Carriers (2009)

"Four friends fleeing a viral pandemic soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus."

I've seen way too many of these "Apocalyptic Virus" movies over the years, but I must admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for them. There's just something about having 99% of the human population wiped out and having free reign to do what you want with all the toys they've left behind that appeals to me.

Back in the '70s there was an epic BBC TV series called "Survivors" (which has since been remade) which did this subgenre to death. If you watch that, all these movies from "28 Days Later" to "The Crazies" are just samey.

There's nothing about "Carriers" that makes it stand out either although it did try for a more sympathetic angle by focusing on a small group of survivors and trying to make you feel sorry for them. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the characters very much and couldn't have cared less if they lived or died.

It didn't have any scares, was done pretty cheaply as far as I could tell, and although it had decent acting, it just felt pretty slow.

One of the highlights for me was seeing Christopher Meloni who I remember from HBO's "Oz" playing a far nicer role. If there is a character to feel sorry for in this film then his is it. I didn't really recognise any of the other actors in it, but (after checking their credits on the IMDb) I discovered that they've all been in various TV projects. A couple of them have even appeared in some of the more forgettable horror movies that I won't go into here.

Basically, "Carriers" is just a road trip drama with no real action scenes, gore or anything other than a lot of talk for the PG-13 crowd. I suppose it could have the ability to make you question your own morals and what you would do in a similar situation but it didn't work on that level for me.

Strangely enough I did actually enjoy it. I wouldn't buy this on DVD or anything, but I can recommend it as a rental.