Movie Review: Contagion

Laurence Fishburne and Jennifer Ehle

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard

Genre(s): Science Fiction, Thriller

Release Date: September 9, 2011

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

 

Contagion, director Steven Soderbergh's film about an airborne virus that spreads like a rapid pace, is partly an excuse for him to include as many Oscar nominees and winners as possible, and the trailers' depiction of it as a frighteningly scary film is more than slightly off. 

It is no spoiler that Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), a woman who returns from Hong Kong with a terrible, undefined sickness, becomes the first casualty of this mysterious virus.  Her husband (Matt Damon) takes every precaution to keep himself and his teenage daughter (Anna Jacoby-Heron) safe from the virus.  We also see Laurence Fishburne as a CDC deputy director intent on keeping the realities of the virus' spread quiet, Kate Winslet as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer who informs him of these realities, Jude Law as an opinionated but popular blogger who advocates a controversial method of preventing contraction of the virus, and more A-listers who make appearances.  

The film is not necessarily a thriller, nor is it action-packed, and although the subject matter is inherently dramatic, comical elements exist where you would not expect them to be.  However, it is not necessarily science fiction, because the consequences of such a situation occurring are presented in a realistic, albeit rushed, manner.  If the human race were to become paranoid about a despicable virus, we would most certainly do whatever it takes to reduce the likelihood of contracting the virus. 

   
Certainly, you will leave the film and immediately want to wash your hands, and you might be a bit more aware of touching your  face or physical contact with strangers.  Acts that are so commonplace, such as shaking hands when you first meet someone, can have lethal effects.  Contagion is, of course, a dramatization, yet one cannot help but be at least a little scared that such contact can produce catastrophic situations.  

Because there are so many characters, there is not enough time to care about them, despite the fact that the performances are as commendable as you'd expect them to be.  Without mentioning spoilers, when important characters die, we do not feel the immense sadness that is intended, because these characters have not been developed properly. 

The final third of the film is fairly uneventful and although it is satisfying to eventually discover how the virus began, this cause is not nearly as inciting as one would have expected it to be.  It lacks the original excitement of 1995's Outbreak, which is essentially the same premise as Contagion.  We know that many people will die, yet we also know that because it's targeting an audience that typically prefers an ending that is at least somewhat happy, humanity will not be completely demolished by the virus. 

Grade: B-