Carriers [2009]

January 27, 2010

There are so many movies about zombies and deadly viruses that it’s hard to find the good ones. Carriers stands out as a decent road movie doubling as a post-apocalyptic movie to make things even more interesting. It reminds me of all those seventies and eighties movies that dealt with the same subject. We are instantly thrown into the sparsely populated world after the virus has killed most of the population. A smart decision to skip the whole outbreak aspect proved to be the right one. Also, this is not a zombie movie.

Starring young Chris Pine and Piper Perabo, the cast was okay. I mean, this is one of those movies that doesn’t aim too high. You could almost say that it knows where it belongs. And this saved it from becoming another pretentious piece of shit featuring a story seen a thousand times before. It’s a mixture of horror, thriller and drama, all mushed together into an interesting exploration of group dynamics with other factors reduced to a minimum.

After a deadly virus has wiped out most of the population, the world is a completely different place. It’s desolate and bleak, with only small pockets of survivers still hanging on. Two brothers, along with their girlfriends decide to travel across this wasteland and try to get to Turtle Beach. They have a secluded house there that could serve as a great shelter. But first they have to get there.

Do not expect a profound movie like The Road, but a classical infection outbreak flick with usual plot twists. Also don’t expect a lot of ation, for the most part, we are following four friends and their struggles to survive in a barren world. While we’re on a subject of similar movies, you can check out Contagion, The Crazies and The Happening if you’re looking to continue your adventures in epidemics. Also, I just have to mention Outbreak, a nineties classic starring Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo.

As they’re trying to get to this almost mystical place, our four protagonists encounter infected people, gangs and all sorts of problems. They struggle to cope with the new reality and we can watch how their characters are trying to keep it together as best as they can. This almost philosophical aspect of the Carriers will serve you well during the slower parts when you can ponder questions about humanity and the end of the world. The fall of society is always an interesting subject to think about. The pacing is a little sluggish, but this enhances the troubling atmosphere after such a catastrophic event.

With a runtime of just 80 minutes, Carriers is a fun little undemanding thriller that will offer you yet another perspective on the whole end-of-the-world thing. Sleek-looking with a saturated color palette and decent production values it’s also visually appealing. Hopefully, we will get the good pandemic with zombies, this one where people just die seems rather depressing.