Quarantine (2008)

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I'm not usually a fan of Found Footage films, not since The Blair Witch Projects which was mostly good due to its introduction of this then groundbreaking sub-genre. I've only recently started trying some films of this sort due to running out of other Netflix options... That being said, I found Quarantine to be very, very good, especially as it succeeds in being scary and frightening and not just startling (there are some jump scares, but they are far from being the main fear factor). I honestly didn't expect it to be so good, so pleasant surprise there!The story is okay, nice at best. Jennifer Carpenter (you know, Dexter's sister) plays the role of a television show host preparing a piece about a night in the lives of LA's fire department. Once they follow the firemen on a seemingly routine call and enter the building - all hell breaks loose. The most impressive aspect of the film is by far the acting, as all characters succeed at being authentic and realistic. In some other similar films character behavior feels forced and deliberate, in an attempt to stir the plot at the necessary direction. Thankfully, not here.However, two things alone bothered me about Quarantine. First, at times the characters make mistakes that are too stupid to be real, like warning each other not to do something and then doing it five seconds later. I realize they are supposed to be panicked and in fear for their lives, but this (unlike most of the film) felt unauthentic and plain dumb. Second, while Carpenter's acting is right on the spot, it appears she was instructed to be overly hysteric at times. Honestly, after 10 full minutes of her screaming, crying and behaving like a child, I as a viewer wished someone would simply smack her. Again, I realize the incentive for the character's behavior, but it simply got really, really annoying and made it hard to focus on what was actually happening.All in all, I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. It feels real and human, making the audience constantly afraid and uncertain while posing some interesting questions of morals and ethics. As one who isn't usually a fan of such films I can honestly say I'd recommend it to others like me, meaning those of you who do usually enjoy Found Footage should really like it.

Cub TV reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott Percival (Steve Harris) follow a group of firefighters for the night. Jake (Jay Hernandez) and George Fletcher (Johnathon Schaech) take them on a tour of the fire house. They are called to help an old lady. She attacks the cops and all hell breaks loose. The doors are locked and the apartment building is quarantined.This is the American remake of REC. It has the 1st person POV of Percival recording everything on his camera. It works for the first half or so but I struggle with it more and more. There are two things about the camera work that always annoy me with this type of work. The fact that the camera always catches the action is a big concession. The other problem is the shaky cam. This is more problematic than most because Percival is suppose to be a professional. The camera work in this one actually annoyed me. The acting is fine but there is slightly too much screaming and arguing.

I don't really get the negativity about this film. It's probably due to the fact it's a remake of a foreign horror which to some appears to be a complete no no. I have seen REC and for me they are pretty much the same however I enjoyed this film more. For anyone who hasn't seen the original and who likes horror then this should hit the mark.There are a few negatives, the start is pretty slow and the acting isn't brilliant. However once the action starts (pretty early on) it's pretty relentless and never less than totally entertaining. It has all the elements of a good horror, gore, tension and a feeling of dread topped off by a good ending. For me this is one of the better straightforward modern horrors. If you can forgive the fact it's a Hollywood remake then you should enjoy it.

OK, this movie starts off like it was "fun". There is no anticipation of any terrifying stuff. I cannot believe how quick the events unfolded. But the tension started building up the moment the police with the reporters and firemen opened that door with the old lady. The characters played their roles well. It was expected that the characters would end up dying as the film progresses, but I did not expect the terrifying near-end and ending, which overshadows the horror of even the Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. One cannot stand but ponder on the pitiful situation the female reporter was in. A really good horror movie.