22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far better than the previews would lead you to believe., June 22, 2009
Quarantine is a much better movie than its previews would lead you to believe. Previews make it look like people are trapped in an old building with zombies running amok in it. Maybe they came up from the sewers.
In fact it follows a reality TV reporter who is following an LA fire crew on calls. They go to a building when neighbors have reported screams coming from the apartment of an old lady. What follows is the outbreak of a savage, mind destroying disease where tenants and first responders find them sealed in with those already infected, by the CDC.
Like Cloverfield and Blair Witch, the film is shot from the single camera view of the reality reporter's camera man. Unlike those films the camera work is clean and does not distract the viewer. Watch the long shot when a call comes as the camera man has to follow the reporter down a hall, a flight of stairs and into a truck and realize it was all done in one take without cuts. The first 20 minutes of the film are the `reality show' walking around the fire house, talking to members of the fire crew and setting the stage by letting you meet the key players in the film. This is clearly the set up but it doesn't feel stilted. You don't feel like saying `get on with it" because you care about the characters. Carpenter, as the on air talent is likeable and believable, going from bubbly on air talent, to real reporter as things turn serious to scared human as she realizes just how deep in they are. And she takes the viewer with her.
Previews make this look like just another zombie film. There are certainly elements of that in Quarantine but for the genre it is so much better than much of the competition. They even have an explanation, scary in how reasonable it is, for what is happening. Is it "Sound of Music?" of course not. It is a horror film, but one in which the director has taken a lot of care to make the whole thing frighteningly possible.
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29 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quarantine is a [rec], October 15, 2008
I apologize for the pun above...I couldn't resist, mostly because it's true on both accounts. Firstly, a brief history lesson. Last year, a Spanish film called [rec] came out to much acclaim in Spain. It quickly traveled most of the Western world, building fans and kudos while systematically scaring the wits out of 99% of people who saw it. Since then, it's been out everywehre in the Western world in either theatres or on DVD.
Everywhere except the United States.
Here, we have Hollywood with the mentality of, "why bring over a perfectly terrifying film when we can remake it in our own language." Consequently, we still don't have [rec] here. But we do have Quarantine. Having seen [rec] and hearing that Quarantine was practically a frame-by-frame remake in some ways, I was curious to see how it'd hold up.
Things began well, with a nice set up that involved some good banter back and forth. The trip to the apartment complex and the realization that something horrible is happening works well. Sure, some scenes have been changed for added gore/shock value, but overall it was a good, if needless, remake. Unfortunately, what I like to call the "Marilyn Burns Effect" happens and ruins the last 1/3 of the movie. Horror aficionados will remember Marilyn as the actress in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While many hold this film in high regards (and rightly so), Marilyn spends the last 10-20 minutes of the movie running, arms flailing and screaming her head off. Today, reviewing that film, it comes across more humorous than scary.
And unfortunately, that's what happens in Quarantine. Towards the end, you just want to reach through the screen and slap the main character. I could go into a deep discussion of female hysteria in film, especially as it relates to needing a man to calm her down (usually with a slap to the face), but I won't. Needless to say, that stereotype continues in this film, complete with an unsuccessful talking down by her male camera person, and it turns into a self-parody.
I usually enjoy Jennifer Carpenter; I liked her in the Exorcism of Emily Rose and the few episodes I've seen of Dexter, but she just ruins any thrills in the last third of Quarantine. This probably won't surprise anyone, but Quarantine felt like a "hipper," "more stylized" version of [rec], minus the themes introduced at the end and without any creativity. Don't get me wrong, Quarantine isn't a horrible film. It does have a couple decent scares. The problem is that whatever it can do, [rec] can do better. The fear in [rec] is palpable simply because it is simplistic in its presentation. It's a much scarier film. [rec] is, in fact, on my short list of films that have scared me. Quarantine just doesn't cut it. My recommendation is let your wallet do the talking and skip Quarantine for the much superior and terrifying [rec].
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reality TV..., March 19, 2009
A Los Angeles reporter (Jennifer Carpenter) and her trusty cameraman do an on-site interview w/ the fire department that goes from routine banter to terrifying fight for survival. Carpenter is especially well-suited for her role as perky TV personalty-turned shattered victim of chaotic disaster. She carries a large chunk of the movie. The camerawork goes from controlled to frantic to insane! The horror builds slowly, allowing us to have some fun and get to know the characters (a bit) before plunging us into increasing anarchy. There are some memorable, heart-freezing moments in QUARANTINE that stick w/ me, like the old lady, the little girl, and that firefighter w/ the broken leg! Brrrr! Enjoy...
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