ballerina_feet55

21 May 2012

Good Movie But A Lot Like Other Epidemic Stories

It starts on day 2 which didn't really make any sense at first. Youfind out why at the very end. I really love epidemic movies and thiswas no exception. Sadly, It is very much like many other epidemicmovies so, if you are looking for something different and surprising,this is not it. I think the events aren't quite as drastic as theywould be if they were real. They show a little bit of chaos but theyshow a lot of empty stores and talk about no nurses at one point.However somehow there is enough food and running water and electricity.To me, that makes it less believable. The story jumps around a lot atthe beginning, which for this type of movie is usual. There are someconfusing parts but you can figure them out. I actually watched themovie twice to really piece it all together. Overall it was a goodmovie. My main complaint is the story was too similar to other epidemicmovies. It was not unique enough and it wasn't very detailed in someaspects. I would still recommend it.

spradley-3

21 May 2012

Not 'Outbreak', for sure!

This was like the last Batman movie - about 30 minutes too long. Itjust kept going and going and people kept getting infected and - geez.All these great names and they barely did any acting. The Matt Damonand Gwenyth characters had such short time on screen that theircharacters could have been played by anyone. I was expecting somethingbetter than 'Outbreak' - which was great, fast moving, suspenseful witha touch of the 'Die Hard' humor in suspenseful moments. This was notfast-moving and there was NO humor. Everyone is serious, all the time.The first part where the infection gets moving makes you think it'sgoing to be good. The way the virus is spread is great - makes you veryself-conscious of how this could happen in today's world of being ableto get around the world in 36 hrs. That's when it slooooooows down. Youhope that the main scientist gets through the film because hercharacter is good - but - at the first cough - you know she's doomed.Pretty much everyone is. It is scary what happens when a town is put inquarantine. I'm glad I didn't see this in the theater - almost did. Fora home DVD -it's good, had some good moments. Don't watch it if you'resleepy - you will nod off. It's not a fast-pace thriller.

Neil Welch

21 May 2012

Maybe I'm not being fair

Contagion is another entry in that thinly populated genre, plaguemovies. Following Gwyneth Paltrow being in at the start of a rathernasty viral thingie, we follow half a dozen or so different threadswhich show efforts to trace the thing to its origins, to manage itsimpact, to find a cure, Paltrow's family, and a blogger out to causetrouble under the impression that it is all for the greater good.This stuff is quite interesting, well played out, easy to followdespite the multiple threads and, to a limited extent capable ofeliciting some feelings of sympathy from time to time. However, for therest of the time it is a fairly cold and emotionless journey whichdoesn't do a whole lot more than lay out the technicalities ofepidemic-watching. Specifically - and I'm afraid I'm going to spoilerthe end here - when a cure is found, everything seems to go back tonormal in fairly short order.For me, the problem with this film was that it wasn't what I wanted itto be. We got a flavour of the anarchy which was starting to set in asorder broke down, the difficulty of living within unwelcome martial lawand, conversely, the difficulty of making people live within martiallaw, piles of rubbish in the street, people breaking into houses andkilling the residents in order to steal food - I wanted to see a lotmore of this stuff. But I guess that a film about how to rebuildsociety in the wake of something like this isn't the film they set outto make.

quinnox-1

20 May 2012

A decent but sleepy and slow paced thriller

Contagion has several things going for it. Like a fine ensemble castwhich includes Matt Damon and Laurence Fishburne, and Eliott Gould. Itappears to have an interesting story, about a worldwide plague and therace to find a cure before it becomes a true Armageddon.Unfortunately though, the movie is not all its cracked up to be. A veryslow pace and sleepy filming style saps a lot of the energy andexcitement from the films premise. Matt Damon is completely wasted in aminor nondescript role. Eliott Gould brings life to the movie playing abrilliant scientist who defies the government in order to continue hisresearch, but later on his story line is dropped and he is absent fromthe rest of the film, which was a shame because I wished the movie hadkept a focus on his character throughout.The ending was drawn out tediously which also left a negativeimpression. This movie did show a realistic and interesting scenario ofwhat might happen in a real global epidemic with lots of small details,but that doesn't make it very entertaining. It's not a terrible film,but just adequate.

