Carriers 絕命帶原者

Four young people drive through the desert on their way to the beach, their faces anything but cheery. This isn't Spring Break; they're trying to outrun the end of the world and each other. In “Carriers,” no one is safe from the viral pandemic that is threatening to wipe out the human race.

Determined to elude the deadly virus, Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), his brother Brian (Chris Pine), his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo) and Danny's school friend Kate (Emily VanCamp) speed across the southwestern U.S. to reach a place of possible safety. Over the course of four days, the group is faced with moral decisions that no human should ever be forced to face.

Sounds a little familiar? The plot lets the viewer make an easy connection with the current H1N1 flu pandemic, which has killed thousands worldwide so far. “Carriers” also borrows a page or two from Danny Boyle's torrid film, “28 Days Later.”

While “28 Days Later” and its ilk tend to portray the infected as a malevolent force of aggressive evil, “Carriers” works on a much more mundane (and therefore creepily realistic) level: These people are not afraid of the infected, they simply don't want to catch this death sentence of a virus.

Spanish writer-director siblings, Alex and David Pastor, display a particular facility for shocking turns in narrative to reveal the desperation of those few left alive. Still, at a lean 84 minutes, “Carriers” has little chance to register on a sizable scale, and the shortcuts it takes – as if in deference to the familiarity of the genre - leave the film feeling a bit anemic at points.

Chris Pine's Brian is the typical American-jerk character that makes people hardly agree with his decisions, but gradually identify with him throughout the entire film. He has proven his acting is convincing even without the special effects of “Star Trek,” his previous movie.

Lou Taylor Pucci plays the “good” individual often portrayed on scene: well-educated, well-mannered and honorable. But when it comes to escaping from a deadly virus, he, too, has to compromise.

In comparison, Emily VanCamp's Kate is the complete opposite of “good;” she doesn't care about others besides her lost parents and her own life. Along with Piper Perabo, these four new actors strut down the runway — and none of them seem awkward up there.

Do not be misled by the PG-13 rating. This movie's approach to fear comes from within: To discover that the greatest enemy is not the microbe that brought upon the extinction of the human race, but the darkness that covers humanity when lives are at stake.

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