Seen on: October 10, 2008

The players: Director: John Erick Dowdle, Writers: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Cast: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Harris

Facts of interest: Based on the Spanish original flick "[Rec]."

The plot: An infamous anti-American documentary filmmaker is visited by three ghosts who show him why there's no room for too much liberalism in the United States.

Our thoughts: Hollywood’s latest remake of a foreign film is “Quarantine,” based on Jaume Balagueró’s acclaimed Spanish flick “[Rec].” I haven’t seen the original yet and can’t comment on how similar the two movies are, but looking solely at the new version, I have to admit I’m decently surprised by the result.

That said, “Quarantine” is certainly not a fantastic or a flawless effort. I found some things in the film to be quite annoying, and it is definitely not as captivating as other recent movies of the same genre. Then again, it’s an overall entertaining feature, and it does occasionally get your heart racing through a couple of fast-paced scenes.  

Jennifer Carpenter stars as Angela, an enthusiastic television reporter who’s supposed to document a night shift at a local fire department. Along with her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris), she pretty much goes wherever the firefighters go. It all starts off quite smoothly, until a mysterious 911 call takes them to an old apartment building downtown.

Just a couple of minutes later, Angela finds herself locked up in the building with a team of rescue workers and a dozen panicking residents. Shortly after, the CDC shows up to quarantine the place and threaten to kill anybody who attempts to exit the building. While all this is happening, the people inside quickly start to realize what they’re really up against: a bunch of aggressive, flesh-eating humans.

As the trailer already indicated, “Quarantine” is shot using one hand-held camera a la “Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield,” showing audiences only what the cameraman records in the film. His is the only camera angle we get to see. This technique is obviously very effective in creating a chaotic and more claustrophobic atmosphere, providing the script doesn’t become too monotonous too fast.

“Quarantine” is obviously a pointless flick, but so was “Cloverfield.” The main story line and the few attempts to build relationships between the characters have no importance here, primarily because this kind of film solely focuses on creating an intense atmosphere and pull audiences into an incredibly dark environment for 90 minutes.

But how intense is this remake? Starting incredibly slow while Angela shows her audience around the firehouse, the plot eventually picks up some speed when the action shifts to the quarantined building. From here on, all we get to see is people screaming and running around the house until no one is left alive. Is this particularly interesting? No. Is it entertaining enough? Yes.

The camera obviously has to shake a lot for this particular concept to work, but what annoyed me is that they definitely overdid it this time. Most of the time you really almost don’t get to see what happens, and that certainly keeps the action from remaining compelling until the end. Worse however is Carpenter’s constant, hysterical screaming, which, considering the behavior of other characters around her, is barely realistic.

Freaky quote: “Tape everything!" – Jennifer Carpenter

The final word: If you enjoyed “Cloverfield” because of the way it is filmed and how it built up passable suspense, you should have no trouble enjoying “Quarantine.” They story may be less exciting this time, but the darkness of the creepy setting and Dowdle’s mostly efficient direction keep the pacing at a decent enough level. Surprises or memorable moments, however, remain scarce throughout.