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Quarantine

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Quarantine (2008)

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Reviews Counted:76

Fresh:45

Rotten:31

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Quarantine uses effective atmosphere and consistent scares to stand above the crop of recent horror films.

Australian Rating: MA15+ [See Full Rating] Strong horror violence

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Australian Theatrical Release:
Nov 27, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $31,691,811

Synopsis: A faithful adaptation of the 2007 Spanish film REC, QUARANTINE chronicles the outbreak of a rabies-like disease in a Los Angeles apartment building and the struggle of the unaffected residents to... A faithful adaptation of the 2007 Spanish film REC, QUARANTINE chronicles the outbreak of a rabies-like disease in a Los Angeles apartment building and the struggle of the unaffected residents to stay alive after the authorities trap them inside in an effort to contain it. Equal parts BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and 28 DAYS LATER, the film is presented through the eye of a video camera, putting the audience in the middle of the action and creating a heightened level of intensity and realism. Television reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman, Scott (Steve Harris), are covering the goings-on at a firehouse for a program about night shift workers. As she clowns around with two flirty firemen (Jonathan Schaech and Jay Hernandez), an alarm sounds, and a truck is dispatched--with Angela and Scott on board---to an apartment building where an old woman has seemingly lost her mind. The woman bites one of the firemen and is soon killed, but when more tenants turn up with the same disorder, it's clear that a chain reaction is occurring. Unfortunately for Angela and the rest of the uninfected residents, the authorities have quarantined the building---but she and Scott continue to document the tragic and terrifying events inside the building as those inside are one by one transformed into bloodthirsty monsters. Director John Eric Dowdle, whose film THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES also used a pseudo-documentary approach in detailing the crimes of a serial killer, creates a sustained level of chaos and fear that will have all but the most seasoned horror fan cowering in the corner. Though the shaky camerawork may be difficult to take for those prone to motion sickness, it--along with a complete absence of music--gives the film a startling realism and immediacy to accompany its stomach-churning descent into full-on hopelessness and dread. [More]

Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Greg Germann

Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Greg Germann, Steve Harris, Dania Ramirez, Rade Sherbedgia, Johnathon Schaech

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Director: John Erick Dowdle
Screenwriter: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee, Sergio Aguero
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Quarantine

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Rather too hysterical to be coherent, but it's still jittery and thoroughly unnerving

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/15/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Despite Quarantine's theft from nearly every film in the subgenre, there are parts of the film that just plain work, no matter how much it doesn't seem like they should.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
10/14/08
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Too much information in the trailer spoiled some of the suspense of the film

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment 8 Comments
10/14/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

There's never a dull moment in 'Quarantine.'

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment 2 Comments
10/14/08
Frank Wilkins
Frank Wilkins
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

When the month's horror options boil down to a modestly clever exercise like this or yet another Saw sequel, you know you could do worse.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
10/13/08
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

Quarantine feels awfully familiar, and it grows less convincing with each passing moment. At its worst, it abandons realism entirely and flirts with gory kitsch.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/13/08
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

Quarantine is based on the 2007 Spanish thriller [REC]. Like any imitation, the quality's not as good, but this is about cheap thrills, of which there are not enough.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
10/13/08
Tony Wong
Tony Wong
Toronto Star

Give Quarantine credit: Without resorting to computer-generated monsters or supernatural explanations, it uses consistent logic and confinement to find new ways of being scary.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment 2 Comments
10/13/08
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

Quarantine, yet another pseudo-documentary horror movie, delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
10/13/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I have seen many execrable films -- Plan 9 From Outer Space, Disaster Movie, Batman & Robin -- but never has a movie made me so physically ill.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 2 Comments
10/13/08
Michael Hardy
Michael Hardy
Boston Globe

Quarantine is the type of movie that is made to see in a theatre. The film is brutally realistic and shot in such a way that you feel like you are watching real footage.

Full Review Source: WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) | comment 1 Comment
10/12/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)

A vertiginous, nauseating, unscary mess of a film.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment 2 Comments
10/12/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

This isn't as good as CLOVERFIELD, but it does a pretty decent job at generating some thrills. Unfortunately, the movie is ruined by Carpenter's distractingly awful performance.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment 7 Comments
10/12/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

Underdeveloped and predictable, there is little compelling about the film other than the premise and a few of the kills.

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
10/11/08
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

In some ways 'Quarantine' is better than 'Rec,' not only xeroxing all its shocks but managing to add more.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
10/11/08
Lucius Gore
Lucius Gore
ESplatter

Grows increasingly repetitious and tedious as the same cinematic tricks are played over and over...the effect is suffocating rather than enjoyably spooky.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 3 Comments
10/11/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

The original Spanish thriller (REC) is no doubt better acted and executed, but considering the bad "prestige" movies recently it's hard to understand why Screen Gems decided not to press screen the cheap, quicky horror flick that delivers the basic goods

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
10/11/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Disregarding its Xeroxed pedigree, it's easily one of the best American horror films of the year.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 1 Comment
10/10/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

If a remake must be made in lieu of original thoughts and ideas, one could do far, far worse. Quarantine is the real deal--a primal, uncompromising vision of insanity run amok.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
10/10/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Quarantine fails to correct some of the problems evident in its predecessor while also incorporating a few defects of its own.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 1 Comment
10/10/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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