Ken Syme

08 May 2012

Contagion: A Terrifying, Touching Film

Watching "Contagion" in a crowded movie theater is like watchingCloverfield on a subway. "Contagion" is a terrifyingly plausiblethriller following the rapid progression of a worldwide epidemic willhave audiences glued to their virus-riddled seats.Director Steven Soderbergh develops the story in a brilliantlyrealistic fashion – focusing simultaneously on the devastating effectsof the disease while the medical community scrambles desperately tofind a cure and control the hysteria that spreads more quickly than thevirus itself.As Soderbergh depicts the disease's transmission through humaninteraction – including coughing, and more dangerously, touching – theaudience members find themselves reaching for their hand sanitizer,suddenly aware of how many germs they are exposed to on a regularbasis. Furthermore, this touching film (pun intended) provides insightinto the human condition; touching on subjects ranging from death,desperation, and violence to grief, love, and understandingThe all-star cast of characters, including: Matt Damon, Jude Law, KateWinslet, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marion Cotillard,brings this film to the next level. Their excellent portrayals coupledwith Soderbergh's realistic depiction of a world fighting against timeand an unknown, fatal virus brings the sickness into the theater.Unlike most disease or epidemic thrillers, "Contagion" focuses on thescience of the virus more than it focuses on the horrific symptoms.Through this detailed, scientific approach, the logic behind thevirus's creation and transmission becomes extremely solid. The film'sunsettlingly realistic premise easily makes it seem like a PSA forinoculations, while the plausible and rapid developments in the plotalso make the film a depiction of survival.Moreover, Soderbergh brilliantly manipulates the cinematography toallow for lingering close-ups, quick cuts of devastated scenery, andoccasional moments of black humor. These detailed techniques show thevirus's destruction while simultaneously giving the audience a sickthrill. "Contagion" is the most realistic and disturbingepidemic/disease/thriller movie of the year, so it's certainly worthwatching – though viewers should probably consider bringing a bucket ofsoap and warm water, some hand sanitizer, some acid, or possibly fullcontamination suits.

08 May 2012

Very good action film, not many disappointments

We saw this movie the day after it came out. We went into the moviewith low expectations, because the previews/trailers made it seem verymuch like many other movies. And, to be fair, it really was similar tomovies like Outbreak in many ways, but much better. Outbreak had sortof a TV- movie sort of feel, low budget in many ways. Contagion doesnot feel low budget at all. The cinematography is outstanding (notsomething I'd normally notice!), where different scenes have totallydifferent color schemes and feels depending on the location andsituation. Matt Damon was amazing as the concerned father, and KateWinslet was so good as an American epidemiologist, I totally forgotabout Rose Dawson. There were only a handful of scenes that lagged or seemed a bit boring.There is about a two-minute montage of no dialogue, just visuals, thatis meant to move the story forward, but it lasts far too long anddoesn't give us any new information. It seemed like a bad decision inediting.Also, from the political standpoint, for much of the film you are giventhe impression this a very right-wing piece of propaganda, yet at theend you are given an undeniably left-wing perspective as well. I won'tspoil it by being any more specific, but just to say - don't getoffended to shut down if you think the politics are not what you agreewith - it'll likely change before it's over.

albrechtcm

04 May 2012

Another Ho Hum Infection Flick

First off, I'll admit I've never been a fan of the Unseen Enemy. Iparticularly don't care for the scary virus or disease that's killingpeople off like flies. As far as I'm concerned, we've already had waytoo many of these and certainly don't need another. Aside from that,this particular film is downright drudgery which the producers try toenliven with spurts of loud hard-driving music designed to imply thatsomething really BIG is coming. But it never does. We just go from onevictim or group of victims to another while waiting for the CURE thatwill save the world in the nick of time. Not a thriller in any sense ofthe word and there's no suspense at all despite the pounding score. Ifeel that all these actors deserved better and they should have heldout for it. Elliot Gould was completely wasted in his short role. theothers were wasted in their longer roles. A very sad waste of time andmoney.

