I'm not usually a fan of Found Footage films, not since The Blair Witch Projects which was mostly good due to its introduction of this then groundbreaking sub-genre. I've only recently started trying some films of this sort due to running out of other Netflix options... That being said, I found Quarantine to be very, very good, especially as it succeeds in being scary and frightening and not just startling (there are some jump scares, but they are far from being the main fear factor). I honestly didn't expect it to be so good, so pleasant surprise there!The story is okay, nice at best. Jennifer Carpenter (you know, Dexter's sister) plays the role of a television show host preparing a piece about a night in the lives of LA's fire department. Once they follow the firemen on a seemingly routine call and enter the building - all hell breaks loose. The most impressive aspect of the film is by far the acting, as all characters succeed at being authentic and realistic. In some other similar films character behavior feels forced and deliberate, in an attempt to stir the plot at the necessary direction. Thankfully, not here.However, two things alone bothered me about Quarantine. First, at times the characters make mistakes that are too stupid to be real, like warning each other not to do something and then doing it five seconds later. I realize they are supposed to be panicked and in fear for their lives, but this (unlike most of the film) felt unauthentic and plain dumb. Second, while Carpenter's acting is right on the spot, it appears she was instructed to be overly hysteric at times. Honestly, after 10 full minutes of her screaming, crying and behaving like a child, I as a viewer wished someone would simply smack her. Again, I realize the incentive for the character's behavior, but it simply got really, really annoying and made it hard to focus on what was actually happening.All in all, I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. It feels real and human, making the audience constantly afraid and uncertain while posing some interesting questions of morals and ethics. As one who isn't usually a fan of such films I can honestly say I'd recommend it to others like me, meaning those of you who do usually enjoy Found Footage should really like it.

Enter Quarantine, which shares the same name as an emerging style of genre – people become infected, and they are isolated from the rest of society. In the isolated sandbox the infected ravage each other and take out and/or infect any other survivors along the way. However, sometimes a movie comes along that breaks the trend; this is one such movie. The movie starts out as a reporter doing a journalist report surrounding the action at the fire department. The beginning is so misleading – it had me forgetting that this was a horror movie; it isn't until they are in an apartment and odd things start to happen between the residents that the movie reveals itself. The local government of the outside world isolates the building and misleads everyone into thinking all survivors have been evacuated. The movie has high tension as each character is picked off one by one; however, the characters are able bodied and are not afraid to attack the infected if they get too close. The movie also has a few shocking surprises that are completely unexpected. This movie is a recovered footage film in disguise; but it won't reveal this facet until much later. I highly recommend this movie.

Quarantine is a remake of the Spanish found-footage horror film, REC.REC was a fantastic horror film, and Quarantine is nothing more than an almost identical copy of it. It is apparent that the filmmakers had no artistic or creative agenda, and their sole intention was to make money. I find it baffling that this film was even made without loads of copyright issues. The film, in and of itself, is not awful, the camera-work and cinematography was very good, and the lack of music and long camera takes made for a very raw and realistic feel. However, neither of those things impressed me since they are merely a mimic of the original film. The performances and dialogue felt much more scripted and cliché, the blood/gore effects were bad, and possibly worst of all, the ending/climax of the movie was completely changed and made stupid and awful. The one thing that the Quarantine has to stand apart from it's source material is the ending, but the change was entirely for the worse. Overall, for someone who has never seen REC, Quarantine may seem okay, but for someone who has, it was maddeningly terrible.

There are two ways of looking at 'Quarantine.' The first is that it's actually the (Hollywood) remake of Spanish classic horror film 'REC.' If you've already seen REC then you probably don't need to see the remake. It doesn't bring anything new to the story and is – almost – a shot for shot remake, albeit in English without the subtitles.However, if you can't be bothered watching the Spanish film with English subtitles (and you're also a bit of a horror/zombie fan) then you may appreciate Quarantine. It's one of those 'found footage' films. This basically means that it's shot from point-of-view at all times, as we follow a reporter (Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter) as she reports on a fire crew who have been called in to investigate a building late at night. Of course things go horribly wrong when the Government seal off the building, trapping those left inside with a horde of ravenous zombies.The zombies are the 'modern' type – no George Romero 'shufflers' here. Instead, we have the type who run at you while screaming into the camera and doing their best to bite your head off.It's worth making mention of the film's set. It was a purpose-built apartment complex, made specially for the film. Therefore the cast can run pretty much where they like and you get a good sense of their claustrophobic environment. Plus, having a decent leading actress helps elevate Quarantine over the dozens of run-of-the-mill zombie/B-movies out there.With so many undead movies out there, it's difficult to get that excited over Quarantine. However, if you're not (also) totally sick of 'found footage' movies, haven't seen REC and feel like sitting through quite an intense little offering, then you might like to give this one a go.