Customer Reviews

Carriers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Brian and Danny grew up as two brothers who were relatively close to one another. They cherish the memories they have of Turtle Beach, a beach their family vacationed to every summer. The abandoned motel in Turtle Beach may be their best bet of surviving the highly contagious disease that now plagues the entire country and possibly the world. Not much is known about the virus other than the victims coughing up blood and bleeding from the ears as their condition worsens. Brian actually came up with a few rules that will hopefully get him, his girlfriend Bobby, his brother Danny, and Danny's friend Kate through this disease ridden world to Turtle Beach clean. The rules include avoiding the infected at all costs, disinfecting anything they've touched in the past 24 hours, and that the infected are already dead as there is no cure. You may survive if you stick to the rules, but actually abiding by them is an entirely different story.

Right off the bat, people are probably going to compare Carriers to Zombieland because of the rules. Carriers was released a full month before Zombieland, but Paramount Vantage folded upon its initial release causing its wide release to be an extremely limited one at the last minute (I think it wound up playing at only two theaters in the country). Expectations rise unintentionally in situations such as this. "This is that horror film that was practically shelved earlier this year and is finally being released." The result is a horror film that is well worth watching, but may not be entirely what you're expecting.

Carriers is more about establishing an atmosphere than anything else. Everything is abandoned and rightfully so as most people were picked off handfuls at a time by this pandemic. The entire film is more like the first half hour of 28 Days Later where Jim wakes up in an abandoned hospital and realizes how empty the streets of London are. There aren't masses of the infected running around lusting for brains or wanting to tear humans apart in Carriers. The story follows these four friends as they journey across the country to this supposed sanctuary where they hope to tough it out until this disease runs its course. Carriers is more of a slow burn as things turn from bad to worse very slowly and snowball as the film goes on.

Chris Pine is really the drawing factor of the film. His role as Brian is kind of like a more intense version of his role as Kirk in Star Trek from earlier this year. Brian comes off as an inconsiderate prick the first half of the film and seems to only do things that benefit himself. The second half is where his character gets interesting though. The speech he gives Danny about their parents and telling Danny that he only told him what he wanted to hear is the turning point for Brian. Chris Pine shines as things begin to roll downhill for Brian as his emotions take center stage and his true demeanor is revealed.

Everything else in the film pretty much feels like routine manuevers when it comes to films revolving around viral outbreaks as some main characters contract the disease, they resort to drastic measures to survive, and begin to question their humanity along the way. The most disappointing part of the film is the ending as things just seem to kind of stop without much of a resolution. It seems like films like this either end this way or have a really depressing ending and that's its biggest flaw. Movie buffs who have seen films concerning pandemics already have a rough idea of how the film is going to end and it's about time to mix that up a bit. There's got to be a decent way to end the film that offers something a bit different that could wrap everything up until that point, but also leave enough room open for a sequel if need be.

Carriers may be a bit slow at first and doesn't really offer anything you probably haven't seen before in a film like this, but is still worth seeing for Chris Pine's performance. It's kind of a more serious take on Zombieland without actual zombies running or stumbling around with an atmosphere similar to the one established in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. If you're a fan of films involving a virus that has wiped out most of the human population, then this is still worth a watch.

I just heard about this movie and since I'm a fan of viral movies and/or Chris Pine, I checked it out! Basic premise is that four travelers are attempting to hit a possibly safe/tucked away location from the lead character's childhood - all the while trying to steer clear of infected people. Naturally, this proves hard to do.

One of the things you notice about this film is that the cast is very strong and very believeable. These are just regular people who are just trying to survive as society completely disintegrates and the rules change. The director made smart choices in my opinion with no few special effects - and thus making the film simply more realistic, barren, and terrifying. The film raises the question of what would you do if faced with the same situation? And it does make you think.

Choices and rules are difficult and they have to be. Chris Pine is very strong in the lead role and it's a great change from his role as Jim Kirk. He still is very charming at times but also reveals he can go the distance emotionally.

This is one of the better movies I've seen of this genre in a long time and it's completely worth your time. Seriously.

Trouble in paradise: Two young couples in a car on the way to the beach, in jolly mood and all seems shipshape.
Then you realize, they are just whistling in the dark. Humanity is being eradicated by a deadly virus. The 4 people are running away through the desert to an empty beach on the West Coast in the futile hope to escape it...
Of course they run into logistical trouble: gasoline runs out and can be had only through complicated social acts like carjacking and murder. They have defined rules: if one falls ill, he will be left behind. The sick are dead.
Of course this will be one of the drivers of the conflicts.
This film is unusually smart for the genre. It stays on the small scale and shies away from murderous zombie hordes. It ends in a dead end, predictably, and no answers are given.
For the 'end of the world' and 'zombie' genre fans: an outstanding contribution to the available stock of movies.