Davor Blazevic

03 May 2012

Fictional viral outbreak plausibly dramatized in docu-like fashion

Stephen Soderbergh's latest direction, "Contagion" (2011), thoughbringing less than expected excitement, is an absorbing movie to watch,efficient as a social and behavioural study, but no less as anaccomplished collection of individual case studies, offeringsufficiently thought-provoking arguments, such as the factthat--despite all the scientific advances and exhaustive efforts of thethousands of specialists--mankind still stands pretty helpless in theprevention of new viral outbreaks and their many strains occurringglobally, when even seemingly well organised societies easily slip intochaos of the ultimate battle: the individual fight for survival, allfurther fuelled by unstoppable leaks (however, lucrativesensationalism, as well) on an almost inevitable, mutually supportive(money and power shouldn't mix, but mostly they do) corporal andgovernmental cover-ups.Many good actors partake in the movie: Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, JudeLaw, Jennifer Ehle, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould, to name a few,though one cannot expect remarkable character development when actionis dispersed and story spread on so many leads. Nevertheless,Soderbergh... - - - S P O I L E R - - - if you mind, please don't readany further - - - ...knows how to make people count, believing indecisive difference their increasingly frequent, self-sacrificingactions will make, trusting in ultimate selflessness and benevolence,whether among pre-organised, or ad hoc gathered communities, down tothe last individual--now under extreme conditions--rediscovering theiraltruism and, as implied in a reserved hope raised towards the end,having--against all odds--humanity still prevail.

Alan Chan

28 April 2012

Go and wash your hands...NOW!

Now go and wash your hands! That's what you'll be doing after you seethis film. Contagion is a frightening realistic procedural thrillerabout the spread of an airborne pandemic virus, its impact on anensemble cast of characters played by a veritable 'Who's Who' ofHollywood and the subsequent race to find a cure.Like his earlier work 'Traffic', Soderbergh skilfully interweaves thevarious story lines into a bigger picture that breathlessly tracks andencircles the globe. The cast do not let him down. It's impossible tosee a bad performance from Matt Damon and once again his role as agrieving father is sensitively and painfully played. We really feel hissense of sudden and unexpected loss as he struggles to internalise thenews of his wife's death, disbelieving, dazed and confused. MarionCotillard adds an international hue to her role as a World HealthOrganisation investigator whilst Jude Law plays the role of aninsidious Australian blogger, who dangerously undermines the medicalestablishment's attempts to find a cure for his own conspiratorial andfinancial gains, to perfection. I could go on; Laurence Fishburne, KateWinslet, Jennifer Ehle and John Hawkes all provide solid support in astarry cast.What makes this film so compelling is the way Soderbergh is able toshow how unhygienic human beings are and how easy it is to create apandemic. In hundreds of different absent minded ways we touch ourfaces on a daily basis and in doing so, transfer and spread dangerousviruses amongst ourselves. Next time you're in the supermarket look outfor the number of people who pick their noses, wipe their mouths andcough, sneeze and splutter their way past you without any attempts tocover their mouths. They're picking up (and putting back) the fruit andvegetables, handling groceries and even touching your hand whensupermarket staff are giving back your card or change! Worse still, arecent survey showed that although 95% of people say they wash theirhands, only 12% actually do so and consequently 1 in 6 mobile phoneshave faecal bacterial on them and 30% of all handbags. I could go on.Despite a slightly preposterous storyline when Cotillard is kidnappedin Hong Kong, Soderbergh does portray the breakdown of society in anuncomfortably truthful way when people are suddenly and unexpectedlyfaced with their own extinction and the instincts of self preservationtake over. This could have been explored a little further around theworld although at all times the story is grounded in reality. Even thedeath toll of 27 million worldwide in four months has the ring of truthabout it and this is due in no small part to the film's chiefscientific adviser, Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, the John Snow Professor ofEpidemiology at Columbia University. The televised national lottery inthe film is something that I could see happening in the interests offairness and impartiality when the supply of vaccines is unable to keepup with demand when life and death is only one injection away.At the film's closing credits one thing stands out and that is theunheralded and heroic work of the thousands of doctors,microbiologists, virologists and vaccine researchers around the worldwho labour night and day to minimise the effects of such a pandemicoccurring which might wipe out the human race. If you're a pessimistlike me in this age of global warming, massive deforestation, thedepletion of the earth's natural resources, the extinction of wildlifehabitats, overpopulation and overcrowding, go figure...a pandemic likethe one portrayed in Contagion is inevitable (and long overdueaccording to the scientific world). The only question that remains ishow many people will it kill? Anyway, go and see the film – it's athought provoking and scary chiller that taps into the currentzeitgeist.

Katie Sirles

28 April 2012

A billion dead! That's where we're headed!

