Quarantine Review [2]

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 10.12.2008

A film that should have been quarantined for your movie-going protection

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle
Written by: John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle

Starring:
Jennifer Carpenter - Angela Vidal
Steve Harris - Scott Percival
Jay Hernandez - Jake
Johnathon Schaech - George Fletcher
Columbus Short - Danny Wilensky
Rade Serbedzija - Yuri Ivanov
Greg Germann - Laurence
Bernard White - Bernard
Dania Ramirez - Sadie
Marin Hinkle - Kathy
Joey King - Briana
Denis O'Hare - Randy
Jeannie Epper - Mrs. Espinoza



Running Time: 89
Rated R for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language.

The documentary style horror film is becoming a staple of cinemas. It was first brought to our attention in 1999 by the worldwide sensation that was The Blair Witch Project, which to this day is the most profitable film in cost-to-gross ratio by having raked in almost $8,000 for every dollar spent. The phenomenon was sure to spawn others who thought that the realism inherent in Blair Witch’s shaky handheld-camera style would make the horror more immediate for the viewers. And truth be told, it wasn’t the first—the first, arguably, would be 1980’s controversial and epically gory Cannibal Holocaust, which earned bans in several countries for its shocking levels of violence. Many films have followed, particularly recently, such as George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead, Cloverfield and, in 2007, a Spanish film entitled [REC]. Set inside an apartment building, the mockumentary of a news story gone horribly wrong was very well-received. Of course, that means it was only a matter of time until American audiences got a version, and now we have Quarantine.

The film begins with news reporter Angela Vidal (Carpenter) standing in front of a Los Angeles fire department as her camera man Scott (Harris) works from behind the camera. The two are shadowing a team of firefighters for the night as part of a human interest piece. Along the way, they meet their duo they’ll be shadowing—Jake (Hernandez), who seems to be a nice guy, and Fletcher (Schaech) who has no problem hitting on Angela and trying to make bets that he’ll score with her. After a tour of the facility and waiting around for something to happen, they finally get a call that takes them to an apartment building. A pair of police (Fiscella and Short) is there, and the group follows manager Yuri (Šerbedžija) up to an apartment where they find an old woman who seems sick. All hell quickly breaks loose, and the apartment complex is inexplicably sealed off by the CDC, with all forms of communication to the outside world shut off. As the virus, which a veterinarian tenant (Germann) likens to a exceptionally fast-acting rabies, spreads out of control through those trapped inside, they try to find answers and escape for their lives.

Quarantine is not the first horror mockumentary written by screenwriting brothers John Erick and Drew Dowdle—their first script, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, is set to be released next year. As such, the brothers might be expected to have a knack for this style. They frame the storyline around a fairly minimalist plot—there isn’t a lot of complexity to the story, and that’s fine because the point of the story is the here and now and the frights they can conjure up. The Dowldes, using the exact story and plot that [REC] used, are able to come up with some interesting moments in the script by using the first-person perspective, but they rely far too much on the gimmick and well-known horror tropes. Whether that is their fault or that of Jaume Balagueró, the writer/co-director of [REC], is dependent on the particular cliché—the idea of “the Virus” is one that’s been seen entirely too often in horror, and it combines with the now well-known handheld camera-style to make a very familiar-feeling movie. John Erick, also serving as director, does manage to pace the film quite nicely. The opening act is quiet and low-key, giving us an opportunity to learn about Angela, Scott, Jake and Fletcher and maybe start to care about them. Unfortunately there simply isn’t enough there to really care about—Angela is weak and wishy-washy, Scott is generic and Fletcher is more or less a one-note letch. Only Jake has enough about him to come across as truly likeable through the script. The rest of the characters are introduced in rapid-fire succession, and while a few stand out (mostly Danny the cop, Lawrence the veterinarian, Bernard the music teacher and Sadie his student/love interest), the rest are generic and interchangeable. By the time the movie hits the frenetic third act, it’s time to watch people die and prepare for one jump scare after another.

Some must also be said about the handheld camera style of the film. Anyone who got motion sick at Blair Witch or Cloverfield would do well to avoid this one, as Scott is perhaps the least steady cameraman known to man. The film shifts and tiwtches constantly, rarely staying steadily in one place for long. While the motion does create some interesting effects, including an impressive (and amusing) moment where the camera is used as a weapon, it's ultimately too much of a distraction to be considered a good choice. Just once, this reviewer would like to see a handheld camera horror film where the person behind the camera knows what "steady" means.

In terms of the scares, Dowdle does a tolerable job of creating several jump or cringe-worthy moments. Without a score to work off—a wise effort by Dowdle to enhance the realism—we’re left with only the visual cues to know when to anticipate being frightened, and it works vaguely in the movie’s favor. Still, many scares are telegraphed and seem sterile at times. The gore is certainly strong without being over-the-top; a scene where one of the infected gets up and wanders into view with a nasty compound fracture is likely to have audiences squirming in their seats, and the make-up department does a fine job of making the infected seem frighteningly grotesque. The only problem there lies with the script, as without the proper context the victims seem like zombies when in fact, as we eventually learn, they are something else. This misconception contributes to the “seen it before” feel, particularly for those who saw the superior Diary of the Dead. Of course, what contributes more to that feel is that we HAVE seen this before; at least, if you saw the trailer, which telegraphs most of the movie including, moronically, the ending. This leaves the audience just waiting for that moment by the end, which kills any fright the scene may have provided.

One of the biggest problems with Quarantine lies with its lead. Jennifer Carpenter is an engaging actress, as she’s proven playing Deborah Morgan in the excellent Showtime series Dexter. It is only by her charisma that Angela is likeable in the early moments; Carpenter has a goofy sort of insecure manner that makes her portrayals sympathetic. By the time things start to get hairy, Angela becomes unglued, and it only gets worse by Carpenter’s overacting. She turns Angela into a wildly screaming woman, an act which quickly grates on the nerves. When compared with modern horror heroines, who have seemed to develop a backbone, to say that Angela Vidal doesn’t stack up is a serious understatement. Jay Hernandez makes firefighter Jake a much stronger and likeable character, and it’s easy to enjoy watching him take as much of a command of the situation as he can. Bernard White and Dania Ramirez acquit themselves well as Bernard and Sadie, while Rade Šerbedžija is recognizable and solid as Yuri. Greg Germann holds his own for his limited screen time as Lawrence, and everyone else fades into the background as insignificant, including Jonathon Schaech who once again fails to make his character interesting, much as he did with the killer in the terrible Prom Night remake of this year.

How does the film compare to [REC], its source material? Not having seen it, I am not the best person to say. I do know that elements of the plot were changed, likely because the source of the virus in the original Spanish film would probably draw protests from certain groups. Standing on its own however, Quarantine is a film that manages to land squarely in the middle of the pack in terms of horror films, and at the bottom of the handheld camera mockumentary horror pack.

The 411: Full of jump scares and familiar horror tactics, Quarantine is not a movie that is innovative in any way. It's not supposed to be, of course, being a remake, and the Dowdle brothers do manage to create some legitimately eerie moments out of what they have. Unfortunately, the shaky camera scenes and the annoyingly overdone screaming performance by Jennifer Carpenter adds to the familiar cliches to create a film that, while scary at times, leaves the audience wanting more. While Quarantine tries hard, it ultimately fails to deliver, and is a forgettable entry into this subgenre of horror.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]