Quarantine(2008)

This documentary-style film is a remake of a Spanish film called REC(2007). It stars Jennifer Carpenter and Jay Hernandez. This movie is a rare thing- a remake that is actually quite good.

















If you have seen REC, then you will know all about it. But, for those who haven't, I will go through the plot. Angela Vidal(Jennifer Carpenter) is a reporter doing a story on firefighters in LA. Her camera man is Scott(Steve Harris). They are going to be following two firefighters for the night- Fletcher(Johnathan Schaech) and Jake(Jay Hernandez). There is an emergency and the firefighters have to go on a job. The reporter goes along with them. They come to a building and an old man who manages the building tells them that there is woman in her apartment screaming and he is worried. The firemen and camera go into the woman's apartment and find her acting very strangely. She has blood on her and she is foaming at the mouth. She bites a cop in the neck and they have to pull her off him while they take the cop away for medical attention.

There is consternation as the other residents of the building are wondering what is happening. Suddenly, Fletcher falls from upstairs onto the floor down below, breaking his leg. Lawrence, a vet has to try and help the injured. They begin to realise that they cannot get out of the building and that there is a lock down on the place. They can't use their phones or talk to anybody outside. They are told that they cannot come out. Jake thinks that it is because of something chemical or biological that is dangerous and that they are in quarantine. Everybody from the building is rounded up and told to stay in the lobby. Another woman, Elise, is infected too. Angela and Scott talk to the residents and generally annoy the cops and the other people. Meanwhile, the virus spreads and more and more of the residents fall victim to it. The vet thinks that it is some form of rabies and they find out that it started with a dog who was taken to vet with a sickness which turned out to be rabies. The dog belonged to a resident of the building.

















Men from the disease control come in and take samples, but one of them is attacked. All hell breaks loose and everyone is bitten bar the reporter and her camera man. They are told of a way out underneath the building before the building manager is killed. They enter his apartment to find keys to the door that will let them out but they discover an attic. Of course, they can't resist going up there and they discover an infected man up there. They have to turn on the night vision on the camera and Angela has to hide with Scott. But, Scott gets attacked by the infected man and he is eaten. Angela is left on her own and she tries to escape, but the man gets her in the end, dragging her into his lair for dinner....

I enjoyed this movie and I think that it equals the original. I liked the premise and there were some good shocks. I really think that is very entertaining and the end part is the best. I am going to give it a 7/10.