Have you ever been on a crowded bus and been standing face to face withthe only sweaty, sniffley guy on the bus? And you're standing theresaying to yourself "Great, now I'm going to get sick because this prickdidn't have the common decency to call into work." And then you do getsick and die? But before you die you get home from work and kiss yourwife and then she kisses the kids goodnight and they kiss nana andboppy and nana and boppy didn't have much time left anyway and now it'sbeen cut even shorter?This is the idea of CONTAGION. It all starts with one sick guy whodoesn't keep to himself and hole up in his apartment on the futon likeany good sick person should. The subsequent pandemic is all this guy'sfault and he doesn't know it because he's dead. Although, if he hadfallen ill years ago then Gwyneth Paltrow wouldn't have been able toruin Coldplay. But I digress… So Mitch is married to Beth (Matt Damon,Gwyneth Paltrow) and Beth becomes the first real example of how potentwhatever this sickness is. Now, as someone who is incrediblyhypochondriacal, I have a hard time watching any movie in which one mangets sick and then Jude Law is shouting "A billion dead! That's wherewe're headed!" in his wonderful Jude Law accent. The idea of it – to befrank – scares me. When I get a headache I think that I'm probablygoing to die, so this sort of this is just unacceptable. It is alsomore frightening because this could actually happen.All of that being said, I didn't particularly enjoy the film. Lootingand riots over vaccines? Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet trying tosolve a global crisis together? It makes no sense! Maybe I am being toohard on this movie. Maybe it just wasn't as good as DRIVE – which I sawright before CONTAGION. Maybe if Ryan Gosling had run into CONTAGIONand stomped a guy's head in I would have been more satisfied. I amcheapening the good name of CONTAGION which stars one of – in myopinion – the most talented actors of our time.It's a great idea. Scaring everyone to do anything ever because theymight get sick and die. I'm sure that something like this isn't toofar-fetched. It is entirely possibly that someday an illness will wipeour species clean. It is more plausible than, say, cowboys fightingaliens or the rising of the apes. This movie is every bit as worthwhileas those two 'summer blockbusters'. One can only hope that if any ofthese things do happen that we will all have our very own Jude Lawscampering about, shouting. He is, after all, the man with the plan.And the garbage bag spaceman suit.****Visit www.mssilverscreen.com for more of my reviews****

featheredsun

23 April 2012

Realistic and and engaging - no nonsense

I've seen a few bad reviews here that seem to stem fromover-expectation. Some people look at the cast and seem to think - WOW!This is going to be like Jason Bourne -vs- Morpheus in the AI SpidermanHot Zone!!! Please.This is a fairly paced imagining of what a superflu outbreak would belike. The story is thoughtful, solid, and very realistic, covering allthe themes of man-at-his-worst, paranoia, helplessness, beingoverwhelmed, etc... It doesn't veer into any hard-to-believe covertaction nonsense that so fills the cinemas these days. There's noblack-ops CDC teams, alien genetics, or grim revenge raids onhigh-security quarantine facilities.Sorry. Look elsewhere.Like Traffic, from the same director, we simply have a calm look at afrightening situation and an observation at the human interactions andemotions that go with it.And as such, it works, it is enjoyable, and it is well done.

iniestaone

23 April 2012

Boring

I probably rate this 1/10 since I had huge expectations before pressingPlay.What sucks about it is that it ended when it should have began. I gotso bored during the first 20 minutes I barely even watched it withoutFacebooking with VLC in windowed mode. I wanted to see a movie about contagion, about how people react in aapocalypse-like environment. Sadly, we barely got those scenes. Damonhad no development, the film should've been centered around him and thechoices he has to make to keep his daughter safe. There was 1 instanceof that i think; in the line where they handed out food, someone pushedhis daughter and Damon pushed him back. And yeah, the kid who stalkshis daughter, Damon had to tell him off a couple of times.Twitter & Facebooktime. In the TV interview, it just sounded so stupidwhen the host asks the blogger "on Twitter, you wrote..." Like really?I don't know, maybe i'm just tired but it seems stupid when they'retalking about a global conspiracy.The ending wasn't explained at all, they just showed some animals doinganimal things. Like 2 minutes. They seriously felt 2 minutes wereenough to explain the virus origin, and they didn't even explain it,they just showed how it went from bats to people. I think Contagion would've been better if they shortened the hugeupbuilding and the boring lab scenes, put more focus on Damon and hisdaughter, more scenes from the streets, a better & well explainedending, and maybe even make the movie 30 minutes longer.

Evomoralesforever

15 April 2012

If you hate Gwyneth Paltrow you will love this movie.