First, this kind of genre (world falling apart) is my favorite. I eat these movies up like a zombie, which this movie didn't have any of.

I only heard of this movie yesterday so I rented it. Everything is solid, story, acting, etc. It gets 4 stars because it doesn't really add anything that we haven't seen in various other movies, not really, although it is a bit darker I will say. In fact, yes, it is sadder than most other movies like this.

Without giving anything away I have to say that the movie is not uplifting. This is why my wife didn't like when we got to the end.

Carriers follows a small group of youngsters as they tear through the American Southwest in search of refuge from a particularly virulent global pandemic. It eschews much in the way of an exploration of the condition that has decimated humanity, simply sketching out the scenario as background to the smaller scale human drama at its heart. The four leads are all excellent--notably Chris Pine who plays Brian with much of the same bravado that he brought to the young Kirk in what was to be his next role--which is just as well given this is mostly a character piece. As such it plays out its themes of compassion, euthanasia, responsibility and coming-of-age and explores just what kinds of actions and decisions it might take to survive in a post-apocalyptic society in which all the comforts and niceties of day-to-day life as we know it have gone to hell. It's this approach to the drama and its unyielding execution that sets the movie apart from its otherwise familiar set-up of the road trip in flight from the end of the world, and as such makes it a worthwhile watch.

--Adam Chamberlain
Revelation Magazine

I've been looking at this movie for awhile but didn't watch it because I was worried it would be extremely cheesy, and most "horror/virus" movies aren't my cup of tea. My fears were thankfully unfounded. I enjoyed it. This is not a happy movie, and it isn't spectacular or anything, but it is a good one.

More like 2 3/4 stars really

The plot - It's dooms day or pretty close. For this is a contagious virus end-of-the-world-zombie-movie with no zombies. The suspense of zombie attacks has been replaced by the danger that one might at any moment catch a pretty bad virus and die a slow excruciating death. We, for the most part, are subjected to watching the antics of four incredibly, irresponsible, stupid and cantankerous protagonists. The only suspense comes from waiting to see which one of these very deserving folks will be the next to catch the disease due to multitude of dumb actions. This is pretty much the entire film.

This a good looking film and the director Alex Pastor can tell a story (in an annoying sort of way) and he keep things moving along (in an annoying sort of way). The film really does not look bad and even has a professional look and feel for a low budget indie horror film. There is a bit of cleverness here and there. I particular liked the opening sequence where the sky does a flip from the seashore to a desert road.

The actors (although no standout performances)are not without talent - as I do not believe it is the actors' faults that they are so very annoying - I believe the actors are for the most instructed to play a bunch of irritating dopes...that are...well...irritating. And they do it very well.

For example: the four actors are required to behave on one hand like four people who's goal is do everything they can to survive and reach a safe destination and on the other hand behave like four drunks at a New Years Eve office party. Ahh...that is one of the many rubs. For these two behaviors are a contradiction and watching these folks act out this contradiction gets on your nerves very fast. This also creates a big plot hole as you begin realize that there is no way that these jackasses could have survived as long as they have with their ludicrous behavior and minimal safety precautions.

Now for the next problem...how to say this without spoilers. There is an awful lot of things that make no logistical or logical sense or are completely implausible. There is also to many contrived dangerous situations which were obviously filler in order to pad out a very thin plot. The diving board scene for one - the breaking into a boarded up house for another. Climb on the roof? when the flimsy wood could have been easily removed from the front door and windows. OK, you'll know it when you see it. There is also the fact that this disease is so damn contagious but the cheapest Lowe's dust mask and little Clorox is all you need for protection. Doesn't sound so bad to me.

The final problem - while I'm at it - is the ending - this is dark pessimistic movie - so if you going to do a dark pessimistic movie - you might as well go for a pay-off with a nice dark pessimistic twisty ending. (Check out the film Shuttle for dark pessimistic twisty ending...or maybe better not) Anyway, I was really hopping for a knock-your-sox-off dark ending but instead the film peters out blandly with one of the characters (who we don't care about) waxing nostalgic in a long over dub.

OK I said allot of negative stuff about the film (did I mention that it kind of gave me headache?) But if you like dooms day films, with a professional look, that are sometimes clever, with a little gore, and a Dawn of the Dead feel - then Carriers is not too bad. Carriers can't hold a candle to 28 Days or The Dawn of the Dead films or either one The Crazies films but its light years better then that ludicrous Ebola film with Dustin Hoffman. Whats it called? oh yeah, Outbreak.

