Despite its premise, "Carriers" is not a zombie movie (there is a hint that this may be a possible outcome of the unspecified disease, but it's quickly dropped). It's not even a horror movie. There are a few tense moments, but overall, the film is a tragedy.
Four young people are traveling together after most of humanity is wiped out after an unexplained outbreak of a fatal, and highly contagious disease: Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), a would-be Yale student, if it weren't for the epidemic, his brother Brian (Chris Pine), who's a self-proclaimed jerk, Brian's girlfriend, Bobby (Piper Perabo), and another friend, Kate (Emily VanCamp). They're all trying to get to the beach where Danny and Brian vacationed together as kids. To do that, they're following three of Brian's rules: The infected are already dead, and they can't be helped. Always wear a mask around the infected. Wipe anything down that the infected have touched within the last 24 hours.
"Carriers" is interesting because it explores something that movies of this ilk leave as an afterthought: how would you function when society has completely vanished? No government, no jobs, no politics? The only rule here is to survive at any cost. It's an interesting question, and film-making brothers Alex and David Pastor pose a few interesting conclusions.
The acting is solid, although the characters are only as interesting as the actors who play them. Chris Pine is making a name for himself as the guy who's a complete dick on the surface, but with a heart underneath. Think the beginning of his performance in "Star Trek" taken to the next level. Lou Taylor Pucci, who burst onto the indie film circuit with his performance in "Thumbsucker" (unseen by me), is also good as the brother who is straddling the line between compassion and selfish survival. Piper Pearabo is good as Bobby, whose compassion for others can get her into trouble. Unfortunately, Emily VanCamp, who was terrific in "Black Irish," doesn't have much to do. Special note has to go to Christopher Meloni, who manages to tug the heart as the father of a sick little girl, and his daughter is adorable as well.
The problem with this film is I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the little things that people would do without any rules. The film is a very short 87 minutes, so it had some time to spare. This would allow for some character development, which would make this a lot more effective.
It's a movie to watch if it's on TV, or if you're interested in exploring a situation, not a zombie movie.
Four young people are traveling together after most of humanity is wiped out after an unexplained outbreak of a fatal, and highly contagious disease: Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), a would-be Yale student, if it weren't for the epidemic, his brother Brian (Chris Pine), who's a self-proclaimed jerk, Brian's girlfriend, Bobby (Piper Perabo), and another friend, Kate (Emily VanCamp). They're all trying to get to the beach where Danny and Brian vacationed together as kids. To do that, they're following three of Brian's rules: The infected are already dead, and they can't be helped. Always wear a mask around the infected. Wipe anything down that the infected have touched within the last 24 hours.
"Carriers" is interesting because it explores something that movies of this ilk leave as an afterthought: how would you function when society has completely vanished? No government, no jobs, no politics? The only rule here is to survive at any cost. It's an interesting question, and film-making brothers Alex and David Pastor pose a few interesting conclusions.
The acting is solid, although the characters are only as interesting as the actors who play them. Chris Pine is making a name for himself as the guy who's a complete dick on the surface, but with a heart underneath. Think the beginning of his performance in "Star Trek" taken to the next level. Lou Taylor Pucci, who burst onto the indie film circuit with his performance in "Thumbsucker" (unseen by me), is also good as the brother who is straddling the line between compassion and selfish survival. Piper Pearabo is good as Bobby, whose compassion for others can get her into trouble. Unfortunately, Emily VanCamp, who was terrific in "Black Irish," doesn't have much to do. Special note has to go to Christopher Meloni, who manages to tug the heart as the father of a sick little girl, and his daughter is adorable as well.
The problem with this film is I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the little things that people would do without any rules. The film is a very short 87 minutes, so it had some time to spare. This would allow for some character development, which would make this a lot more effective.
It's a movie to watch if it's on TV, or if you're interested in exploring a situation, not a zombie movie.