Seriously, she dies in the first like ten minutes. There is a scenewhere her head gets chopped open too and her face looks all stupid andit was hilarious. Plus, she got sick because she was like cheating onher husband or something. So she caused millions of deaths because shewas an awful person. Oh and her husband was totally a nice dude thatcared for her kid, who died too might I add, because of herpromiscuousness. The rest of the movie is pretty OK too I guess. Thereare riots. Whats his face (the bald British dude) plays some sort ofanti-science jerkwad that blogs or something. Anyway, he's a majorgrade A jerkwad. Oh, and the French actress, whats her face, she getskidnapped by a bunch of Chinese dudes. I felt like that plot line couldhave been resolved in a better fashion. However, it does not detractenough for to lose the thrill of seeing the Gwyneth Paltrow characterdie on screen. 10 out of 10 for me.

salber-2

15 April 2012

Worst date movie ever

This is not a movie to see if you have even a hint of a cold. And it iscertainly not a movie to take your date to because that special someoneis likely to come out of the theater wanting to avoid all human contactand definitely not engage in any activity where there might be anexchange of bodily fluids. And God help you if Chinese food was part ofyour evening's plans.Because of all the aforementioned it is hard for me judge this movieobjectively.The movie was shot in a pale yellow light and generally conveys thefeeling of sickness throughout. While it no doubt takes talent to makeGwyneth look unappealing, sex unthinkable and everyone in the audiencefeel they are trapped on a stuffy bus with a bunch of coughing sneezingriders, I am just not sure it is a talent I can appreciate.Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a seat of the pants thriller and even aterrifying horror flick, but a film that makes me want to take twoaspirin and call my doctor ...not so much.You of course may be different.

jgrizzle358

13 April 2012

Not sure what to think...

Contagion was good, but don't let the trailer fool you. It's not anaction-packed post-apocalyptic thriller. It's like a... slow moving,suspenseful drama. The movie focuses more on how ideas can be moredangerous than a virus when placed in the wrong hands. The movie iscertainly more realistic then most virus/contamination flicks, meaningthat it doesn't go into some overplayed, everyone drops dead likeflies, kinda deal. The movie's main focus is on how we should or shouldnot deal with such a crisis. It's not your average disaters movie. No explosions and fights, verylittle violence. If anything This is more a thought provoking set piecerather than an actual movie. There's lots of emotion and mellowdramaand I'd be lying if I said it was captivating. However, against allodds, and even with it's flaws you still take something out of it inthe end. And I believe that's what the writers intended. It's not aboutthe story. It's really not. It's about the idea. It's about the "whatif?" scenario. It's about that lingering thought in the back of yourmind when the credits roll. You come out of not knowing exactly what tothink. Did you like? Did you hate it? You're honestly not sure. All youknow is it stuck with you for some reason.This isn't the first time Matt Damon has been in a movie with thatlingering effect. The movie "Hereafter" sort of leaves you with thesame feeling at the end...This is a movie that cannot be truly explained in words aside from whatI have already done. All I can say is, watch it. And when you startwatching it, completely erase your mind, don't try to think about ittoo much, don't go into expecting something. Just watch it. Regardlessof how bored you get, watch it until the end. Then ask yourself how youfeel afterwards... You may be surprised to find that you aren't reallysure...overall rating: 6/10

Turfseer

12 April 2012

For Soderbergh, creators of vaccines are new worldwide saviors!

