Quarantine Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Quarantine Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't quarantine this disc from your Blu-ray player.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 16, 2009

The people trapped here, myself included, cant help but ask, 'why?'

Is Quarantine one of the most unoriginal films ever? Perhaps. On one hand, it's a remake of a foreign film; in this case, that film is the 2007 Spanish hit REC. On the other hand, the film follows in the footsteps of the American smash hit Cloverfield. Both films were shot entirely on video with a shaky, handheld, first-person perspective. That is, the cameraman both shoots and participates in the action, with the camera oftentimes rolling, swaying, shaking, falling, lying dormant, catching the action at cockeyed angles, and presenting audiences with either a novel, "street level" perspective on the action or a motion-sickness induced headache. Quarantine doesn't seem quite as extreme in its herky-jerky camera movements as Cloverfield, but it may have the same effect on audiences. From a cinematic perspective, Quarantine is a fun and bloody ride into chaos. It's far more limited in scope than Cloverfield, and never matches that film's intensity, but for what it is, it's a worthwhile experience for Horror fans.

You wouldn't want to get trapped in a quarantined building with your hair out of place, would you?

Los Angeles television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris, Minority Report) find themselves on assignment, documenting what they believe will be a routine night in the life of a group of Los Angeles firefighters. Their world is turned upside down when the station's engines respond to a call at an old apartment building. They discover an elderly resident foaming at the mouth and displaying aggressive tendencies, punctuated by an unprovoked attack on a police officer. When firefighter Jake (Jay Hernandez, Hostel) and police officer Danny Wilensky (Columbus Short, Cadillac Records) attempt to escort their fallen ally outside for medical treatment, they discover the building has been cordoned off; Internet, television, and telephone lines cut; and nobody is getting in or out. As the TV crew, police, firefighters, and panicked residents attempt to figure out what is going on and find a way out, they come face-to-face a deadly enemy, leaving them to fend off a savage and relentless foe.

After a rather dull set-up, Quarantine picks up a relentless pace and packs plenty of bloody action, thrills, and chills into its short 89 minute runtime. The film offers a little bit of everything, with emphasis on horror, gore, and mystery. Quarantine isn't really a completely blood-soaked affair, but there is plenty of it to be seen. It literally covers the camera in one particularly juicy scene, and the film offers several rather nasty wounds that reveal everything the minimal detail of the video camera allows, right down to the bone in one or two rather disturbing shots. Quarantine definitely relies on the story and the style in which it is presented to sell viewers on the experience, and it puts only secondary emphasis on the blood and guts. It seems the film has discovered a happy medium that allows the grisly violence to play into the story, to mesh with the series of events, and it never feels like the movie is an excuse for the prosthetics, make-up, and special effects departments to have a field day with the latest and greatest in gory visuals.

The story is punctuated by a series of fine performances that capture both the terror and the "real life" feel of the movie nicely. Jay Hernandez and Columbus Short are the two best the film has to offer. They each personify the "everyman" feel of the movie nicely. While both are in uniform and are expected to be the heroes by those around them, the pair demonstrate the frailty and fear of even those from whom the most is expected. They are the strongest characters in the film, and the most real; their training kicks in when the situation calls for it, but they also share a humanity and vulnerability that makes them readily identifiable, best captured by a scene featuring Short's character shooting an individual and subsequently seen questioning his decision and visibly shaking from the fear, confusion, doubt, and regret of having to perform his duty. Only the film's star, Jennifer Carpenter, fails to completely sell her character to audiences. She is, at first, terribly annoying as the female reporter in what is the equivalent of an all-boy's clubhouse. As the action progresses, the body count rises, the blood increases, the tension mounts, and situation becomes more hopeless, she blends in better and becomes a secondary character of sorts, playing second fiddle to the true star of the film, which is the camera, and by proxy, the audience. Quarantine does a fine job of tossing viewers into the midst of the tumult and making them believe they are struggling to survive while attempting to make sense of the confusion alongside the other characters. The movie captures the terror and uncertainty of both the situation and the jumble of strangers that find themselves at once both allied and at odds with one another. Quarantine may not be completely original, but it's good at what it does nonetheless.

