Contagion, 2011
So today's review (just in case you missed the tittle) is Contagion staring Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and many, many more.
The premise of Contagion is simple enough; the world is gripped with a dangerous disease that is killing millions and is highly contagious as the world goes into hysterics scientists work night and day looking for a vaccine and possible cure.
Any film or story that talks about a deadly disease I am reminded of Albert Camus's The Plague, and honestly although the premises are very much the same the exploration of it is very different. Disappointingly Contagion does not explore the isolation that one might feel stuck in quarantine. And unlike The Plague, Contagion looks at the moment when people are freaking out because the possibility of their death is looming, although technically death is reality for everyone.
Death and Destruction and Jude Law
Contagion doesn't beat around the bush as it goes straight to spread of disease from the beginning of the film and within 10 minutes the whole world is under threat. The film follows mulitple stories and characters from around the world. However the "centre" of the film is Damon's character Mitch as his wife and stepson are the first to fall victims to the disease. And although Mitch brings insight to the human tole of the disease for everyday people I was more interested in the other characters and their quest to find the cure and/or vaccine. The film never lags and in constant movement and thus when it goes back to scenes with Mitch it seems to distract from the more important issues that the film explores. But director Steven Soderbergh does not spend too much screen time on Mitch. Thus Soderbergh did manage to balance the suspense with the emotion by placing scenes with Mitch and his daughter scattered throughout the film.
Damon's Mitch with his on screen daughter (Anna Jacoby-Heron)
The film does a good job of keeping me interested in every character within the film and making most if not all characters relevant within the film. As films with mulitple characters can be both confusing and annoying to watch but not this one. As mentioned the film is pretty consistent throughout its running time there are very few moments that bored me and thus the experience was very enjoyable. But despite its very strong beginning and middle, the ending was weak. Soderbergh's ending to the film was a little too neat and everything ends as expected and although most movie goers would be completely happy with this "nice" ending I wanted more. Maybe it's the saddest in me but I would have preferred a more ambiguous ending which leaves people questioning and wondering. Soderbergh also skilfully manages to end most of the individual stories that he developed in a natural progression without it being forced.
Marion Cotillard and Chin Han hard at work looking for a cause
Also I was really excited that there were so many famous faces in the film. It was rather fun to be pleasantly surprised by them.
Verdict: Contagion is a solid film which pulls no surprises in its story telling but is still really entertaining due to its consistency to hold suspense and tension. Although it is not without faults (especially with its slightly disappointing ending) most movie goers will be thoroughly satisfied with this film. 7.8/10
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