Contagion (2011)

Steven Soderbergh steers big stars through this big-screen disaster-thriller about a global team of doctors tasked with tamping down a deadly outbreak of infectious disease before it annihilates mankind.

These pandemics films come and go every single year; maybe because they all usually perform well financially or lazy creativity, but it’s a guarantee to get one of these suckers. A lot of the time these films deal with the survivors and their struggle to survive, but Contagion is very different; both in tone and pace. This isn’t a fast paced thriller following the violent outcome starting from the virus, but instead leans heavily on showing the behind the scenes perspective on the people responsible for finding a cure. It’s a great change of pace and unique feel, but I hardly hope this trend continues.

The film is solid. That’s as good as it’s going to get but on the other side, it’s never at one point bad. It’s going to keep you entertained the entire time, but it will never wow you with that one moment that makes the film stand out in all of this chaos. The multiple character arcs tended to be a little too much because a few of them felt rushed with little to no screen time to develop a vital point to their stories. Some could have been completely left out and the film would have had the same effect. What it did right was its procedures. You never know if a cure can be made let alone get it out to everyone before a serious dent in the population dies away. It takes months to get things done and during that time were shown a little bit of chaos this had caused and a lot of the science that comes out of it. If you have the patience the plot can become very interesting to watch even if some of it runs by your head. It’s very smart lightly played out story.

With these characters, you got a lot of huge names. It worked and it didn’t work. In proving to be a bit ballsy, nobody is safe despite how big your name is. If a character makes mistakes they will die, as simple as that. It’s refreshing than what we have grown accustomed too. On the other side of that argument, I see no reason to waste a big name on such minor, forgeable, bland roles that never became developed. This isn’t what you’d call an actor’s showcase, but more of an ensemble cast that works well together in the same vein as the Oceans trilogy, (a fellow Soderbergh film). This is the type of film where the story trumps the characters quite a bit.

If you’re interested in watching a thriller that scares the living shit out of you without actually ever being scary, than Contagion really hits the spot. Its realistic approach to how a simple disease can spread is terrifying and will likely turn you into a germaphobe for a few days after the viewing. It’s not like any films of the genre; it moves slow, takes its time and stretches out a story over months without revealing a whole lot. Action junkies are warned to stay away, there isn’t much of that here, but a hard to form tension is created that helps the film succeed.  

Overall Score: 7.5/10