Entertainment
Chris Pine’s R-Rated Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Proves Friendship Can Be Deadly
By Robert Scucci
| Published
While I’m not necessarily wishing for an upcoming global apocalypse, I think if I had no other choice but to go with the flow, it could be kind of fun. Stealing a couple of road sodas from the gas station, loading the car up with my best friends, and stopping at the driving range to blast out some windows with golf balls sounds like a great time until you remember all the other horrible stuff happening around you.
This exact setup is what you’ll experience with 2009’s Carriers, the Chris Pine-starring post-apocalyptic thriller that was released shortly after the actor’s breakout performance as James T. Kirk in Star Trek.
The Usual Setup And Exchanges
All the familiar post-apocalyptic beats are present in Carriers, and it genuinely feels like the United States is in the early stages of a pandemic-induced extinction event known as “The World Ender Virus.” We’re introduced to our world-weary protagonist, Brian (Chris Pine), who is immune to the infection and driving his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo), brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Danny’s friend Kate (Emily VanCamp) toward Turtle Beach. In Brian and Danny’s minds, their family’s old vacation home is the perfect place to lay low while the infection slowly runs its course. The area has been abandoned for years, which hopefully means it will remain untouched.
Along the way, we learn the precautions they take as they barrel down open roads toward their destination. They siphon gas from abandoned vehicles, but only before sanitizing every surface, including themselves, with bleach whenever the opportunity presents itself. The complications they face come in the form of other desperate survivors they encounter, including Frank (Christopher Meloni) and his infected daughter Jodie (Kiernan Shipka). It’s here that we see humanity pushed to its most extreme limits.
Frank is simply trying to get Jodie to a nearby high school after hearing reports of a possible cure, hoping to give his daughter a chance at survival. Against their better judgment, and after experiencing car trouble, the group decides to take the trip together. Brian, who is a dangerous combination of hopelessly nihilistic and living for kicks, warns everyone of the risks. He doesn’t mince words when he tells his friends that if they show any signs of infection, he will leave them on the side of the road without hesitation.
You Need Believable, Relatable Characters For This To Work
Despite its gritty, end-of-days aesthetic, Carriers struggles because none of its characters feel particularly relatable. Brian, who is clearly the leader of the group thanks to his immunity and willingness to get aggressive when necessary, doesn’t come across like a real person. His mood swings are erratic and hard to reconcile. As far as I can tell, the world hasn’t been like this for very long, yet his grip on reality already seems to be barely holding together.
He pivots from nonchalant to violent at the drop of a hat, and even the people closest to him don’t seem to know how to handle it. While I understand they’re living through unprecedented circumstances, your protagonist still needs to be at least somewhat likable. Instead, Brian comes off as disproportionately mean-spirited and self-serving, even during moments where he doesn’t need to be acting like that.
When the group finally finds a place to bunker down and regroup, they’re ambushed by survivalists who were already secretly occupying the same space. This should be the moment where Brian’s aggression and leadership actually matter. Instead, he immediately accepts that he’s outnumbered. He doesn’t mention that he’s immune, doesn’t suggest that he could be key to finding a cure, and doesn’t try to reason with anyone. After the fact, he takes his frustration out on his friends rather than taking control of the situation in any meaningful way, which feels completely at odds with how he was initially presented.
Great Vibe, But Ultimately Falls Flat
Carriers disappointed me because it shows so much promise early on, but its inability to pick a lane makes for a tonally inconsistent journey through the wasteland. There are lighthearted moments that play like an end-of-days comedy, where the group is fully in their element and making the best of a terrible situation. Unfortunately, that levity is almost immediately undercut by tension, violence, and dread.
The tonal whiplash kept pulling me out of the movie. Just as I started having fun, I was reminded that this isn’t supposed to be a fun experience. Then, when things finally get serious, the tension is quickly broken up by more comic relief, which creates the opposite problem. Films like The Dead Don’t Die manage to balance morbid subject matter with humor in a way that feels intentional. I was hoping Carriers would find a similar rhythm, but it never quite gets there.
The threat is real, and there’s potential for these characters to turn what may be their final road trip into something memorable. But if I’m being completely honest, I was relieved when this one ended for all of the reasons above.
Carriers is currently streaming on Paramount+.