“Contagion” was 2001’a addition to the “worldwide epidemic, dramatic thriller” genre and it features one of the most star-studded casts of any film in recent years. But is it possible to enjoy a movie in which millions of innocent people die from a virus?
Gwyneth Paltrow plays a wife and mother who’s just returned home from a business trip in Hong Kong. She soon gets sick and dies (and I’m not spoiling anything here – we learn this in the trailer). Soon outbreaks of the disease and deaths begin happening in major cities all over the world. Matt Damon plays the husband and father. He’s immune from the virus and becomes the “regular guy” character that the story follows.
The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization soon get involved, as it becomes clear that an epidemic is underway. Soon the race begins to identify the source of the virus and create a vaccine. Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet play C.D.C. officials while Marion Cotillard is the W.H.O. representative.
And there’s Jude Law, who plays a popular internet blogger who believes that the government isn’t being truthful with the frightened public about the disease and possible cures.
Obviously “Contagion” couldn’t be “the feel-good hit of the yerar”. It’s pretty grim, and at times, very gruesome. There are a few scenes, especially in the first half hour, that are a bit tough to watch. However director Steven Soderbergh does present a very realistic portrayal of what would likely happen if a killer virus did start taking over the world.
The performances are pretty solid. Damon does a nice job as the stunned widower trying to protect his daughter. Law’s web-wacko is also an interesting character. He has one of the best scenes in the movie – an on-camera debate with Fishburne on a live talk show.
But the problem with having so many major stars in one film is that they each have to have their own subplot, which doesn’t allow for any of the individual storylines to fully develop. Even though “Contagion” is told in a straight-forward, chronological fashion (complete with the days of the epidemic listed at the bottom of the screen) the film bounces around between all these stories so much that we don’t really get to feel for any of the characters. When one of the key figures dies you’re not sad or shocked. It’s simply “oh well”.
As for being a thriller, I really was never on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to live or die, or if the cure would come in time to save the world. But you do start thinking about who was last person who sat in the seat you’re in at the theater and to stop touching your face so often.
“Contagion” is rated PG-13 for disturbing scenes, violence and some brief adult language. Clearly it’s not for young kids, but is appropriate for teens and up.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Contagion” gets a C.
Most people will want to watch “Contagion” because of the star-power. Afterall, how else could a studio convince anyone to see a film in which millions of people get sick and die. But this is also the movie’s biggest problem. Yet, a cast of Damon, Paltrow, Law and Winslet is nothing to sneeze at. Oops! Sorry.