Carriers (2009)

Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic movies are suddenly all the rage (with yet another doomsday looming in late 2012, or thereabouts), and most are silly excuses for special effects, pregnant pauses, and every other cliche beaten to death since, what, Things to Come (1936)?

There is a smarter way to do this story, one that doesn't require a huge budget—but does rely on a tight script, good performances, and a believable premise. That's what Carriers seeks to do, and it has most of the elements to be a solid entry in the genre (and a good suspense film in general). If only the elements came together the way I had hoped ...

We open with a vandalized BMW packed with four apparently funloving, hellbent-for-leather young adults who are knocking back brews and tooling down an open road. The obvious leader, Brian (Chris Pine), is in the driver's seat; his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) is on his arm, and in the back are Brian's "weaker" little brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci) and the fourth member of our quartet, a gal named Kate (Emily VanCamp). The conversation runs to the "rules" that have been established for this apparent road trip: avoid major highways, don't stop for anyone, etc. I was thinking they were in a hot car, hence the precaution, but it turns out much more is afoot here.

Gradually we learn what that is: A highly contagious outbreak of apparently Biblical proportions has rendered the entire infrastructure of civilization mostly disabled. An occasional survivor gets through on radio, but no stations play, and few other cars are on the road ... until the young folk happen upon an SUV blocking both directions, tended to by a father Frank (Chris Meloni) and his very sick daughter Jodie (Kiernan Shipka). Frank just wants some gas, he says, so he can make it to the next pump. Some tense negotiations lead to a near-confrontation and dicey escape, but the young folk soon find their own car has crapped out just down the road, and they reassess the situation vis-à-vis Frank and his daughter. They take precautions, band together, and head for an emergency medical center Frank's heard about where he might find treatment for his daughter, thanks to a rumored cure that has been developed.

It is indeed an interesting ride from here on out for our protagonists, and just as should happen in movie like this, hard decisions have to be made. The plot's overall arc is well done; if only the characters had been a little more careful along the way (which, given the fact they've come through thus far and are well aware of the threats that are out here, one would expect), the tension would've remained high throughout. Instead, Carriers turns to the tried-and-true of horror plotting: the dumb mistakes leading to discovery by the baddies. On top of the stupid (sometimes unbelievably so) behavior, there's the sometimes-inane dialogue to deal with; it's all the more pronounced given how good the dialogue is elsewhere. For all the flashes of real vision and sense of pacing brothers David and Àlex Pastor (co-writers and co-directors) show in some moments (the scenes between brothers Danny and Brian are particularly well done), I have to wonder if changes weren't forced onto the film from outside.

Thus is Carriers a very uneven movie, one that becomes more frustrating as it moves along. It's a real shame, too, since Pine is very good in the lead, and Perabo also proves more than capable of handling the hard moments her character faces. The movie also benefits from some nice set pieces (the arrival at the ad hoc field hospital, and eventual departure, are highlights). So while Carriers is certainly worth seeing, especially for horror fans or fans of the post-apocalyptic genre, it's ultimately a testament to what could have been.