Contagion (2011)

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  April 21, 2012

  cosmo313

  Featuring an all star cast who give some really solid performances, this is a very sharp, realistic, intense, medical thriller epidemic film from acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh. Since he's behind it, you know it's gonna look great, be stylish, and be one of the better films... read more of its type, especially since there's a high degree of medical and scientific accuracy on display.
  
  The film follows the origins of an unknown but highly lethal virus as it spreads across the world at a fast rate, with the efforts of scientists, researchers, and others as they all find a way to deal with the situation as society begins to succumb to the disease and break down.
  
  This is, in many ways, a horror film in the same vein as something like Children of Men. This isn't quite as fierce and intense as that one, but it's still pretty frightening at times. It does start to lose some steam by the third act, but it never falters enoguh to totally kill the overall grade. Had it not (slightly) dipped though, I'd definitely be giving this an extra half star.
  
  Cliff Martinez's score is awesome, and really highlights the tense atmosphere of the situation, the cinematography and editing are superb, and Sodderbergh's direction is dynamite. I'm not going to list all of the cast memebers here, because there's too many to take the time ot list, but there's lots of A-listers and award winners and nominees (Oscars, Golden Globes, etc) here, and, even though only some get more screen time than others, all bring something to the table, and it's great seeing this much talent actually be put ot good use, unlike the way it is wasted in the recent films of Garry Marshall.
  
  All in all, this is some terrific, nightmarish stuff. Definitely check it out. It'll make you think, but probably a bit paranoid as well.

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  April 11, 2012

  SirPant

  No action, no unnecessary heroics, no Monkeys, already Contagion was the grown up version of the 'Epidemic' movie. It is intelligent, beautifully filmed, well acted (by a great cast), is full of suspense, completely realistic and believable and is a real breath of fresh air that ... read morethe genres needed. Seems the public don't want intelligence though, shame.

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  April 6, 2012

  theylovealexis

  I watched this on the plane, maybe it wasn't the best idea. I was convinced everyone was going to get me sick.. when I woke up. I fell asleep half way through this movie. Saw Gwyneth get her head cut off in yet another movie, took a nap, woke up to find some pig, bird, bat thing ... read morestarted the whole outbreak. It had an all-star cast, so there's that.

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  March 17, 2012

  skactopus

  Steven Soderbergh's Contagion goes epidemic and spreads the virus in a matter of minutes.

  Jumping right in at what is considered day 2 of the outbreak and then spanning another 100+ days of unfolding the issue, Contagion wastes little to no time at getting to the

  ... read morepoint. The story plays out with a high sense of realism, and while this does make for an intriguing 100 minutes, the film lacks that extra punch and sense of excitement.

  What does help pass the time is the plethora of characters to follow. Each, more or less, has their own subplot, thanks to the epidemic taking place worldwide, but there is interaction between some of them from time to time.

  With a number of characters to go around, there isn't a lead to single out. It really is a collaborative effort made up of many recognizable faces. There are solid performances to go around; however, no one stands out above anyone else.

  Ultimately, Contagion has the makings of an epic movie; however, it doesn't necessarily come across like one. Still, it is a picture to behold.

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  March 10, 2012

  fb1463751009

  "Nothing spreads like fear"... that's right except the fear isn't conveyed to the audience in a way where the epidemic has a claustrophobic and isolating quality.
  
  Don't get me wrong, "Contagion" is expertly crafted with didactic, sharp dialogue, an incredible ensemble, and stabl... read moree direction. Kate Winslet? Matt Damon? Count me in... The story is absolutely compelling and engaging. The most realistic movie you're gonna face in terms of an epidemic. "Contagion" covers all spectrums of such a situation -- political, national security, depravity, the infected and non-infected. As the movie rolls on, it seamlessly swings its attention all over the place with a very steady-hand and level-headed approach. Unfortunately, the only time the gravity of the epidemic of it becoming an extermination of the human race is conveyed, is only when characters are uttering numbers and statistics of the atrocities or the audience's viewings of only a few of the key characters. Yes, of course we see depravity running its course through numerous unnamed and unknown characters but to witness the entirety of our world to be brought in humility through an exterminating virus without a great impact on emotion is a big gaping flaw. Call me heartless. I know there were plenty of key characters that were shown dealing with this virus, but as for the other millions of people that are affected? I'm not expecting a huge scale of people bowing down in tears and crying out to God, but I was expecting much more of a riveting impact on my senses and emotion. For some characters, like for instance the Emhoff family, there IS character development and emotions flying around... but on the other sectors of the story, not so much.
  
