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MOVIE REVIEW

Quarantine

also known as “Quarantined,” “Rec,” “Cuarentena,” “Eristyksissä,” “Quarantena”
MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language.

Reviewed by: Ami Janel
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama
Length: 1 hr. 26 min.
Year of Release: 2008
USA Release: October 10, 2008 (wide—2,300 theaters)
DVD: February 17, 2009
Copyright, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Copyright, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Copyright, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures Copyright, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Screen Gems / Sony Pictures

Fear, Anxiety and Worry… What does the Bible say? Answer

Featuring Jennifer Carpenter
Dania Ramirez
Johnathon Schaech
Columbus Short
Stacy Chbosky
See all »
Director John Erick Dowdle — “Devil” (2010), “As Above, So Below” (2014)
Producer Andale Pictures, Screen Gems, Vertigo Entertainment, Sergio Aguero, Clint Culpepper, Doug Davison, Drew Dowdle, Carlos Fernández, Carlos Fernández, Julio Fernández, Julio Fernández, Glenn S. Gainor, Roy Lee, Nicolas Stern
Distributor Screen GemsScreen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment

“On March 11, 2008 the government sealed off an apartment complex in Los Angeles. The residents were never seen again. No details. No witnesses. No evidence. Until now.”

As someone who absolutely loves a good horror film, I thought “Quarantine” was a pretty good effort. “Quarantine” follows the same kind of cinematography as in earlier horror movies such as the “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield” in which the videotape is the only evidence left after the horrible events that occur in the movie.

The story follows reporter Angela Vidal and her cameraman, Scott, as they cover a night shift with two firemen at a Los Angeles fire station for a reality show about people who work while the rest of the world is at rest.

After an uneventful evening, a 911 call takes them to an apartment building downtown. Two police officers are already on the scene in response to screams coming from one of the apartments. Having stumbled onto a story, Angela and Scott are excited and are determined to get it all on tape. This was the part of the movie that was amateurish and boring, but it soon gets exciting.

As the police and firefighters, along with the reporter and cameraman, enter the apartment unit to investigate, they find an old woman in a nightgown, standing alone in the dark. She’s covered in blood and is acting strangely. When a policeman attempts to help her, she attacks him with her teeth. Those in the apartment help subdue the woman and try to get help for the injured policeman. They all find out, however, when they attempt to leave the building, that the CDC has quarantined the building. All have been sealed and are guarded by heavily armed men. All communications, including telephone, Internet, TV, and cell phone access, have been cut-off, and officials won’t give any explanation to those locked inside.

The residents quickly descend into panic and begin to look to each other for help. Suddenly, there’s another scream from above. In the lobby, where everyone is gathered, a body falls to the ground from the third floor. That’s when the gory attacks begin again, and when the chilling events unfold. I will not go into any more of the details of the plot, so as not to spoil the rest of the story. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the cameraman’s videotape.

Objectionable moral content

The first thing that bothered me were several lewd comments that the firefighters make about the attractive female reporter. Perhaps what bothered me more is that she really didn’t seem to mind any of the comments, which tells you the state of morality these days.

There are quite a few “F” words and “S” words. They are mostly uttered by the police officer and in distressing situations, however, that does not excuse the fact that they are used at all. The movie would be so good without these words.

The violence is quite graphic. There are countless scenes where human are attacking other humans violently with their hands and teeth. The movie is not for the squeamish. However, the story line prepares you for the violence.

I have to give the movie a morally very offensive rating because of the use of foul language and lewd comments. The violence actually is not gratuitous, in my opinion, and does go along with the story that is told.

I would recommend “Quarantine” to those who seriously like horror movies and to those who go into the film knowing what to expect.

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—Whew. Imagine “Cloverfield” amped up on 3 Monsters and some “Resident Evil”-esque unrelenting action thrown in for good measure. This movie is scary. (NOT FOR KIDS. Me and my buds both commented on the number of kids—tiny kids—dragged to this movie with mom and dad. Parents! Get a freakin’ head on your shoulders!)

My only beefs with it are the obligatory, utterly pointless long intro and the exponentially rapidly increasing transformations the infected go through—at first, very sloooow, and by the end, darn near instantaneous. The especially boisterous audience added to my experience, as did the BIG SCREEN. 'Twas free for me, so extra amazingness. Adding and subtracting, I give it a decent score.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jacob Keenum, age 22
Comments from young people
Positive—I could say a lot about this movie, but I'll be brief. It's a horror film that succeeds very well, but should be viewed by individuals 17 and up only. It has some disturbing violent content and moments of sporadic, tough language.

A good story, with material that is likely to sicken most viewers (though I am not one of them), that flies along at break-neck speed (after the slow introduction) and ends on a sudden and sad key. I recommend to die-hard horror fans, but probably not any girls--things get wet and spewing.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Ben Badger, age 17 (USA)
Negative—quarantine: This movie was not a bad horror movie but honestly they should have changed this a bit if you have seen this pick up a copy of REC (R) also it is basically and exact twin the only difference is brief nudity and a lot more language if you want a movie like this that is a lot more clean I suggest “Cloverfield” (PG-13)
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Jeff, age 17 (USA)