a bit corny. Its attempt at being scary seem to rely mostly on the zombies popping out of nowhere and blood oozing everywhere. I liked it better when they didnt show the antagonist(s) like in the movies I mentioned. It gets too cheesy this way, its like a first person lower budget 28 days later. Not to say I didnt like REC at all... I did, but it WAS cheesy. I wish they left more to the imagination, and some twists would have helped

[–] thebleak 14 years ago

...why did they have to send the firefighters and Videl into the building in the first place??

If you recall, the old lady in the apartment was making loud noises and screaming, the neighbors called the firefighters for them to control the situation. Neither the firefighters nor the reporte knew of any infection when they received the call. The reporter was simply filming the firefighters going about their job for a show.

There are many reasons they wouldnt want a REPORTER possibly blowing their cover

For the firegihters there was no cover to blow. Neither for the policemen who were there, who also didn't know anything about an infection.

and there was no reason to send firefighters since they werent planning on saving anyone in the first place, and they were not infected. So why quarantine them? seems like a major plot hole to me.

No plot hole. You are assuming that the firefighters knew there was an infection right from the start, they did not. Try and see the begining of the movie again.

[–] Tw0-B1ts 14 years ago

The "Health Inspector" clarifies that they were alerted by the vet where the little girl's dog Max had been taken. They found that the dog was infected, and for that reason, quarantined the building the dog came from. I don't recall if they explain whether the girl infected the dog, or most likely, the dog infected the girl. At least 2 others were infected, and almost certainly not by the girl. It's possible that the dog was the first to be infected.

The girl originally bites her mother when she "turns," and a few others, but that's not very important to the logic of the story. I assume the voice on the tape is meant to belong to the person who owns the penthouse, and he was attempting to kill the girl who was originally infected, but failed?

The part that I get fuzzy on is where is the penthouse dude, who was in the attic, and how did the infection ever leave the penthouse? The one in the attic looks to be a young boy, and even if he's not, how did he get up there? While watching the movie, I thought perhaps the penthouse guy was experimenting (before we see the apartment) and maybe he targeted the dog intentionally at some point, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

On another note, I too enjoyed Blair Witch, but I hated Paranormal Activity. It was entirely too slow and I couldn't identify with the characters. Perhaps more importantly, I couldn't see myself IN the movie. I like to feel a part of the action, and that's what a movie like Rec did for me. I can immerse myself in the action, even if it is fairly mindless gratuitous gore. But it's not like a typical horror where they make loud noises and use suspenseful music to "trick" you into being scared when there's nothing yet to be scared of. The shocking scenes in Rec are the scenes in which the characters themselves are also shocked or terrified.

What I don't like about Rec is the same problem I had with Cloverfield. When you're in a life or death situation, put the bloody camera down! Otherwise, I hope you get killed!

[–] nannirk 14 years ago

Well, there was this Portuguese girl, and I believe that she was the zombie in the attic, who then came down through the hole.
Where the "penthouse dude" went, I don't know. I also don't know how a zombie is capable of leaving a hospital and going to Spain.
But here is the end of the official synopsis I found here on IMDB. It explains what I missed:

"They then search the penthouse, and discover that its former owner was an agent of the Vatican who was charged with researching and isolating a suspected virus believed to be the biological cause of demonic possession, which was later confirmed to exist in a young girl who was supposedly possessed. The agent kidnapped and brought the girl to the penthouse to conduct his research and to possibly cure her; unfortunately, during the work the virus managed to mutate and become contagious. A door to the attic opens, and Pablo uses his camera to look inside. Something jumps at the camera and breaks its light. Pablo turns on the night vision to see in the dark and discovers the sealed door referenced earlier by the priest on an audio tape. The agent abandoned his efforts to cure the girl after failing to engineer a vaccine and sealed her in the room before leaving the city for good. The girl, now a ghoulishly emaciated figure, begins searching the kitchen area, unaware of Ángela and Pablo's presence. Pablo tries to escape, but trips and is viciously attacked by the girl, making Pablo drop the camera. Ángela picks it up and runs, only to trip and drop the camera as well. She searches for it but is unable to find it. The camera continues to record as the screams of the infected girl are heard and Ángela is dragged into the darkness, screaming. "

[–] jmsessn 14 years ago

________________________________________________________________________________
When you're in a life or death situation, put the bloody camera down! Otherwise, I hope you get killed!
________________________________________________________________________________

if they put down the cam, then who is gonna shoot the movie and how are we supposed to watch it in the first place? :D hahahaha

..::.. jah dread ..::..

[–] NotUrBuddyGuy 14 years ago

Lol, yep.

Plus, at the beginning, they wanted to have video evidence of the police quarantining them with no explanation while the one cop and firefighter bleed to death.

But yeah, after a certain point, I would've been like "*beep* this *beep* and ditched the camera.

[–] sotoniko 14 years ago

after a while the lights went out though- so they kept the camera going for the light and then the nightvision through the camera when the light was broken

[–] NotUrBuddyGuy 14 years ago

Oh yeah, good point! But, in a panic, I personally would've chucked the camera while running for my life, then regret it later (like the final scene!). That's probably a clue as to how long I'd last during a zombie apocalypse.