  Otherwise, "Contagion" was a highly engaging thriller that fails deliver the weight of the fear and emotions of a possible apocalyptic disease throughout the entire movie.

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  March 6, 2012

  stuartb1234

  Very good film. Thought provoking and scary. How easily something like this could happen.

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  March 4, 2012

  sergioogarcia

  What a great cast for this Steven Soderbergh movie that emulates all the consequences that could bring one of those viruses like AH1N1. That caughts everyone unaware, no vaccines available, no time for research, panic, terrorims and conspirancy theories. The approach is very good... read more, the direction is fantastic. Unfortunatelly we have seen this kind of movies many times. This view is different and I like it.

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  March 2, 2012

  fb100002384654145

  Feels like "28 Days Later", except nobody turns into zombies. What I admire about the film is its attention to realism, the filmmakers also do a pretty sublime job at building up tension as the deadly disease spreads across the world. The film also benefits from a star-studded ... read moreensemble cast that do a pretty good job overall, despite their individual characters lacking development. Unfortunately, where the actors succeed, the film fails. Scott Z. Burns, who previously worked with director Steven Soderbergh on the corporate espionage thriller "The Informant", struggles to balance a complex and multi-layered plot. This leaves the overall message of the movie hard to decipher and none of the film's multiple story arcs are given adequate resolutions. Combines this with the film lacking any big pay-off, the movie drags and seems to sizzle out in the second-half. It is almost as if the movie is missing a third act. Contagion comes off as "Traffic" but without most of the intrigue or emotional resonance that made that film good.

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  February 11, 2012

  spielberg00

  What makes CONTAGION so engaging is how understandable and crystal clear it is. I began watching, nervously expecting a film similar to Michael Crichton's 1960s novel The Andromeda Strain, a work about a plague that only a doctor of the medical field could possibly comprehend. In... read morestead, it seems more similar to Stephen King's 1970s novel The Stand, or its television mini-series adaptation, with a different sense of horror.

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  February 9, 2012

  FilmFanatik

  Contagion is a film that I've been hearing about positively since its theatrical release and I decided to go out and rent it for the evening. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the film. What could have been a generic, by the numbers, Outbreak-type movie turns out to be... read more a more clinical and much better made film than that. It has a lot of star power thanks to the directorial draw of Steven Soderbergh, including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet and many, many others. The entire plot of the film is the arc of a viral outbreak from inception to cure, and a bit beyond. The film looks and sounds great (as is usally the case with Soderbergh's work), but it feels more akin to an HBO original movie to me than a major theatrical release. I also don't find it engaging enough to warrant seeing multiple times. I'm sure that seems odd of me saying given my rating, but it's one of those good movies that you don't particularly want to see more than once. Once the arc of the story is over, there's nothing so compelling to make me want to revisit again. I could eat those words, but that's what I was feeling at the end. There's some good performances, good score and some nice direction, but you might not want to see it again after seeing it once. Not that it's bad, it's just not that interesting. It's very much Traffic, but in a different situation. That's my take, anyway.

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• Marion Cotillard as Dr. Leonora Orantes
• Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff
• Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ellis Cheever
• Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede
• Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff
• Kate Winslet as Dr. Erin Mears
• Bryan Cranston as Haggerty
• Jennifer Ehle as Ally Hextall
• Sanaa Lathan as Aubrey Cheever

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

• 
  Outbreak (97%)
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  The Happening (87%)
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  Take Shelter (82%)
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  Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (100%)

• • Dennis French: Is there anyway someone could repenise the bird flue is that what were looking at.
  • Dr. Ellis Cheever: Nobody has to the birds are doing that.
• • Dr. Erin Mears: Stop touching your face, Dave.
• • Dr. Erin Mears: Don't talk to anyone! Don't touch anyone!
• • Dr. Ellis Cheever: Well, Dr. Gupta, there continue to be evaluations of several drugs, Ribavirin is among them. But, right now our best defence has been social distancing. No hands shaking, staying home when you're sick, washing your hands frequently.
  • Helpful Doctor: Alan today on Twitter, you wrote on that the truth about this virus is being kept from the world, by the CDC, by the World Health Organisation, to allow friends of the current administration to benefit from it both financially and physically.
• • Beth Emhoff: My arm.
• • Dr. Ally Hextall: It's figuring us out faster than we're figuring it out.

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• Contagion: There Continue To Be Evacuations
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