Quarantine Review [3]

Posted by Joseph Lee on 10.13.2008

What was that? I don't know, I can't see!



Starring:
Jennifer Carpenter as Angela Vidal
Steve Harris as Scott Percival
Jay Hernandez as Jake

Story: While on a field assignment shadowing a fire deparment, a newswoman and her cameraman go to an apartment building where they are locked in after an outbreak of rabies.

Fun Trivia: The film features no incidental music, being "scored" with sound effects

Quarantine comes on the heels of the very successful Cloverfield, which used a handheld camera feel in an approach to a monster movie. Diary of the Dead followed, and it seemed to have avoided all the flaws of Cloverfield and is currenly my pick for horror film of the year. Either way, I was still very excited for Quarantine. I love Jennifer Carpenter and the trailers were all very effective. I didn't mind the camera so much, as long as the people who made this movie learned from the mistakes of Cloverfield.

As a matter of fact, they didn't learn from those mistakes. My biggest complaint with this movie is the camera work. I know that it was intended to be shot with a handheld, and that's why it's the way it is. However, as Diary of the Dead proved, it's very possible to shoot a documentary style horror film and not make it almost impossible for the viewer to tell what's even happening. This movie does that. Common complaints of motion sickness were heard, and while it didn't reach that point for me, it was so frustrating to not be able to see anything that it affected the entire experience. I know the situation is one that the characters wouldn't think about proper camera use, but the filmmakers shouldn't have painted themselves into that corner to begin with.

That major complaint aside, Quarantine does work immediately by having characters you get to know and relate to very quickly. The casting department deserves a high five for the choices here. At the very beginning, as they await the call that changes their lives forever, Angela Vidal and her cameraman cut it up with the firemen, getting a tour of the facility, laughing and getting to know one another. In these moments we get to know them as well, which gives us some strong character development rather quickly. This is very effective in getting the audience emotionally invested in the characters for the terror that occurs later.

Jennifer Carpenter, who returns to horror films after being an unknown in the great Exorcism of Emily Rose and co-starring on Showtime's Dexter, plays Angela. She's very likable in the beginning, strong as the events start happening and then she gets hysterical. I've heard some complaints about her acting here, but I thought it was exactly what this movie needed. You cannot tell me there wouldn't be a woman in hysterics with the power out, the building locked and people with rabies running around. It makes perfect sense and I'm surprised horror movies don't use it more often.

Jay Hernandez is also here, playing a good-natured fireman. He also returns to horror after starring in Eli Roth's Hostel. I really liked his character as he is obviously disturbed by the events of the movie, but manages to hold it together when everyone else starts losing it. He also gets to use some physical force with a sledge hammer in scenes that I found to be quite awesome. We don't see much of Steve Harris, but as the support for Vidal he works. I just wish he held the camera better.

For all of you horror fans looking to get a scare and blood fix this year, Quarantine is definitely the place to get it. There are some scares here. While it does rely on "jump" scares often, there are some legitimate tension filled moments. The look of the infected is also unnerving (especially in night vision!) and there is plenty of blood and gore. Some of my favorite moments weren't even the big scares, but some of the smaller moments. I won't give any way but I will say that sometimes they were effective.

The 411: The horror season kicks off with a decent, but flawed effort in remaking the acclaimed Spanish film [REC]. Quarantine relies on strong performances and some genuine scares, but the camera work, going for a handheld approach, hurts the movie tremendously. It gets to the point that it's impossible to tell what's going on, and that makes Quarantine not as good as it probably could have been.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]