Oh, That Disease Movie

Contagion is an apocalyptic thriller about an unstoppable and wildly contagious virus that threatens the existence of humanity.  Sound familiar?  After all, the movie has a kind of Resident Evil, I Am Legend vibe to it, but without all the zombie nonsense.  However, this movie runs with a Phonebooth-style psychological thrill that makes it worthwhile. Within the first five minutes of sneezing, face-touching, and hand-shaking, you’ll turn germaphobic.  It’s that good.

There are many ways that this viral thriller sets itself apart from its undead counterparts. First and foremost, the cast is impressive: Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. I don’t get out of bed for fewer than two Oscar-winning actors myself, so this takes the cake.

And Contagion makes the most of its cast, using those celebrity actors to their best shock-value potential.  Example: They actually manage to get Gwyneth Paltrow to look gross.  I didn’t think that was possible, but thanks to director Steven Soderbergh, I’ll never look at Gwyneth the same way again. And while I was in mourning over that, the virus killed off one of the A-list actors and forced us to watch their autopsy. A bloody let-me-peel-your-scalp-over-your-face autopsy, Contagion is not afraid to get down to the nitty-gritty aspects of pathology, so don’t eat beforehand.

It’s the overall authenticity of the film, the cast, and the storyline that define it as a worthwhile 105 minutes of your life. The plot and character arcs are rich and teeming with twists. The audience feels the looming cloud of doom over the characters from the very beginning. The edge-of-your-seat thrills only end when the movie does. The film informs the audience of the science behind epidemics, while not appearing too instructive.

My only real qualms are Matt Damon and Lawrence Fishburne. Many will say that Damon’s character is not outwardly devastated enough at his loss but I give him credit for representing the need to stay strong during the crisis. He does get a nice long cry at the end anyway, so give him a break. Then there’s Laurence Fishburne. He slips one too many virus jokes into the mix.

Overall, Contagion is a great movie that’ll make wash your hands afterward.  The funnier part is: I’m not kidding. It’s a great psychological thriller, yet, it doesn’t have the chutzpah or subject matter to be your next favorite. But it is an immersive, ultra-realistic, apocalyptic experience that is relentless in its cruelty and its loss – and it’s worth your time.