What is the Spanish word for cash grab? You might not find it anywhere in [REC] 3: Genesis’ subtitles, but upon viewing you will learn what a cash grab smells like because this movie is as rank as spoiled tripe!

[REC] 3 tries to make you believe it is a direct sequel with its found-footage opening. However, that series defining style is quickly abandoned for a traditionally shot film. The movie is immediately made less interesting and becomes a run-of-the-mill zombie flick. The story barely even ties in with the previous films. If is wasn’t for the couple of nods that seemed thrown in last minute it would be a crime to even consider this a [REC] film.

After the switch to normal camerawork happens the acting becomes even more transparently awful, something that the first-person angle would help disguise at least partly. The two main characters (bride and groom) were my least favorite. When all hell breaks loose they snap their fingers and become badasses on the spot, especially the bride. The way they handle her character arc is so ham-fisted, as is most of the story.

Compared to the first two [REC] films, Genesis is laughably bad. There is nothing smart about it and it brings nothing new to the table. It is a sad walking cliche that doesn’t know right from wrong, very lazily trying to fool its audience. If the next installment is anything like [REC] 3 then I want nothing to do with it.

1 cobro de efectivo out of 5

★☆☆☆☆