Quarantine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony delivers Quarantine to Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. The film was shot on high definition video, and as was the case with Cloverfield and 28 Days Later, the image is less-than-spectacular in terms of visual pizzazz and high definition eye candy, and as such will find itself in the crossfire of those who deem the transfer "good" for replicating its intended look and those who find it unacceptable because it fails to deliver the same visual standards of something like Saawariya. Because the transfer does indeed replicate the director-intended look and feel of the picture, a look and feel that both adds to the tone of the film and helps create the sense of urgency and first-person perspective of the action, this review will judge it not against slicker, fancier transfers but simply based on its own merits as it reflects the natural appearance of the film. In the context of its intended look, Quarantine boasts a fine video transfer. The film features a drab look that doesn't allow what few bright colors there are to truly stand out, and it also obscures some finer details. It still allows some to shine through; the bright yellow L.A. firefighter's jackets stand out nicely against the numerous dark and black backdrops present in the film, and the outer brick façade or the tile flooring inside the fire station, for example, reveal acceptable levels of detail for this sort of transfer. Blacks are deep and dark, appearing true in most scenes, perhaps showing a hint of gray here and there, and most of the noticeable noise over the image occurs over the darkest corners of the screen. Some of the darkest recesses of the image seem to show some signs of blocking, but it's never a hindrance to the overall presentation. On the whole, Quarantine won't be a go-to demo disc on showroom floors, but it's another in a growing list of transfers that show off Blu-ray at its best, namely its ability to more faithfully replicate the intended look of a motion picture better than any format before it.

Quarantine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Quarantine sports a healthy and active Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio track is nice and robust, featuring both subtle and aggressive use of the entire soundstage that, like the video, never fails in placing the listener square in the middle of the action. Ambient sound is seemingly ever-present, and perhaps more than any other aspect of the soundtrack is its best asset. An early scene featuring a brief interview in the fire station's mess hall features the clanking of silverware and voices emanating from all over the room, offering an excellent example of the more subtle strengths of the track. Likewise, the sounds of a handball court reverberate throughout the soundstage; the squeaking of the tennis shoes and the thump of the ball off the racket and wall is another one of the more subtle examples of the track's ability to almost literally place listeners in the midst of any situation. The rumbling of an idle fire engine right before the firefighters roll towards the apartment building, followed by the ride over that offers screaming sirens and rattling gear is, again, fantastic. Once the action gets going, the track picks up in intensity and maintains the wonderful sense of immersion it hinted at in the early goings. Inside the building, ambient noise surrounds the listener; helicopters fly around the outside of the building on a regular basis, and a parade of sirens and motor vehicle traffic seems to surround the listener at every turn. The sounds of violence, the many screams in particular, are so convincing that they just might send a shiver up the spine. Dialogue reproduction is also uniformly fine, though not perfect. In the context of the movie, it's been recorded primarily from on-the-scene television broadcast microphones, and at times sounds muffled and faded, in stark contrast to the bass-heavy, impressive ambience of the rest of the track, which all sounds clear, sharp, and exciting. Still, Quarantine simply delivers a first-rate surround sound extravaganza.

Quarantine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Quarantine presents viewers with several supplemental features. A commentary track with Director John Erick Dowdle and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle is first. These participants discuss some running stylistic themes throughout the movie, the touches that lent realism to the picture, the quality of the acting, the strengths of various members of the crew, the differences between working on smaller pictures and Quarantine, and plenty more. This is an above-average track that delivers an almost nonstop flow of information. Locked In: The Making of 'Quarantine' (480p, 10:05) is a brief and fluffy piece featuring the cast and crew discussing the look of the film, the plot, the challenges of acting in this sort of film, the difficulties of shooting on video, and several other odds and ends. Dressing the Infected: Robert Hall's Make-up Design (480p, 7:29) examines the film's grisly special effects. Anatomy of a Stunt (480p, 3:23) takes a short look at some of the stunt work in the film. Also included are 1080p trailers (except where otherwise noted) for Passengers, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Vacancy 2: The First Cut (480p) Lakeview Terrace, Pineapple Express, and Hancock. Finally, this disc is BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) enabled. Users will find Sony's standard page, with trailers, a FAQ, and more.

Quarantine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As the credits roll, audiences familiar with Cloverfield will inevitably begin to draw comparisons between the two films, centered on the eerily similar styles the two share. It's hard to shake the notion that Quarantine is nothing but a "wannabe" film trying to capitalize on the success of 2007's smash hit monster movie, and combined with the fact that it's a remake of a recent foreign film, the deck seems stacked against it. Nevertheless, Quarantine manages to carve out a nice little existence despite its questionable origins. It's an entertaining, fast-paced, and violent romp through a night of seclusion, confusion, and horror. The film features good acting, a strong atmosphere, and just the right amount of gore and exposition. The film's final shot is a little too clichéd, but it's effective nonetheless. Sony's Blu-ray release of Quarantine is solid, but not exceptional. The video quality faithfully duplicates the intended look of the film, the lossless audio track is fantastic, and the disc sports a few bonus materials. Quarantine is easily recommended as a rental, and at the right price, a purchase for Horror fans.