In CARRIERS, a viral infection has destroyed all of mankind, leaving only a few survivors to fend for themselves as they attempt to find a safe haven free from contagion. Fear and paranoia set in as a group of four find out that their precautions have failed and one of them has contracted the deadly disease, putting the others in immediate danger. CARRIERS does an amazing job at conveying a post-apocalyptic wasteland on a very modest budget. The ravished streets and empty buildings give a true sense of devastation on a grand scale. Each of the actors put forth strong performances as they balance the lighter moments in the script with the psychological struggles later on. What makes the film the most difficult to watch are the scenes involving the infected children, where the adults that are conscious of the terminal effects of the disease must make heartbreaking decisions in order to end their suffering. Unlike in 28 DAYS LATER, the infected only pose a risk of contamination rather than creating bloodthirsty monsters, which forces the plot to rely on the darker aspects of humanity to drive the tension and suspense. The biggest complaint would have to be the overall lack of direction or purpose that the film presents, along with its down ending. CARRIERS comes from the same line of paranoid cinema as its Independent brethren BUG and RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR, and makes for another solid entry in the Post-Apocalyptic sub-genre.

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

"Carriers" is not really a good title for this movie, because even though one look at the DVD cover makes it clear this is not about World War II flattops, you still do not get a real sense what this 2009 film is about. Once again most everybody in the world is dead and the focus is not on latter-day Thyphoid Marys but rather a quartet of survivors who are trying to make it from New Mexico to Texas to get to the beach. In that regard it is similar to "The Road," which I just happened to watch last week, but without the landscape being totally decimated and scavengers having already picked everything clean. Packed into car are Brian Green (Chris Pine) and his brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), along with Brian's girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) and a classmate of Danny's, Kate (Emily VanCamp). Thoughts of being the next Adam and Eve have not popped up yet, and at this point the goal is survive and reach their destination, although it is just the beachhouse were the boys were happy as kids and not a true place of possible salvation. But when Brian ennunciates the five rules by which he insists they live, everybody who has ever seen "Gremlins" or any of the hundreds of other films that takes as its dramatic impeteus the dictum that rules exist to be broken, knows what is going to happen between now and the end of the movie.

Written and directed by the Pastor brothers Alex and David, this movie is the series of encounters that the four have with other people. Danny is the sort who things that human beings should look out for each other, but whereas he was to believe the glass is half full, brother Brian knows that proverbial glass is not just empty but broken beyond possible repair. But Brian is such a disagreeable person that it is hard to take his pragmatic perspective, even though you know he is right (plus, there is the sense that it is the times that have tried Brian's soul and that he was not always this way). Then again, kind-hearted Danny is not going to survive if he does not get a serious attitude adjustment. To further complicate things, each brother is paired up with the wrong woman, because Bobby is the compassionate one and Kate the one who is deadly serious about the rules. Something has to give between here and the Texas coast. The most ironic line in the film is also the grimmest, when Bobby tells Brian, "I think we need to start seeing other people." Tell me about it.

"Carriers" belongs in the viral pandemic sub-genre of post-apocalyptic films, which puts it in the tradition of Stephen King's "The Stand," and which also makes it a relatively rare exception these days to the zombie movies from "Night of the Living Dead" to "Zombieland" currently dominating end-of-the-world films. With these latter films switching to postmodern zombies that are now quick and dead (e.g., "28 Days Later)," it is actually nice to get back to something relatively "normal" for the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. Ultiamtely, that is the main attraction for me in this film, because I like to be able to rumminate about what the hell would I do in such a situation, and I would rather deal with the problems presented by simple survival and debating the attempt to rekindle the spark of human kindness in others than having to contend with a geometrically progressing horde of speed racing evil dead. The performances are decent enough, especially Perabo, and the majority of characters the quartet encounter on their journey come across as real human beings and not the psychopaths that usually populate such films. The result is not great, but these days a solid movie comes across as being pretty good given the competition.

This was a well done post-apocalyptic film about a small group of virus survivors and their interactions with a limited number of other survivors. The production values were high and the acting at the very least, good enough. The story was good too, albeit one that has been played out numerous times in what are probably better films. However, the movie is certainly worth a watch if you're a fan of this genre. Just be aware this is not an uplifting movie; there are far too many humanistic reflections for this to be a fun/lighthearted movie. Not that that's a bad thing, just be aware before you make your rent/buy decision.