Film Review: Contagion

Director: Steven Soderbergh

When you really think about it, the world of film is desperately trying to end the world or kill off the human race. Whether it be an alien invasion, nuclear war or, in the case of Contagion, a deadly virus. With an ensemble cast it had a big budget of over $60million and was heavily advertised. Soderbergh said he wanted to make an ''ultra-realistic'' film about scientific and social response to an epidemic around the world. He was praised by many scientists for the accurate portrayal of how they would go about investigating an epidemic and that many films in the past have sacrificed scientific accuracy for drama.

Movie Poster

*contains spoilers*

After a trip to Hong Kong, Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) stops to see her ex-boyfriend in Chicago before heading back in to Minneapolis to be with her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) and daughter Jory (Anna Jacoby-Heron). She at first appears to have contracted a cold as she displays similar symptoms but then her condition worsens considerably. This starts the outbreak of the virus that spreads all over the world and means that society starts to collapse as people fight to get vaccinated as well as get food and water. All while scientists try to contain the virus and work out exactly what virus it is so they can try to stop it.

Within the ensemble cast with Jude Law in his usual annoying form with some ridiculous accent and Gwyneth Paltrow looks unconvincing. But its fair to say there is a good performance by Matt Damon who has to look after his daughter through the epidemic whilst society around them seems to be collapsing but Kate Winslet is unrelenting and mercurial as Dr. Erin Mears who is brought in by the Department for Homeland Security. She works for the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; she is obviously proud of her work and will stop at nothing in trying to help solve the crisis.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff as she falls ill from the virus

The film itself takes an in-depth look at society as people literally fight for vaccinations and food at stations across America, people take action into their own hands by carrying guns and robbing unsuspecting neighbours. Everybody starts to fight for themselves but it in Mitch we see a character willing to do everything he can to protect his daughter Jory. A superbly macabre moment was the lottery draw based on the date of your birthday for a vaccination, leaving millions of people's lives to be decided by pure chance. Thinking about it, there is no fairer way.

2.5/4 Interesting look at the state of panic but didn't hold the tension well enough