Review of film: “CARRIERS”

2010, 01-20:

Review of film:  “CARRIERS”

Director:

Àlex Pastor

David Pastor

Writer:

Àlex Pastor

David Pastor

Starring:

Lou Taylor Pucci

Chris Pine

Piper Perabo

Emily VanCamp

Christopher Meloni

Kiernan Shipka

Ron McClary

Mark Moses

Josh Berry

Tim Janis

Dale Malley

Dylan Kenin

LeAnne Lynch

Jan Cunningham

Mary Peterson

MPAA Rating:

PG-13 for violence, disturbing content and language. (edited for re-rating)

Quotes:

“Warm beer.  It tastes like piss.”

“They’ll die out there.”

“AVOID the infected at all costs.”

“God’s punishing my daughter?”

“It shouldn’t be a beautiful day.”

“Two strangers, with nothing left to say.”

MY Rating:

7 of 10 stars (for the 84-minute film as seen on DVD).

Will the “Hosts” be Accepted or Avoided?

…  One of the biggest hits in 2009 was the cleverly-done re-imagined “prequel” “STAR TREK”, with a breakout performance by CHRIS PINE as James Kirk.  One of the highly-anticipated films that year was “THE ROAD”, which didn’t do well with the public, supposedly in large part due to its slow-moving theme of traveling thru a destroyed world…

…  I decided to rent a film called “CARRIERS” that reportedly “COMBINED” some elements of a devastated world (ala “THE ROAD”) with another starring performance by Chris Pine…

…  Chris plays older brother Brian, who’s riding in a car with his girlfriend Kate (EMILY VANCAMP) and his younger brother Danny (LOU TAYLOR PUCCI) & girlfriend Bobby (PIPER PERABO)… 

…  The planet has been hit by a bunch of mysterious DISEASES, & the people often wear face masks to try to avoid breathing in micro-organisms from infected people called “CARRIERS” (who usually start bleeding thru their facial openings)…

…  It’s a DANGEROUS world, because they keep meeting people who LIE in order to try to get what they want, in the form of a “safer” location or passage to a place that might have some type of cure for the affliction…  As our group travels, they try to get gas from other people’s cars or to take their cars to continue their own journey…

…  Many moral dilemmas arise, since some people they meet seem to be really nice --  but possibly infected (which they usually try to keep HIDDEN)…  The brothers are often at ODDS about what to do, but “practical” Chris (being older & stronger) usually has the “upper-hand” in what they eventually decide to do as they move on…

…  In roving towards their eventual goal of reaching an ocean (-- which was a bit of a reminder of “THE BOOK OF ELI”-- ), they meet a tough-guy father named Frank (CHRISTOPHER MELONI) & his possibly-infected young daughter Jodie (KIERNAN SHIPKA), a preacher (RON MCCLARY), a doctor (MARK MOSES) who my have some “clue” about the disease, a group of survivalists (JOSH BERRY, TIM JANIS & DALE MALLEY), and others…

…  What will they do when one of the “Group of 4” in the main car seems to come DOWN with the disease?…  Will help be given when they find a woman who’s about to have a baby?…  What will happen if one of the BROTHERS has some problem with the effects of the disease?…   

…  There’s a modicum of “action” during their travels, and some good ACTING by the main leads…  But, ultimately, it’s an often-melancholy tale, more thought-provoking than “fulfilling”…

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