In his new pseudo-documentary, Contagion, Steven Soderbergh hasendorsed the idea that modern medicine has taken the place of worldreligion and elevated the physicians and research scientists to therole of high priests. Soderbergh is in perfect sync with fear-mongeringhealth organizations such as the CDC, who manufacture health epidemicsin order to peddle vaccines to an unsuspecting public, who have gladlygiven up any sense of individual responsibility for taking care oftheir own health. The 'Contagion' is an event that government healthbureaucrats probably unconsciously wish for; after all, such an eventwould confirm all their dire predictions and place them in a positionof complete power and control. Victims in the 'Contagion' must undergosuffering akin to Christ on the cross. Their rite of 'baptism' isthrough the modern vaccine, where their 'demons' are exorcised and theyend up owing a life-time debt to the medical and research establishmentfor supposedly saving their life.Unfortunately for modern medicine, contagions as depicted inSoderbergh's film, are strictly a work of complete fiction. Invariably,every few years, the CDC, partnering with local health organizations,warn of crippling health pandemics, which can only be prevented by massinoculations (leading to billions of dollars of profits bypharmaceutical companies). Take, for example, West Nile Virus, one ofthe latest health scares which was supposed to cause havoc throughoutNorth America. Usually its small sample of victims turn out to beelderly people who already are suffering from a myriad of healthproblems. But of course the pundits of orthodox medicine conclude thatall these peoples' problems stem from a single source: a mosquito bite.In Soderbergh's perverse world, alternative practitioners are the'heretics' who must be suppressed. Jude Law's blogger, Alan Krumweide,has the temerity to expose CDC head Ellis Cheever, who has givenadvance warning of the impending contagion crisis to family and friendsso that they're able to flee Chicago before a quarantine has beenimposed. Soderbergh's strategy is to temporarily have Krumweide takedown the saintly Cheever a peg, in order to show that he's 'onlyhuman'. Later saintly Cheever, gives up his own precious vaccine tosave the son of a janitor who works at CDC headquarters. The 'fallen'Cheever (also blamed for delays in the dissemination of an effectivevaccine) is restored to the pantheon of saints after his self-sacrificeinvolving the janitor's son. Meanwhile, Krumweide is exposed as afraud, after peddling a homeopathic remedy as a cure (which he'ssurreptitiously marketed to investors) and pretending as well that he'sbeen infected with the virus. Homeland Security partners with modernmedicine, just as the Catholic church found their own government alliesin bygone days, to take down anyone who dared to question theirdogmatic belief systems. Soderbergh is smugly satisfied as the 'evil'blogger is taken away in handcuffs by 'valiant' government securityagents! If the imperfect Dr. Cheever is 'canonized' at film's end, there's noneed for Dr. Ally Hextall to have her reputation sullied at all. Afterall, it's Dr. Hextall who identifies the characteristics of the MEV-1virus , linking it to a genetic mix of bat and pig viruses. Hextall'srole here is way beyond a mere priest. She can be likened to a modernday Jesus, a veritable Savior, who miraculously discovers that elusivecure, a vaccine that immediately provides the immunity to the deadlycontagion. At the conclusion of 'Contagion', we learn of thepseudo-science behind the MEV-1 virus' origins. It's simply a matter ofa bat dropping part of an uneaten banana into a pig's trough. The pigwho eats the infected banana ends up in the kitchen of a Macao casino;and because the chef merely forgets to wash his hands, he somehowtransmits the virus to Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow). On the other hand, it'sunclear why others, such as everyman Mitch Emhoff and his daughterJory, are immune to the virus, despite close contact with initialvictim Beth.If alternative practitioners are directly linked to the work of thedevil, bureaucrats who seek to stymie the 'godly' work of vaccineresearchers, run a close second. Dr. Mears (Kate Winslet) an 'EpidemicIntelligence Officer' is rebuffed by local bureaucrats who arereluctant to commit resources to handle the impending crisis. Worse arethe officials who send a ransom of placebos following World HealthOrganization epidemiologist Orantes's kidnapping by a Chineseepidemiologist after he attempts to save the remaining survivors in hisown village who have no access to the 'precious' vaccines. Note moresaintly self-sacrifice: Dr. Mears succumbs to the deadly contagion andOrantes nobly runs back to the village to warn them that the vaccinesthey've obtained, are bogus!In the 1950s, orthodox medicine elevated their first 'miracle worker'to the pantheon of modern day world saviors. That man's name was Dr.Jonas Salk--creator of the polio vaccine. Now Soderbergh wants to outdoeven Salk; his 'Contagion' can perhaps be seen as an allegory, likeningthe deadly plague to cancer itself. Soderbergh's vaccine is sopowerful, that it prevents the eradication of the human race.Ultimately, Soderbergh never questions the 'gospel truth' of modernorthodox medicine but always sticks to the 'company line'. Instead hewould do well to listen to Edda West who cogently sets the recordstraight in regards to that earlier 'epidemic' in her article, 'PolioPerspectives': "That the polio virus is the sole cause of polio isaccepted by most people as gospel, and that the Salk and Sabin vaccineseradicated polio in the western world is etched into our collectiveconsciousness as the major medical miracle of our time. But the historyof polio and its vaccines is shrouded in a murky mist ofpolitico/scientific manipulation, altered statistics, redefinition andreclassification of the disease, increased cases of vaccine inducedparalytic polio, and monkey viruses transmitted by contaminatedvaccines to millions of people worldwide."

