Quarantine

Before I begin, yes I know this is the Americanized version of REC, and no I have not watched REC or REC 2 yet. No I do not care about how they are the superior flicks. I will get into why below, but when I watch those flicks I will review them on their own merit as well.

Quarantine (2008)

As far as americanized remakes go, there are generally two forms of thought. One is that anything Americanized is a bastardization of the "original" making the efforts of whomever made the remakes rendered totally immaterial. OR one can appreciate both sets of films for what they are and what they strive to do.

Again, I have not seen REC, so I cannot comment, but as a standalone film, Quarantine is a pretty decent flick. It's scary, it's atmospheric and has a straight forward story that can be enjoyed on multiple viewings. A better comparison would be how this film holds up to other films of the "shaky-cam" genre such as Blair Witch, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and so on. Of all those films, the only one I did not overly enjoy, despite wanting to, was Paranormal Activity. I mean, if you are going to use the shaky-cam and try and tell a tale, it is best to explain right away why you have the characters doing what they do. In Blair Witch, they were making a documentary. In Cloverfield, they poignantly were self-aware and how in this digital age, SOMEONE needed to have the story told. In Quarantine, it was a reporter/camera man doing a special on firemen, when the crap hits the fan, the camera becomes a light source for which they use to navigate around them.

So onto the review. Plot synopsis, a reporter (Jennifer Carpenter of DEXTER fame) is a reporter in the vein of special reports and such. Obviously marginal, she and her lone cameraman are doing some coverage about a local firehouse. There we meet some bucket-heads, and before long, we are pulled along to a call out to a slum-style apartment building that has folks from all walks of life among it's tenancy. A few character actors met along the way and long before 28 days transpire, a rabies-like virus is swiftly infecting any and all of the residents with reckless abandon. The CDC swoops in and quarantines the building not letting anyone in or out and it becomes a race against time and the virus for our heroine to find a way out of the building.

The good: Jennifer Carpenter, it was a welcome change from her foul-mouthed Debra Morgan character on Dexter. Seeing her play a normal person in an abnormal situation, she was never annoying and audiences are able to invest in her character. Speaking of characters, the whirlwind story introduces many, but it's a testament to the film that the audience is able to follow along easily and adeptly despite the shaky-cam.

The bad: It is short. It is a quick little tale and given the subject matter, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Final Verdict: The film is definitely enjoyable. It very well may pale in comparison to the original but that shouldn't negate the effort that went into this flick. If you like scary movies, instead of watching some ridiculous slasher flick, rent this one and enjoy a good bowl of popcorn. Zombie enthusiasts should definitely give it a chance.

Add to the vault: I will wait to see REC before any conclusion here is made. With the fanaticism of film geeks, this is an affront to even review Quarantine, but if REC is that much more superior, I may let Quarantine go as just an enjoyable flick on the telly when it comes on.