Contagion (2011)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude LawRuntime: 106 minutes
Synopsis: Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
Performances: 6/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Verdict: With the unfortunate outbreak of the Corona virus, "Contagion" has been on a lot of people's minds recently for very obvious reasons. Having never seen it, I found the timing to be perfect for a first watch.
The movie, as you've probably already guessed, depicts a global, sudden, and lethal epidemic that quickly starts spreading. It's a unique, very different and much more complex take on a disaster movie that blends politics, science, and precaution rather than utter chaos. And for that reason, I wish that it was tackled through a different format, a limited series to be exact, because 100 minutes is not nearly enough to properly dissect it. The epidemic is macroscopic, but the film only chooses to focus on a select group of people, which makes the virus' magnitude feel much more restraint than it actually is. "Contagion" stars a bunch of famous people, and none of them are really able to showcase their talent. It's difficult to care about any of them when all of their characters have very limited screen time and development. Jude Law's character in particular felt very out of touch with the movie's universe. He plays a blogger that specializes in conspiracy theories, which on paper sounds like an interesting idea, but unfortunately came off as an incredibly annoying caricature of what he could've been.
Soderbergh's goal with "Contagion" was to realistically analyze what would happen in a world panicking over the rise of a pandemic. And while I believe that he did a pretty good job in the little more than 100 minutes he was given, it all still felt rushed and not nearly as critical as it should've been. It's still a good and interesting watch, especially in times like these, but I do wish that he's given the opportunity to adapt it into a limited series at some point.
The movie, as you've probably already guessed, depicts a global, sudden, and lethal epidemic that quickly starts spreading. It's a unique, very different and much more complex take on a disaster movie that blends politics, science, and precaution rather than utter chaos. And for that reason, I wish that it was tackled through a different format, a limited series to be exact, because 100 minutes is not nearly enough to properly dissect it. The epidemic is macroscopic, but the film only chooses to focus on a select group of people, which makes the virus' magnitude feel much more restraint than it actually is. "Contagion" stars a bunch of famous people, and none of them are really able to showcase their talent. It's difficult to care about any of them when all of their characters have very limited screen time and development. Jude Law's character in particular felt very out of touch with the movie's universe. He plays a blogger that specializes in conspiracy theories, which on paper sounds like an interesting idea, but unfortunately came off as an incredibly annoying caricature of what he could've been.
Soderbergh's goal with "Contagion" was to realistically analyze what would happen in a world panicking over the rise of a pandemic. And while I believe that he did a pretty good job in the little more than 100 minutes he was given, it all still felt rushed and not nearly as critical as it should've been. It's still a good and interesting watch, especially in times like these, but I do wish that he's given the opportunity to adapt it into a limited series at some point.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
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