TheLittleSongbird

07 April 2012

An excellent film

I heard much about Contagion and having loved Traffic and Oceans Elevenand also the concept, I was really intrigued into seeing it. And I wasvery impressed. Okay, Contagion's drama and tension levels are notquite as effective as those of Traffic, and some scenes could have donewith more conflict.However, it is not devoid of any of those things, and there are someshocking and suspenseful moments to savour as well. As you would expectfrom Soderbergh, Contagion is a slickly made film, with an intelligentand taut script, efficient directing and a well paced and interestingif sometimes wordy story.And I can't not mention the cast. Of an exemplary cast, GwynethPaltrow, Jennifer Ehle, Bryan Cranston and Kate Winslet are solid, andJude Law in an unlikely role is much better than expected. ElliotGould's cameo is nicely understated, and Laurence Fishburne and MarionCotilard are as usual very good. Matt Damon was the standout for me,and one of the highlights of the film.Overall, excellent, while not either among the best or worst of theyear, it was one of the most interesting. 8/10 Bethany Cox

mohamed_atif_fawzy_bat_m

06 April 2012

Would I like to watch it ? Thanks but no thanks.

At first ,know that I am not taking any sides . This great moviedeserved a director like Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino who canadapt some scripts to their vision perfectly making the whole structureof the movie amazing . Also directors like Steven Spielberg or manyothers who could changed the form of the movie completely . PerhapsSteven Soderbergh should have thought about getting of the mentioned asproducers or as writers just to put their distinguished touch .Nevertheless , what happened can not be changed but can be avoided .Secondly , where is the famous chemistry among the actors thatSoderbergh is known to create ? Well , let me answer that question.There is not any possibility to show that chemistry more thanSoderbergh has done as long as the movie is to filmed at its currentform . My point is that he got out of his area of expertise when heattempted to make the movie like this . Consequently , he should havetaken the mentioned matter above . Don not get me wrong he is one ofthe great but in a particular kind of movies . For example : we can notgive Robert Rodriguez a romance flick to make but not any one . Whatabout Valentine's Day ?

Manthan Ginoya

06 April 2012

Offers a chilling view on a virus epidemic

First of all I would like to say that this is my first review.I havebeen rating movies on IMDb for quite sometime but this time I felt Ishould write a review.About the movie I think it is underrated.It is great for what it is andas I wasn't expecting any cheap thrills I thoroughly enjoyed myself.The idea of a virus spreading just by touching someone is chilling initself.But Director Steven Soderbergh's narration is truly spinechilling in its own way, it is subtle but conveys what needs to beconveyed. After watching the movie I went straight to the washroom,such was the impact it made on me. The story has a virus as the mainvillain and depicts how different organizations around the world try totackle a virus epidemic. It gets straight to the point and is veryrealistic, but it is also very emotional. It also shows what peoplewould do for saving their loved ones.The movie has a hugely talented star cast including some Oscar winnersand Nominees and every actor plays their part(in whatever screen spacethey've got) very well. Those who stand out are Matt Damon, Jude Law,Lawrence Fishburne and Jennifer Ehle. Rest are adequate but get verylittle screen time. Jude Law is particularly brilliant in his portrayalof a blogger who thinks he's an independent journalist. Matt Damon isthe emotional backbone of the movie.***MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS Thescene on the last day where he scans through his wife's photos afterhis daughter's boyfriend gets the vaccine is touching. Throughout themovie he suffers from an emotional dilemma which is best notrevealed.SPOILER OVER***The best part of the movie is reserved for the last scene.Watch out forDAY 1 of the virus epidemic.I was disappointed only on one front.The hugely talented and currentlymy favorite actress Marion Cotillard didn't get much to do. I'm goingwith 9/10.Near perfect.

Jessica Fox

05 April 2012

Such a disappointment

I want to start off by saying I love a good story about a biologicaldisaster. That being said, this was not good. I will not go into thedetails of what this movie is about, since so many others have alreadydone so, but I will tell you my thoughts on it. I honestly feel likethis film was dumbed down a little to appeal to the general population.I hated all the drawn out mantages they used instead of telling thestory. I feel like there was so much left out. They focused more on thegovernment conspiracy than the virus or the people. There was also alack of interesting characters in my opinion, and the people that wereinteresting quickly died. I have to say I was also incredibly excitedwhen I saw this movie coming out. Maybe I had set my expectations toohigh, but I was greatly disappointed. I am certainly glad I did not payto see this in the theater!