Contagion
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 105 min
"How many times have I told you to wash your hands?" - your mom, but you weren't listening, were you?
Ever think about how you can be sitting in a Hong Kong casino, doing what people do, then a few hours later you're foaming, twitching and dead? Then it turns out you were highly contagious and "doing what people do" involves a lot of touching and passing germs. So how long before everyone on the planet is dead? Contagion puts forth a rather sprawling account of this scenario.
Covering the globe, the story follows several threads as we see just how unhygienic and fragile humans are. And the spread of the disease is one thing, but the spread of panic is another and also leads to some interesting scenarios.
While three stars are mentioned at the top this review, this film is pretty chock-a-block of talent including Laurence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Winslet (is it just me or does she not make everyone feel better when she's on the screen?).
The movie definitely has some good points and shines some light on our ridiculous little world, including how government systems mean well but rarely help. However, the ending is anti-climatic to say the least and I can understand the moviegoer who left the theatre asking friends if they thought the movie was bad or horrible. One thing is for sure - agoraphobics will not be doing themselves any favours by seeing this. On the other hand, many more will no doubt love the message that in the end it's bureaucracy that will probably kill us all.
