Contagion takes off as soon as it begins. The beginning is relatively standard, we’re introduced to four characters; they catch a cough, think it’s nothing and begin to pass it from person to person until the worst happens. The first half of the movie flies by as the virus spreads and the various government agencies attempt to learn its origin, contain the spread, and cure it.
The premise is excellent. A virus is an enemy that resonates with each of us. It’s a silent and deadly killer and who doesn’t remember SARS, H1N1, or any other animal flu that has threatened our health in the past ten years. Contagion is the acknowledgement of the very real and very terrifying what-if.
The first two-thirds of the movie are excellent, the government fights to keep the the virus in check and find an cure, a freelance blogger hopes to reveal the corruption in the government and families are torn apart by the virus. There are so many things that could have made Contagion a great movie; good stars, a ferocious and identifiable villain, and breakneck pacing throughout. Yet something ends up missing.
Nearly two-thirds of the way through the movie, the tank runs dry and all you’re left with is a bunch of dead, famous stars. Those that survive are flat and uninteresting. The story stalls. I spent the remainder of the movie expecting something to happen, waiting for something to go wrong, because I was being lulled to sleep by how slow the movie had become. And then it was over. No more fear, no suspense, no reason to care.
I expect that Contagion will be much like SARS and H1N1, once it’s all over most people will barely be able to remember what it was about or what started it.
I recommend letting this one slip by.
-Josh
Contagion (2011) IMDB
Directed by: Steve Soderbergh
Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, and Gwyneth Paltrow
