Quarantine (2008)

Spoilers!

Oh snap!! This movie was insane. Let me explain. I have not seen trailers for this movie. I have not seen advertisements or posters for this movie. I have seen nothing about this movie. The only way I knew to go watch it and that it exists was through a request (keep on sending them). I guess I just live under a rock with nothing but a TV, a DVD player, and a stack of action movies because I missed all news about Quarantine.

I didn’t know what to expect and I think because of that, it was a very tense and scary movie to watch. I say that because I have heard that the trailers give away some key plot points of the movie that kind of ruins it for you. So beware of the trailers! Quarantine did have a slow start, but I guess not every movie can start like Rambo IV. Quarantine does eventually pick up the pace and has plenty of action to go round. The characters are quarantined in an apartment building filled with an ever-growing number of disease infected, zombie-ish people. In that situation, escape is so not an option. Trying to get away from the zombies when locked in an apartment building is like eating green bologna. You think you’ve made it out of the woods after a couple of hours, but as soon as you let your guard down it hits you. Then you’re cursing yourself for ever thinking you could sneak away without any trouble, all the while running like a madman for the nearest bathroom. Oh yeah, you know you’ve been there. The only thing about the action in Quarantine is that there is too much of people panicking and talking about what’s happening and not enough zombie action. It’s not until the end that we actually get some really tasty zombie action. However, I would like to give props to the actors for portraying the whole situation so accurately. Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) freaks out so much and so convincingly that it almost makes you run out of the theatre, pushing over any kids or old ladies that get in your way because you’re not about to be the last one left in there. It all comes together to make an enjoyable scary action movie for Halloween. Oh and by the way, as I am writing this review, a movie called Mulberry Street is coming on the Sci Fi channel about people in an apartment building all becoming infected with something. Hmmm, where have I heard of that plot before?

Time until zombie related action: ~ 20 minutes

Guys getting killed (Bad guys): The infected aka Zombies

Best Line: Right after one of the guys gets bitten, the vet treating his wounds is saying that any kind of medicine would be a great help. The opera instructor says that he has some Vicoden in his apartment. Then he says he has a lot of it. Then he says he has a whole stash of it. “I pretty much have a pharmacy upstairs… Wait, are you going to arrest me?” To this the officer says, “Sir, you are the least of my worries right now!”

Best Kill: Scott (Steve Harris), the camera man, and Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) go upstairs to investigate what’s happening. They suddenly get attacked by an infected person. No one has any kind of weapon on them… except Scott. He has the camera. He knocks the infected person onto the floor with the camera and then proceeds to beat the infected in the face until it dies. I would have to say this is the most unique method of killing a person I have ever seen. It was horrific and awesome all at the same time. I have to give an honorable mention best kill in this movie. Scott is upstairs before everything just mentioned happens. He sees a rat in a lady’s apartment and it charges towards him. Scott is backing up but the rat keeps coming, so he stomps on it with the heel of his shoe several times. It splatters the rat’s guts everywhere, through every orifice. It was so gruesome and so unexpected that I loved it.

Best Explosion: Sadly, this is where Quarantine is lacking. No explosions of any sort.

Best Narrow Escape: Toward the end of the movie when there are only three people left who are not infected, they are upstairs trying to find a safe place to be. A woman (Dania Ramirez), who I know as Maya from Heroes, attacks Angela. Angela falls on the ground and the infected is on top of her about to bite her when Scott comes to the rescue for the hundredth time. He and the fireman contain the woman and end up very calmly breaking her neck. The camera angle adds intensity to the whole ordeal and Angela gets away unbitten.

Rating: 3 squished rats, out of 5