Carriers (2009)

   

Directed by: Alex & David Pastor

Starring:

Lou Taylor Pucci .... Danny
Chris Pine .... Brian
Piper Perabo .... Bobby
Emily VanCamp .... Kate
Christopher Meloni .... Frank
Kiernon Shipka .... Jodie

Release Dates: Fantasy Filmfest: August 18, 2009 (Germany); Limited Theatrical: September 4, 2009 (USA); Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival: October 9, 2009

 

 

Rating:

 

A group of four friends are travelling in a desert on their way to a beach while trying to survive a deadly virus that's making towns extinct but then one by one they are catching it which makes things very difficult for any of them to stick together in which one of the friends named Brian (Chris Pine) tries to take over everything and says who stays or who goes which causes alot of harm to everyone. He even leaves his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) out for dead in the desert after she is caught as infected.
His younger brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci) is forced to find medication to keep them alive or trying to steal gasoline from any vehicle that drives by.
Suddenly something happens to Brian and he is forced to decide whether to kill his brother or him and his school friend Kate (Emily VanCamp) to catch what he has.

 

The film was a bit hard for me to follow but it almost made sense which looked like a great struggling moment with everyone trying to avoid the virus and even dumping the others behind who was infected even if they were very innocent which looks very tragic and depressing.
There's a good shot on the character Frank blocking the road and trying to talk to the main character's in the car and then a good shot on a little girl peeking out of their own car with a mask on her to protect herself from a virus with the other people panicking once they see this as well as Meloni coming up to them and smashing their car window with them trying to speed away and dodge around his car which looked suspenseful with the camera shots on all of this.
There's a good moment with the lead character Danny looking into a vehicle with a shot on a dying corpse with their eyes opening up and he jumps which gave it a good horror feel to the picture.
There's a good struggling moment with Frank trying to take Jodie to an outhouse outside with her acting weak and him supporting her which looked like a good take between father and daughter.
A good moment with Brian looking around a pond and poking in the water along with a good shot on a corpse in the water with him panicking and almost falling into the water as well as a good shot on him holding onto a board hoping not to fall in and calling to his friends which makes you wonder if he will break free as well as a great suspenseful shot on his hand slipping off of the board.
There's many good shots with Brian driving wildly on a golf vehicle and then crashing it along with good shots on the locals golfing and smashing the windows of a mansion.
There's great takes on some survivalists breaking in the mansion and getting demanding with everyone along with forcing both Bobby and Kate to take off their tops to spot any viruses.
There's a great raging aggression with Brian dragging Bobby out of the vehicle and leaving her out for dead with him getting aggressive towards her and her crying telling her that she loves him and pleading him to keep her with him which looked very disturbing and psychologially done which was the strongest moment in this film.
There's a good moment with Brian grabbing Danny against his vehicle and getting obnoxious with him in which this scene looked very intense.
There's a nice camera shot behind Danny going into a house and trying to call for someone trying to get medicine as well as a good shot on him looking scared with a dog sneering at him while it's eating a corpse and a nice shot on him slowly trying to reach for some medicine that's displayed near the dog and then later on a good shot on the dog leaping at him and attacking in which you wonder if he will survive.
There's a good moment with Brian talking weakly towards Danny near a bonfire and about to fall asleep with a nice shot on him trying to reach for his gun and keys while he falls asleep.
Bottom Line: We've seen this before in flicks like Pulse or Cabin Fever so it's nothing like what we haven't seen at all. The film can be intense on who will survvive this vicious virus which gives the film a nice pointer for being saved as an average flick but that's about it.
There's some good scenery of abandoned towns in the film as it almost looks like a Day of the Dead type of fashion. The film was well polished too with the camera shots on everything used in it. There's also nice areas of the desert too which makes it unpleasant if you were stranded without a vehicle too.
The film is fairly boring, confusing and a bit pointless but there is a bit of a happy ending with the survivors finally reaching their destination that they want to go to but at the same time I can see a sequel happening but with new characters and finding out what to do with this virus and making everything extinct.

The acting is in fair shape as Lou Taylor Pucci (Danny) has the right young man looks for the film as well as his innocent attitude too. He also shows some descent timing in what he does in the film and some well paced energy too.
Chris Pine
(Brian) was the best out of the whole cast showing a nasty arrogant attitude in the flick but sometimes he draws some good humor in certain spots making out he's kind of an okay guy. He does well with his blocking when he gets physical towards someone bringing everything out with every scene he does in the film as well as acting obnoxious. He also knows how to act sick too once he's infected making it seem realistic too.
Piper Perabo
(Bobby) really knew how to act outgoing and friendly in her role of the film as well as showing a great raging emotions during her last performance in which she convinces the audience that you really want to help her. Does well at sobbing when she takes her top off while being forced to do so to check for viruses. She was a true character actress.
Christopher Meloni
(Frank) had a nice supporting role in the film as a sympathetic surviving parent in the film showing a good attitude as well as doing well by getting aggressive in order to survive too. He was very believeable in everything he did in the flick.

There's many bloody infected shots on people with the virus which looked like the grossest rashes you've ever seen on someone.
There's some gruesome burned up looking dead bodies.

There's low classical scoring for the film mainly trombone playing with some violin sounds too which suits the type of film it was sounding low and depressing plus there's some low keyboard music and the odd piano playing too all done by Peter Nashel.