QuarantineMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Quarantine."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 53 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 not for kids
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly |

    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

  • 75
    TV Guide |

    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

  • 70
    L.A. Weekly |

    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

  • 60
    The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

    The template is familiar, but Quarantine delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks. Read full review

  • 58
    The Onion 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

  • 50
    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

  • 50
    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

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    Shame as well upon the advance marketing department for blowing the end of the movie in ads, thus exorcising any ghost of a chance Quarantine had of issuing a surprise. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov

    Quarantine is a one-note nightmare, nicely pitched to the high-C howls of the bitten and the biters but offering considerably less froth than last year's "The Signal," which mined similar nightmares with far more fulsome results. Read full review

  • 12
    Boston Globe |

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

View more reviews for Quarantine on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids Grim, grisly horror film only for mature viewers.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this horror movie is absolutely terrifying, full of gore and terror and violence. Grisly wounds are shown in great detail, and tension builds to a fever pitch. The victims -- hungry, angry, mindless zombie-like creatures -- are the stuff that nightmares are made of. Parents should also know that the film's style -- all of the action is seen through the lens of a single news camera as it follows a group of firefighters on a "routine" call -- makes for an upsetting, frenetic, and intense viewing experience. There's also some swearing and sexual innuendo.
  • Families can talk about why zombie-style films are so popular. What anxieties do they speak to?
  • How have modern "zombie" movies changed from the original examples of the genre?
  • Also, do you think the movie's single-camera technique makes the film more frightening, or is it a gimmick designed to cover up a weak, familiar plot?
  • Families can also discuss the film's scenario -- what law enforcement and medical procedures are in place in the event of a biological emergency? Would they be effective?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Extensive depiction of extreme circumstances of horror as the dwindling survivors in a quarantined apartment building are attacked by the victims of the virus; the outside world not only fails to offer help but actively shoots and attacks any of the people desperately trying to get out. Mention of "doomsday cults" and "nuclear, biological, and chemical" attacks.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: A mixed bag; the heroes are good role models, but most of the others are not.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Near-constant, unrelenting horror violence, gore, and tension. The victims of a genetically engineered virus become aggressive, biting and attacking anyone in their path; there are also shootings, fatal falls, bludgeoning, and beatings. The film's central conceit that all the action is being filmed by a news crew leads to a scene in which an infected berserker is literally beaten to death with the camera. Animals are seen attacking humans; animals are seen eviscerated. Wounds and injuries are depicted with grim realism.
  • sex false3 Sex: Some sexual innuendo and implied off-screen nudity; a firefighter bets he can "bang" a reporter before the end of the night.
  • language false4 Language: Relatively infrequent strong language includes "damn," "s--t," "f--k," and more.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A character is clearly drunk; another character offers his Vicodin stash to help a veterinarian try to aid injured characters.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

...scary, jolt-filled and happily gross... Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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