Contagion
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Matt Damon*
* Multiple well known actors cast, refer to "Thoughts" for a more complete list.
* Multiple well known actors cast, refer to "Thoughts" for a more complete list.
Genre: Drama, Sci- Fi
Rated: PG- 13
Year: 2011
Thoughts: Beware! Warning! This may contain spoilers!
We all dread that one cough, that first sneeze, or even the sniffles because we know it can all lead to one thing... getting sick. But what if you came down with an illness so quickly that nobody could even figure out what you were infected with? Well that was the basis for the most recent film I watched, Contagion.
When I first saw the trailer for Contagion, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to see the film. However, the trailer heavily lays on the drama. The movie is a different type of sci- fi, meaning that there were no paranormal things, no aliens, or no futuristic science, technology or travel. This film seemed more of a dramatized PSA about making sure to wash your hands and stay away from others, when you feel sick. For those of you who disagree with mee about the PSA comparison, then I hope you can agree with mee about the film being a dramatized version of medical science. The film focuses on a highly fatal and contagious infection, which spreads too quickly to study. The duration of the scene focuses on the different steps taken to identify, stop, and cure the disease.
The movie had way too many characters in it. In the beginning it was difficult to keep story lines straight and remember which doctor was who, where they worked, and what their purpose was. However, as the movie progressed characters' lines began to cross with each other and the story eventually merged into one complete line. I enjoy movies where multiple stories lines converge, but I tend to think this type of storyline should be saved for comedies or more light hearted movies. Using multiple characters in this film lead to many deaths. While many deaths were inevitable, considering it was an epidemic movie, it was shocking that the director would allow so many main characters to die.
The director probably also considered having more characters in order to accommodate more stars, seeing as well known actors and actresses portrayed a majority of the main characters. (Some of the film's cast included: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Elliot Gould, Chin Han, Bryan Cranston, and Jennifer Ehle.)
On a different note, I have to say that this movie is not for the average person. I am interested in science and medicine, so I thought that I would enjoy this (which is half true). But for people who like comedy or lighter dramas, this movie may not be your first choice because an understanding of some medicine and medical science politics is required. While I have some of that basic knowledge, I was slightly confused during important scenes in the movie, and afterwards I ended up googling a few things.
However, the lack of information on the both the audiences' and the characters' part was sometimes exciting because it lead to suspenseful moments. A majority of the movie was spent in the unknown; not knowing the disease, not knowing the cure, not knowing everything. This unknown though was good, it added more suspense to the movie and created more feelings of intensity.
I'd say while the film was interesting and moderately suspenseful, the confusing aspects and large cast made the film difficult to follow at times. While, I prefer this type of epidemic in a film as compared to zombies, I must say that zombie films are more interesting than this one. This film is luck that their cast was filled with many well known actors and actresses, otherwise it may have had more difficulty attracting an audience.
When I first saw the trailer for Contagion, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to see the film. However, the trailer heavily lays on the drama. The movie is a different type of sci- fi, meaning that there were no paranormal things, no aliens, or no futuristic science, technology or travel. This film seemed more of a dramatized PSA about making sure to wash your hands and stay away from others, when you feel sick. For those of you who disagree with mee about the PSA comparison, then I hope you can agree with mee about the film being a dramatized version of medical science. The film focuses on a highly fatal and contagious infection, which spreads too quickly to study. The duration of the scene focuses on the different steps taken to identify, stop, and cure the disease.
The movie had way too many characters in it. In the beginning it was difficult to keep story lines straight and remember which doctor was who, where they worked, and what their purpose was. However, as the movie progressed characters' lines began to cross with each other and the story eventually merged into one complete line. I enjoy movies where multiple stories lines converge, but I tend to think this type of storyline should be saved for comedies or more light hearted movies. Using multiple characters in this film lead to many deaths. While many deaths were inevitable, considering it was an epidemic movie, it was shocking that the director would allow so many main characters to die.
The director probably also considered having more characters in order to accommodate more stars, seeing as well known actors and actresses portrayed a majority of the main characters. (Some of the film's cast included: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Elliot Gould, Chin Han, Bryan Cranston, and Jennifer Ehle.)
On a different note, I have to say that this movie is not for the average person. I am interested in science and medicine, so I thought that I would enjoy this (which is half true). But for people who like comedy or lighter dramas, this movie may not be your first choice because an understanding of some medicine and medical science politics is required. While I have some of that basic knowledge, I was slightly confused during important scenes in the movie, and afterwards I ended up googling a few things.
However, the lack of information on the both the audiences' and the characters' part was sometimes exciting because it lead to suspenseful moments. A majority of the movie was spent in the unknown; not knowing the disease, not knowing the cure, not knowing everything. This unknown though was good, it added more suspense to the movie and created more feelings of intensity.
I'd say while the film was interesting and moderately suspenseful, the confusing aspects and large cast made the film difficult to follow at times. While, I prefer this type of epidemic in a film as compared to zombies, I must say that zombie films are more interesting than this one. This film is luck that their cast was filled with many well known actors and actresses, otherwise it may have had more difficulty attracting an audience.
Rating: 5/10
Any suggestions for movies to watch? Any opinions about the movie?
Comment and please let me know what you're thinking! Thanks guys!
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