Film Friday: Contagion ( 2011 ) Movie Review

Title: Contagion
Genre: Thriller/Independent
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Scott Z. Burns
Starring:
Matt Damon
Laurence Fishburne
Jude Law
Gwyneth Paltrow
Release Date: September 9th, 2011
Rating: 4.5/5





Its Matt Damon running away from things!!! Whoo! Or, in the case of Contagion, Matt Damon and the rest of humanity are running from a deadly strain of flu which can kill within a matter of days. The movie interests itself by following a number of characters including workers from the WHO, bloggers, scientists, and your regular joe as they all attempt to deal with the disease, find a cure, and come to terms with its aftereffects (death, societal discord, looting, etc, etc.)

If you have seen the movie Crash, this movie also follows a number of individuals who are seemingly connected to one another despite differences in jobs, geography, and class because of this plague. At one point or another one or more of these characters interact with one another while attempting to find a cure. The movie and plot are delivered to the audience without the smarmyness of a natural disaster movie, rather, the story is told in a very plainclothes way that gives an accurate look at what would happen should  large plague cover the globe without becoming a pseudo-documentary or preaching to the audience.

I suppose my two main complaints are that some of the characters storylines are not as connected to the overall story or reach any satisfying conclusion. For example, Jude Law's character, a whistleblower/blogger figure, there really isn't a clear motivation for his actions nor conclusion to his storyline. You could also say this about Matt Damon's character as well.

Also, since this story is told so plainclothes I am at a loss to tell you the -exact- plot. You got people dealing with a disease and....? It is suggested by the director that this is just another episode of many of humanity dealing with a plague. So, if that's the case, then why is this plague special? Why are these people highlighted? Why this story now? What's the significance? The movie isn't a cautionary tale nor spouting a particular political agenda, rather, it is neutrally telling this tale and, for that reason, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what this movie is communicating to the audience.

However, I found Contagion to be a very compelling movie and a movie well put together and I think it is worth a watch, even if I am unsure what you will be watching.