For a short while there the [Rec] series was really turning into something great. The first film wasn't breaking any new ground, but it was a pretty solid (and at times even scary) found footage pic. Then came the sequel, which in my opinion topped the original in many ways. Mostly the fact that they took the standard infection storyline and blended it with a supernatural/possession angle. I couldn't wait to see where the franchise would take us from that point. Unfortunately what started out as something seemingly fresh for the genre just ended up nothing more than just another run-of-the-mill infection flick.

The story takes place after the events of the last two films, where survivors of the apartment (Angela and a swat member) and an old lady from the wedding are both being quarantined and tested in some sort of ship that's out in the middle of the ocean. Apparently the ship also houses a lab where they're attempting to create a serum to stop the infection from spreading. As expected, "patient zero" escapes the lab and infects anyone that gets in its way, leaving (once again) only Angela and a few other crew members to fend off against the growing army of pissed off carnivorous assholes.

I was a little disappointed with the third installment being more of a spinoff than sequel, but it's still a superior effort than what we're given in this entry. Despite the subtitle, there's nothing Apocalyptic here, as the movie abandons the whole possession aspect and is essentially just the first film all over again, except taking place on a ship. In attempt to add a little suspense, they throw in a little paranoia among the survivors thanks to the fact that the "worm" that entered Angela may or may not be in another person now (*yawn*).

The found footage direction is also dropped entirely, which isn't a problem for me since I've grown tired of FF pics lately, but the film ignoring the supernatural/possession storyline is probably my biggest gripe. There's so much more that could've be done with that, yet for whatever reason the filmmakers decided to go for a more generic end to the series. On the plus side, we do get a decent amount of blood, but the movie itself is nowhere near as entertaining or gory as its predecessors. It's pretty clear here that Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza are better off as a team than split up, because both their solo efforts in the franchise are lacking in many ways.

If you were hoping this fourth installment would improve on its predecessors in any way then you'll be sorely disappointed, as this last entry turned out to be nothing more than your standard infection tale. Despite the subtitle don't expect anything "apocalyptic" either, as it's all taken place on a ship. If you're a huge fan of the series then you may wanna give this a look just to see how the survivors from the last two movies end up, but I'd avoid it otherwise.