The moral of the story is, if anyone is sick around you get away from them even if you have to move.
(2007)
Directed By: Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza
The Prologue
You know, I was one of those people that actually saw Quarantine before I ever saw . Sure I knew it was a remake of this movie but at the time you couldn’t get a DVD of here in the states. As a result of this and the fact I was unaware that the movie was pretty much a shot for shot remake of , I enjoyed it.
But after finally getting to check out I just don’t know why they didn’t just release this one here and save a lot of time and money. While it’s hard to pick which is better between two movies that really are the same film I’ve found a few reasons I feel takes the cake as far as being better.
The Movie
The film follows a Spanish late-night television reporter,Ángela Vidal, through the lens of her cameraman, Pablo. During one report of the happenings in a local fire station in Barcelona, the duo follow a team of firefighters who get a call from an apartment building nearby about a trapped woman. When they arrive, they find the apartment’s residents huddled in the lobby. They go upstairs to find a woman who is obviously distressed. What follows is a night that none of them will ever forget.
I’ll start with probably one of the more shallow things I have ever said in a movie review but I for one enjoyed more so than I did Quarantine because for one, I think this Angela is better looking (sure some will disagree) and a better actress than the one we got in America. Sure they both get themselves in trouble in a way by pushing the story and both seem to crumble when the crap hits the fan but I believed Manuela Velasco more in the role as Angela when this all goes down, it just seemed more genuine.
Also if we are to believe this is all being done with a news camera thus giving us our ever so clever yet being used a lot now POV style movie, camera quality matches a lot better than most do or even the American version of this film does. I can buy it as being just a news camera lot more. That helps with the over all feel and even when things get hectic we stick with the more natural reaction without making anyone sick watching it with the shaky camera.
Also the run time for this one seems to be a lot shorter than the American one so we get right to the point here and we hammer it home with some graphic gore that would make even fans of Zombie movies happy as we see a neck bite that may be the best I’ve ever seen. It’s done way more real looking than the American one and it holds you in a lot better than the other version as well. So if you’ve just seem Quarantine sure you’ll know how everything goes but still it’s a lot better made and more frightening.
I think most have by now seen the ending to this movie but let me just say as sudden and weird as it is, it’s still chilling. And while some don’t like the ending I think it’s the best way they could have wrapped this up and I think (as simple as it is) it’s one of the best endings to a movie ever…Yes, I said ever.
The Conclusion
It’s easy to play off as just another POV movie if you forget that it was more of an originator than most. Sure it wasn’t the first of it’s kind but I think it’s one of the best of the style as it’s quality doesn’t just shine with those of the POV nature but of horror films and films in general.
If you’ve never seen then you owe it to yourself to check it out as soon as you can.
The Rating (8/10)
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