Quarantine movies have become part of our daily life I should say. Also, I’m sad to report that in this „Annus horribilis“ (2020), the good old quarantines are part of our lives as well. But I must admit, I had my fair share of doubts and reservations about writing this post. Fearing that it’s too soon to be reminded of such things but hey….You’re big boys and girls. I believe you can handle it.
I know I can. Besides, it’s not my first post about this topic here at IndieGala. OK, maybe not strictly about quarantine movies, but I’ve written about my daily life in quarantine, what I hope to do after this nightmare is over and of course… I’ve written about movies that have some sort of outbreak. Zombie outbreaks mostly, but yeah. Outbreaks.
Quarantine Movies and Quarantine The Game
And yes. We do have Quarantine currently on sale, but the sale will be up for just a short amount of time. So, if you’re not afraid of the theme of the game and if you’re on the look out for some great turn-based strategy game… Then this is the game for you.
But what is Quarantine about anyway?
Developed by Sproing, and published by 505 Games, Quarantine is a turn-based strategy game about waging war on global disease. You get to play it as the director of Pandemic Defense. And you must respond to the onslaught of widespread, deadly contagions. Furthermore, a brand new pathogen has arrived and every measure counts too.
So the survival of humanity rests in your hands. Therefore your task is to recruit a team of specialized operatives and deploy them on high-stakes missions across the globe. As a result of the global pandemic, you can research the disease, upgrade your tech, and quarantine the outbreak before it infects. Oh and before it kills the entire population too.
Quarantine Movies: A Diverse Group of Excellent Movies
A fair warning beforehand is in the order I believe. While all of my movies picks feature some form of imposed quarantine, not all of them will be about disease outbreaks. Some of them are about alien invasions, military virus infections and even unknown viruses. Also, this post will vary in themes, genres and even fiction. So, strap in boys and girls. It’s going to be a great quarantine themed writing.
Outbreak
A true 90’s classic don’t you think? And with an excellent list of actors. But Outbreak is about one Army doctor’s fight to find a cure for an Ebola-like virus that’s spreading in a small Californian town. The main culprit is a small capuchin monkey, and the time is running out for everyone. So, as they search for the monkey, the Army puts the entire city under quarantine and a strict Martial Law is imposed. Did you know that although it’s mentioned that it’s inspired by real life events, that’s not actually true? Yes, not such events occurred. And here’s a fun fact. The monkey used in this movie is the same monkey that Ross had in the cult TV series Friends. But over here, the monkey’s name is Betsy and in Friends it was Marcel. Cool right?
Doomsday
The 2008 Si-Fi movie is every Scotsman’s nightmare, but it’s a good movie nonetheless. When a deadly virus (Reaper Virus) infects Scotland, the entire country is put under strict quarantine. With almost 10 meters high walls, the country is isolated (sealed off) from the rest of the UK, and therefore mostly forgotten. However, the main plot takes place 27 years after the quarantine was imposed. So, a team is sent there to check the place and hopefully find a cure. What they will find there is not for the faint of heart.
Alexander Siddig (who plays the British PM) is in fact the real-life nephew of Malcolm McDowell (who plays the Scots leading figure in the quarantine). Also, the opening and closing title sequences are with the ‘Albertus’ font. It’s a direct nod to the great John Carpenter who also uses the same font in all of his movies. A nice tribute to the master of horror don’t you think?
The Crazies
Now I chose the 2010 remake (and not the 1973 original movie) because of two reasons. First and foremost, I think the remake is far superior to the original (in one of the few such instances). And secondly, because I adore Timothy Olyphant. Hey, I even muscled through his Hitman movie because of him. But I digress.
In the Crazies, a cargo plane crashes in the local lake and contaminates everyone in the city with a deadly biological weapon. So, the town is put in quarantine, but the fate of the town is very bleak indeed. Did you know that each actor who was transformed into a “Crazy” had to sit in the make-up chair for three hours? Oh yes. And if you read the graffiti on the jail cell wall, one appears to say “Romero”. It’s a great nod to the George A. Romero. The writer and director of the original 1973 movie, who now serves as executive producer of the remake.
Contagion
Here’s a very interesting yet disturbing fact for you: Back in March and at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2011 thriller Contagion was the eighth most popular movie in the US. Yes, on iTunes no less. According to a study, the Steven Soderbergh’s movie is a great coping mechanism for so many quarantined people around the world. Furthermore, Contagion depicts a rapidly spreading virus from Asia, people that are put in quarantine and struggling to survive. Not to mention it kills Gwyneth Paltrow in the first 20 minutes. It hit way too close to home, I know.
The global pandemic from the movie mirrored the current global pandemic, and some people were apparently seeking solace in that as well. Or answers maybe. So, I guess that’s why people kept watching it. But one keynote about Contagion is how scientifically accurate it is. Indeed, the movie was praised for the scientific accuracy from the top leading scientists and epidemiologists. Also, the movie has 5 Oscar winners in the cast and 5 Oscar nominees. Not too shabby right? Yeah, I thought so too.
10 Cloverfield Lane
This is a movie in which the three characters spend almost the entire runtime in a quarantine. Well, technically in an underground bunker (which I think it counts as a quarantine) but, not because of a deadly virus. No. This is an alien invasion type of a threat, but it’s a threat nonetheless. This is also a movie in which the lead female character Michelle (played Mary Elizabeth Winstead) doesn’t speak until ten minutes into the film, which is awesome too. Furthermore, this is not John Goodman’s only film featuring a bunker. If you recall, he also starred in 1993’s Matinee. Another film in which people got to a bunker under questionable circumstances. Fun fact: For a Si-Fi movie, there’s a very low body count in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Just three deaths overall, and they all happen off-screen. But this is a fantastic movie nonetheless. And I highly recommend it.
Quarantine Movies and Some Of Your Picks
Which quarantine movies would you add here? Which are some of your picks? Tell us in the comment section. We’d love to know.
