|
Contagion
| Released |
21 October 2011 |
| Director |
Steven Soderbergh |
Starring
|
Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishbourne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet |
| Writer(s) |
Scott Z. Burns |
Producer(s)
|
Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Gregory Jacobs |
Origin
|
United States, United Arab Emirates |
| Running Time |
106 minutes |
| Genre |
Drama, sci-fi, thriller |
| Rating |
12A |
|
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Non-infectious.
With a stellar ensemble cast and having heard good reports already about Contagion, I was rather disappointed at the end result. With the likes of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law on display, among many other star names it must be said, this film fell victim of its own disease.
Contagion is a disaster-movie that explores the potential for a killer virus to mutate at a ferociously rapid pace, wiping out a significant portion of the human race. The film starts with a sick Gwyneth Paltrow returning to America from a business trip in Hong Kong and stylishly follows every minute thing that her character, Beth, comes into contact with – highlighting how simple it is to transfer a virus from one person to the next.
What follows are several interconnecting plot-lines over the course of several months as the outbreak of a new deadly virus spreads internationally and the efforts of those who are trying to prevent it from continuing falter. The premise for the story is sound and the way it is portrayed is actually really believable– which is seriously frightening in a way and perhaps offers a different perspective to recent pandemics of bird and swine flu.
However, it is impossible to become in any way closely related to the characters because there are too many of them. The acting and direction is cold and calculated throughout and reeks of a project that was trying to be artistically amazing as opposed to groundbreakingly meaningful. And that is the most infuriating and frustrating thing– it could have been just that. The cinematography is excellent and, indeed, shocking at times as it holds no fear in graphically showing the audience exactly what could materialise in this sort of scary situation. Yet, for all that there is little substance and some of the sub-plots are in fact pointless.
It touches on areas of health, multi-national corporations, conspiracies, news-reporting, poverty, race and death. That it only touches on these subjects and doesn't inspire you to learn more about them is ultimately what makes Contagion so disappointing.
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David Caulfield |
