[Carriers]
Plot:Four friends fleeing a viral pandemic soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus.

Cast: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.

My Thoughts:The age old tale.

Review:"Carriers" is another in a long line of viral pandemic horror movies, where some virus has done severe damage to the U.S., and now, a group of people are left to fend for themselves against said virus. In this films case though, the violent side of the outbreak isn't shown. There aren't any sprinting, flesh-craving, crazed, murderous infected running around, chasing, and eating people.

This virus is more of a scary movie virus. I.E. someone is infected and you don't know it until it's too late and then you're infected. Of course per usual with films like this, the infected wear those swine-flu-esque face-masks, which let people know that they're bad news. This movie looks at the human side of things, like what happens when a group of people who are uninfected, become infected one by one. And how friendships, loyalties, and trust can and will quickly breakdown when peoples lives are at stake, and it's either you or them.

The fact that most people would choose to kill others who are infected, even long-time friends, girlfriends, etc...is what this film plays off of. And it really exposes the dark side of humanity and how human beings will put self-preservation above all else. The virus itself isn't much explained, nor is much background given on it. All we know is that it makes people cough up blood, makes their eyes red, and eventually they rot away.

So it puts the dark side of the human conditon on display because rather than holding out hope that someone will find a cure for the disease, and keeping the infected alive as long as they possibly can, the group of friends decide to avoid, and or dispose of anyone they come into contact with who is infected. As I stated above, keeping the infected alive is an option considering they pose hardly any threat as long as you don't touch them or let them breathe on you.

This isn't the type of virus that turns people into killers and flesh-devourers. Yet fear, paranoia, and the age old tale of self-preservation makes the group paranoid of one another when they run into a father and his daughter, and the daughter ends up infecting Piper Perabo's character. But it also shows the shady side of people as Perabo's character doesn't inform her friends that she's been infected until much later on when they themselves could already be infected.

Thus putting everyone in jeopardy. Then throw a firearm and the fact that the lead guy in the movie is pretty much a prick, and you open up all sorts of avenues for betrayal, and the ever so popular cold-blooded murder. But the films weakness lies in it's lack of good storytelling. Sure the human side of things can be explored, but one would like to know where the virus came from, how it got started, and if the CDC doesn't have a cure, why do the characters constantly end up running into them as if they're just driving around the country looking for something?

The movie has some severe plotholes, and if it had been a bit more explanatory about it's virus, and the mythology surrounding it, then maybe the pic would've been better than it was. Instead, when it's all said and done, "Carriers" is a decent film because of it's strong human element, and it's exploration of what can drive a wedge between, and break apart a group of close knit people so quickly and violently.

Positives:Decent performances by Perabo and a few others. A deep look into the human-drama side of the outbreak, and how people can become paranoid and afraid so easily.

Negatives:A lack of explanation about too many things, especially the virus.

Overall:Two out of four stars.





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