Remake Grudge Match!

 

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago, I talked about Quarantine.  You may also remember that I absolutely loved it. It was scary, the pacing was spot on and had to assume that, as remakes go, it was one of the best.

Well, I finally got to see [REC]. The Spanish original that Quarantine was based on. I had said

This is one remake that I have to assume that they got absolutely right.

And I was right. They nailed the remake. Which got me to thinking, is this going to be another Ringu/The Ring. One of those things where, since both are so good, people tend to prefer the one that they saw first? And, I could see that being the case. However, I firmly believe that Quarantine improved on what was already a great movie in [REC]. Quarantine took a little more time to build up. Which, isn't saying much. [REC] comes in at a brisk 75 minutes, and Quarantine is only 89. Both are pretty short movies that move at a good pace. Quarantine, however, spends that extra time building tension in and around the apartment complex, as well as giving you just a little bit more of the characters. Those 14 extra minutes are well spent in that regard.

[REC] is also much shakier. The camera is constantly moving, regardless of what's going on. I think the only time it stopped moving is when it gets set down. Quarantine keeps the shaky cam, but there are moments when it's steady. I think that at those times, such as when the fireman falls from the floor above, has greater impact.

Quarantine though, has an ending that makes a little more sense. That may have more to do with my own, American, sensibilities though. The quasi-religious ending of [REC] just doesn't feel as plausible as the chemical terrorism explanation in Quarantine.

I will say that the 'creature',  for lack of a better term, at the end of [REC] is MUCH creepier looking. It's just plain unsettling. And, I will say that I liked Manuela Velasco a bit more than Jennifer Carpenter.

Like I've said, Quarantine, got it right. It took the story, kept all the great stuff and then improved upon it, making a tight, taut movie that much better without losing a bit of the soul of the orginal.

I would never have imagined a remake could be so good.

It's not uncommon for me to sit around thinking. When I do the whole thinking thing, it's not uncommon for me to wonder about movies. And before my head starts to hurt from the effort, it seems that something might pop into my head. Something like 'When the FUCK is [REC] going to get a release over here???' I actually do think with multiple question marks, too.

I think it's a valid question though. I mean, it was REMADE, released, then put out on DVD as Quarantine already. Where is the original? Usually the original is better than the remake, and if [REC] is better than Quarantine then I HAVE to see it, because Quarantine was pretty gorram amazing.

Quarantine has a pretty simple premise. A news crew is doing a feature on firefighters, so they're tagging along for the night. They get a call at an apartment building managed by Boris the Blade. A lady upstairs let out a blood-curdling scream, so they called 911.The police and fire crews don't know much about it, but someone outside does. The place gets sealed up like a dolphin's butt and they cut the cable and jam the phones. Guys with big guns threaten them if they look out the window. It's that kind of a lockdown.

So, you've got a sick old lady, a bitten cop, and a vet. Not a war vet. No, that might be handy. No, this is the 'How's your cat today Mrs Johnson?' kind. And he keeps busy. Especially since it all starts to go to hell when the firman goes over the railing and lands four stories down. Presumably, the old lady threw him. Luckily, one of the tennants has a lot of painkillers on hand.

Like I said, everything kind of goes to hell. The building is apparently infected by a weird zombie/rabies/plague that is infecting everyone, mostly through biting. It's all pretty intense.

I have to say, Quarantine really kind of does everything right. It has the kind of tension that you want from a horror movie. It starts slow and light. It's clearly a fluff piece that the reporter is working on, and as the movie goes, she becomes more serious. Everything just keeps building and building. As the 'first-person' style of movie becomes more fashionable and more common, it becomes less interesting. Few movies do it well. They have lousy reasons for having a camera, and even worse reasons for continuing to film, but Quarantine gives them a reason not just to be there, but a reason to keep filming. Once they're locked inside, even the cop in there with them wants them to keep filming. That this is not only newsworthy, but important is not lost on anyone.

Ju-On, if anyone asks, is my default answer for the scariest movie I've seen. That kid still creeps me out, even after 3-4 viewings. Quarantine might be the second or third on that list though. This is one remake that I have to assume that they got absolutely right.