In the beginning
ACKNOWLEDGING the once-novel found-footage style of its terrifying predecessors, [REC]3:Genesis begins with a fake DVD menu, then cuts to a 20-minute prologue in the form of handheld footage covering the wedding of its two leads, Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martı´n). Director Paco Plaza manages to get in a few meta-gags about camcorder footage being ‘‘unwatchable’’, as well as ominous business involving an uncle bitten by a stray dog, before the zombie mayhem erupts and the film switches to a traditional style.
But the change in format erodes much of the gravitas and the remaining hour plays out as a lighthearted comedy.