| Picking up shortly after the harrowing events detailed in Quarantine (2008), the American version of the Spanish thriller [Rec], the 2011 thriller Quarantine 2: Terminal follows the effects of a lethal, rabies-like disease among the passengers of a plane. The confines of the location allow for some claustrophobic moments once the contagion begins to spread, but it's soon abandoned for a poorly lit, maze-like warehouse that creates more confusion than suspense. The homogenous characters also make it difficult to keep track of the story amidst all the screaming and spraying of bodily fluids; only Josh Cooke (Better with You) stands out as a kindergarten teacher with a suspicious carry-on filled with rodents. But perhaps the biggest error is the loss of the POV camerawork and real-time storytelling, which lent a palpable urgency to Quarantine and its Spanish predecessor, and was a clever way to use the periphery of the film frame as a hiding place for all manner of terrors. Here, the action unfolds in standard-issue fashion, which renders the film as just another zombie/outbreak chiller with only a few solid scares to recommend it. Viewers with an omnivorous and forgiving appetite for horror will most likely be the best audience for this second-tier sequel. --Paul Gaita |
