Quarantine

Name: Quarantine
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: October 10, 2008
Duration: 89 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Columbus Short, Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris

2008

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 141 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	Your Score
5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 141 Ratings

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QUARANTINE

Movie Details & Credits

Screen Gems | Release Date: October 10, 2008

Starring: Columbus Short, Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris

Summary: Television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartmentTelevision reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew’s videotape. (Sony Pictures)… Expand

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 89 min

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Awards & Rankings

65	#65 Most Discussed Movie of 2008

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Entertainment Weekly - Clark Collis

Quarantine director John Erick Dowdle and co-writing brother Drew wisely stick close to the told-from-the-cameraman's point-of-view template of the terrific original, though they add a few fine flourishes. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine - Jeremy Wheeler

Claustrophobic, jittery at times, and electric in pace, Quarantine is a stripped-down bloody thrill ride that -- while certainly not catering to everyone's tastes -- should satisfy gore-hounds looking to step up their theatrical horror cuisine beyond the usual creepy little kid rehashes. Read full review

L.A. Weekly - Jim Ridley

It's a shame that this English-language cover of an excellent Spanish shocker will eclipse the original, at least in U.S. theaters -- but even those who despise remakes will have to admit that director John Erick Dowdle's furious retread is scary as hell. Read full review

The A.V. Club - Nathan Rabin

Dowdle manages a few nice shocks and some neat moments of pitch-black gallows humor, but Quarantine nevertheless feels awfully familiar, and it grows less convincing with each passing moment. At its worst, it abandons realism entirely and flirts with gory kitsch. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Frank Scheck

Oh, "Blair Witch," what hath thou wrought? It has taken less than a decade, but the concept of horror films filmed documentary-style has officially become a tiresome cliche. Read full review

Variety - Joe Leydon

A modestly inventive, sporadically exciting thriller that nonetheless proves too faithful to its central conceit for its own good. Read full review

Boston Globe - Michael Hardy

Like "Blair Witch," Quarantine uses the conceit of a movie-within-a-movie to give documentary immediacy to its assorted grotesqueries. Read full review

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User Reviews

Lovejoy

May 14, 2013

''this was a great film i was quite suprised its amazing whatyou can do with just a camera and thats it lol
the infected were scary the acting was great overall i was impressed.

''crafty unpredictible and visionary

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JacobS.

Oct 6, 2008

Freakin' amazing!

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Meth-dude

Oct 2, 2016

The acting was great, the visuals were good and the movie was entertaining. Sure, Rec was still better but, it's still a rather good movie and a good remake.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChadS.

Oct 11, 2008

Inscribed onto the black asphalt in elongated white lettering, all in caps, is the traffic safety term "XING", a warning served to motorists about an upcoming crosswalk; "XING", as in crossing, pedestrians are crossing. The fire truck whooshes over the marking, over the "XING", en route to Inscribed onto the black asphalt in elongated white lettering, all in caps, is the traffic safety term "XING", a warning served to motorists about an upcoming crosswalk; "XING", as in crossing, pedestrians are crossing. The fire truck whooshes over the marking, over the "XING", en route to an apartment complex where the 911 call was dispatched to a brigade of firemen, who were in the midst of being profiled by a flirtatious news reporter named Angela Vidal. For sure, she's no Christine Amanpour, this one. Even as a cub reporter specializing in special interest stories, the journalist need not remit herself from performing her duty with some semblance of professionalism. At one point, she asks, "Do firefighters still slide down poles?" It's no wonder that the men don't take her position as a media type seriously, and worse yet, neither does she. When Angela overhears a candid remark on a fireman's mic about the plans he has for her, she seems more flattered than offended. At ground zero, at the scene of the quarantine, however, Angela gets her big break, a chance to prove her mettle as a hard-hitting reporter who can exhibit grace under pressure during a crisis. Alas, she's no Kimberly Wells(Jane Fonda) either, the special interest reporter in James Bridges' "The China Syndrome", whose story on energy production in nuclear power plants turns into an investigative report on public safety. At the outset, Angela talks a big game, instructing her cameraman to "film it all", but the pandemonium is too much for her. Angela is speechless, when it matters the most, whereas Kimberly delivered, and in doing so, "The China Syndrome" made its case for female journalists like Amanpour, and others just like her. (Wait! She has no peer.) "Quarantine" is indeed, an update of "The China Syndrome". The allusion to the 1979 thriller is made when that firetruck traverses over the "XING". "Xing" is a Chinese girl's name, meaning "apricot".… Expand

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RyanS

Mar 13, 2009

Another Blair Witch clone. Has a few creepy moments. A slightly different take on zombies.

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DardoS

Oct 11, 2008

There is a HUUUUUUGE problem with this movie. Actually, the problem is not the movie. The problem is that "Quarantine" is a REMAKE. It is not an update of who-knows-what-film and definitely the only thing in common with The Blair Witch Project is the camera in hand thing. This is a REMAKE!, There is a HUUUUUUGE problem with this movie. Actually, the problem is not the movie. The problem is that "Quarantine" is a REMAKE. It is not an update of who-knows-what-film and definitely the only thing in common with The Blair Witch Project is the camera in hand thing. This is a REMAKE!, and as usually happens, it's crap. It's years light from the original one, the Spanish REC. If you want a comparison, this is Hollowood screwing it up again, like they did with Vanila Sky.… Expand

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KelseyP

Oct 12, 2008

I was going to give the Movie a 1 however the creators of the movie must of given out free homes to the people that freely handed the movie a 10 and I feel I have to balance the score so that no one will wander into this horrible movie unsuspectingly. Given that the movie had a pretty good I was going to give the Movie a 1 however the creators of the movie must of given out free homes to the people that freely handed the movie a 10 and I feel I have to balance the score so that no one will wander into this horrible movie unsuspectingly. Given that the movie had a pretty good idea for a plot the rest went to s***. I would like to say I saw the whole movie and that I could give you a full review of every scene but I spent nearly 20 minutes of the tragedy puking out the contents of my stomach. The "cloverfeild/blairwitch" camera work took my equilibrium on a hell of a rollercoaster and by the end of the movie my anger and rage at wasting money on such a movie was quelled by the need to overmedicate and sleep the rest of the day away. I wish that critics would stop praising this use of camera. It's terrible and looks as if pulled off by a highschool filming club. If I wanted to spend my day throwing up I'd eat gresy foods and ride spinning rides at the carnival. At least carnies are scarrier than this movie. I was proud of the movie for letting us know what was happening and where the disease came from (screw you Cloverfield) however I was urked by the character portrayal of the firemen and the cops. An average citizen may not know it but officers in a unit aren't just going to cut off all communications to the rest of the guys in the building. It's absurd that they would try to run a CDC operation without some sort of open communications with the officers in the building! There are so many other things wrong with this movie but my head and stomach STILL hurts from the awful camera shaking. All in all just save your gas money and don't go see it. It seriously isn't worth your time.… Expand

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