Carriers opened strong. I was almost impressed. I went into the film not knowing exactly how the film would approach the subject matter, or at what point in time. That creates a nice setup for an opening sequence that seems a bit surreal. As the events unfold, the audience catches up to the action, which was fairly tight during the first ten minutes.
As Carriers picks up the details of how we arrived at the point where the film begins the script bogs down. We have two brothers, Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Brian Green (Chris Pine) who have set up their own survival code. They are traveling with Brian's girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) and a girl that is not exactly Danny's girlfriend, Kate (Emily VanCamp). The objective to reach a seaside resort almost seems as much an attempt to cling to life before a deadly virus wiped out most of the population as it is an endpoint for the film. The process becomes delayed with a variety of encounters, none of which end well. The interactions are an attempt to bring a sense of humanity juxtaposed with survival instincts to create drama.
Writers Alex and David Pastor (who also directed) did a decent job of creating their characters and establishing the setting. The dialogue wasn't entirely bad, either. The credibility factor was a bit tough for me. The writers set up a few scenes that are important to the story but lack reality. Two factors stood out. When you are so careful as to have a regimented plan for survival, why take stupid chances. That seemed to be an underlying theme throughout (which is how they created the suspense and moved the story forward). The other issue I had was with Brian's completely reckless behavior. First of all, it got old quick. Secondly, it betrayed the premise of the film, which appeared to me to be survival first. Brian's actions were out of control and anything but conducive to survival. The writing had many positive qualities but failed for me on fundamental points.
The casting in Carriers set the film up to succeed. If the film had been tighter, it would have. Chris Pine was solid, but the inconsistencies with his character dulled the performance. Lou Taylor Pucci plays the insulated younger brother who is forced to grow up during the film. Pucci handles the role well and seems credible in the process. I had less use for Perabo, which also may have to do with flaws with her character. She failed to convince me. VanCamp was practically invisible. There was also a cameo appearance by Christopher Meloni, who plays a dad whose daughter has already contracted the virus. Meloni infused some life into this film, which dragged for long stretches.
It seemed to me that Carriers relied heavily on situational experiences to create tension. The film could have been much tighter with more believable interactions. Instead, we have characters that engage in behavior that violates common sense in order to achieve suspenseful scenarios. I did like the fact that the writers did not rely on gimmicky zombies, opting for credible interactions with other survivors that had human qualities. This allowed them to tell a tale where survival sometimes trumps humanity without using cheap drama to create suspense. This film would have been great if the interactions would have flowed smoothly. There was a scene that took place at a golf course which perfectly demonstrated what this movie could have achieved throughout. It was human, credible and suspenseful. However, it also went a bit too far on certain points. I could have used more interactions, as well. The film lagged between encounters, creating some boredom. The film contains violence and disturbing images, earning it a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. Run time is one hour, 24 minutes.
Carriers took an exceptional idea and short-changed it. The film could have provided some fresh material to a well-traveled concept. Instead, the story falls short with choppy pacing and contrived interactions. Although constructed, the suspenseful scenes did manage to create some tension. The ending was predictable and anti-climactic, but could have been worse. Overall, I was disappointed...the film started strong and then failed to seal the deal. Because of the potential this film had but failed to capitalize on, I will not recommend it. 4.5/10.
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