1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Sunday, June 26, 2011

[5.75/10] Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011)


Quarantine 2: Terminal (2011)

Brief review: In 2007, Spanish horror phenomenon "[Rec]" blew us all away. A year later, a shot-by-shot US remake called "Quarantine" emerged, and it was surprisingly solid. Then, two years ago, "[Rec]" creators delivered a fantastic sequel, that went in a completely different direction than expected. In 2011, Sony finally bring us their "Quarantine" sequel, that for better or worse, has nothing to do with "[Rec] 2". On one hand, its original script differs it vastly from the Spanish version and makes it unique, but sadly on the other hand, "Quarantine 2: Terminal" is just 'more of the same', only that this time the zombie virus breaks out on a plain, instead in a building. "Q2" is far from terrifying, and yet it's tautly-paced, suspenseful, and has a few startling, jump-of-your-seat moments, especially during the attack scenes. Despite the film's limited budget, first-time director John Pogue does an adequate job behind the camera, yet still, "Q2" has 'straight to DVD' written all over it - the acting is atrocious, the cinematography is remarkably poor, the make-up and gore effects are obviously cheesy, plus, it's not shot in a POV style like its predecessors, hence, it's less effective. On a positive note, the terminal setting is grim, creepy and incredibly atmospheric.

Overall summary: Although it's cheaply-made and nowhere nearly as inventive as the original sequel, "[Rec] 2", "Quarantine 2" still stands on its own, thanks to its original concept, plus, its tense atmosphere and fair amount of gore should leave most horror fans satisfied.

22 comments:

Movies on my Mind said...

They made a sequel to this? Goodness me.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

MOMM, you didn't know that? They announced it a year ago :)

~ CR@B Howard ~ said...

I'm looking forward to seeing this, though I don't have high hopes. I didn't realise it was already released though, thought it was out in August?

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

CR@B Howard, I was excited about it as well, as I liked "Quarantine" a lot. While it didn't meet my expectations, but it was still watchable. You should check it out.

Yes, the DVD is out in August, but the film was already released on VOD, and it had a limited theatrical release on June 17. I saw it on VOD.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I saw a clip for this and wondered about the airport setting.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, it was actually a terminal, not an airport. The setting itself was good... the movie... not that much. :) If you've seen "Quarantine", than you may check this one out as well.

Andrew said...

I just watched the first Quarantine the other day....
I thought about reviewing it, but then decided not to bother.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Andrew, just watch [Rec] instead. It's million times better than "Quarantine" and its sequel put together.

FilmMattic said...

I've never heard of the first or the sequel. I appreciate the knowledge, even if the film, in your estimation, is subpar. Maybe a rainy day viewing.

Unknown said...

I loved [REC] and have refrained from seeing Quarantine and it's sequel. I'll wait until SyFy broadcasts them instead of wasting good money.

I'll have to find the time to check out [REC] 2. Is it worth seeing?

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Matty, really? How about [Rec] and its sequel? Have you seen those? If you haven't watch them instead of the remakes.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Ah, Mel, I'm like obsessed with [Rec]. :) The sequel was great - I personally loved it. You have to give it a shot, and prepare yourself to be surprised by the conclusion. It's so unexpected!

FilmMattic said...

Yes, I've heard of [Rec]. Haven't watched it yet, but I plan to very soon.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Matty, I bet you've heard :) As a true horror geek I can tell you that [Rec] is the perfect horror movie! Give it a shot as soon as you can. I promise you won't be disappointed. Ask Mel, she saw it recently and was impressed with it.

Ricky said...

I wasn't a fan of Quarentine, think I'll skip this.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Ricky, I wasn't a fan of it either, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot. I'm a huge [Rec] fan though. Anyway, if you didn't like Quarantine, skip this sequel...

Ty said...

Good review!

Quarantine was ok, there was no need to remake REC though. Might watch this sequel, if i run out of stuff to watch first!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Ty, first of all, glad to see you back :) It's been a while.

I agree, the remake of REC was completely unnecessary, however I did enjoy it a lot.

Thanks, mate!

Maynard Morrissey said...

Believe it or not: I simply loved it!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Oh, did you? Well, I liked it for what it was, but wasn't that impressed by its execution.

Kaijinu said...

well, it is impressive, but it has a long way to go!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Kaijinu, well-said.