Released By: Sony Pictures
Released On: 07/02/2011
Director: John Pogue
Cast: Mercedes Masí¶hn, Josh Cooke, Mattie Liptak, Ignacio Serricchio, Noree Victoria
The Film:
It's somewhat bandwagon and trendy to say, but man, I hate remakes. Though this lazy Hollywood trend has produced a couple of decent flicks, most of them are garbage and don't hold a candle to their original counterparts. With Quarantine, essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the fine film [REC], it seemed like the studios were getting even lazier; kicking out a remake about 5 minutes after the first film because they were under the impression that North American audiences were too impatient to read subtitles of people screaming in Spanish. And who knows…maybe they were right. Regardless, Quarantine got made, and the studio made enough money to want to do a sequel.
In a surprising show of almost originality, Sony didn't decide to remake Paco Plaza's film [REC] 2, instead opting to have writer and Director John G. Pogue pen a new script. Good call. Whereas [REC]2 is more true to the original, but a bit of a plodding mess, Pogue's script for Quarantine 2 packs a decent punch with some nasty violence, a good buildup of suspense, and scares that don't just rely on loud noises and bright lights.
Sony brings Quarantine 2 to DVD in a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that looks amazing considering the number of dark scenes, and stays punchy and detailed in brighter moments with nary a speck of artifacting or noise to be found, unless you're really looking for it. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track makes heavy (HEAVY) use of the surrounds and sub, and hey, that's what we've got them for. The levels are balanced nicely with a good range of sound.
Unfortunately, if you're looking for extras outside of subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, you will not find them here; Sony has presented the film in a completely barebones edition.
The Final Word:
It will require putting aside an intense hatred of remakes, and a more intense hatred of sequels of remakes, but Quarantine 2 is worth the 90 minutes spent. The lack of extras on the disc is a disappointment, but the transfer is solid.