Easily it was one of my most anticipated films of the year. We got Steven Soderbergh, a brilliant all-star cast (Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and more), and deadly disease outbreak plot. Almost everything I look for a thriller. Therefore I’m thinking that may have been Contagion’s downfall.
The movie begins a day after the outbreak. We see as three different individuals go about their day coughing, sweating, and becoming more and more ill. Two days later, they’re dead, but not before they were able to spread the disease to others around them. In Minnesota, Matt Damon’s wife was one of the people dead. Damon is shocked at his wife’s sudden death and later the death of his stepson. The hospital immediately quarantines him to make sure he isn’t carrying the disease. All the while, the Center for Disease Control is trying to find a solution to the problem before it becomes an epidemic. Laurence Fishburne is head of the CDC and sends Kate Winslet to Minnesota to investigate the contagion and bring order to the infected community. Scientists played by Jennifer Ehle and Demetri Martin work on a cure for the CDC. Meanwhile, Jude Law, a rogue blogger, tries to convince his followers that the government isn’t working in the people’s best interest. Also, Marion Cotillard travels to China to investigate where the outbreak began.
Without a doubt, Contagion is full of great performances. Many of the more famous actresses are advertised on the bill, but the true female lead of the film is Jennifer Ehle. Ehle did a great job portraying a scientist bent on finding a cure for this disease. She was brave, resilient, and humble. Winslet also gave a spectacular performance. Her role was smaller than expected, but she played one of the more memorable characters the film. I felt short-changed by Marion Cotillard’s role. Soderbergh gives us a rather long montage-like sequence of just watching Cotillard meeting with Chinese officials. Regardless, Cotillard made the most of it, and that final scene with her spoke volumes. John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) also had a very small role. But like Cotillard, he made the most of it, making him another memorable character. Fishburne surprised me with his portrayal of a CDC director with good intentions.
If you couldn’t tell, there are many storylines going on through the movie. But Soderbergh knows how to handle them. The audience weaves through the different storylines easily. Nothing is confusing or complicated. Everything is clearly explained and understood. In a way, it was almost like the movie was talking down to the audience. This caused the film to become stagnant at some points. It also caused me to be fairly underwhelmed. I like complicated storylines; I like stories that make me think. Contagion didn’t deliver that. It showed us what happened, why it happened, and the outcome. If anything was somewhat thought-provoking, it was Jude Law’s part. One thing I felt epidemic films haven’t explored yet was the role social networking and internet would take. Law’s character is a very popular blogger, and it was interesting to see how many people responded to his anti-government blog posts and tweets.
The movie is so well-acted and well-directed that it was very disappointing that I overall found the movie to be underwhelming. Maybe the all-star cast and director made my expectations too high. The movie did have a panicked tone, much thanks to the acting. But as the movie went on, it became less and less thrilling. My reaction to the ending was just a simple “Oh.” I wasn’t scared to touch the theater door handle when leaving or didn’t flinch when some sneezed near me. Contagion didn’t affect me. I guess I’m immune.
Contagion will release into the theaters September 9th.
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