Contagion (2011)

When asked about favourite film genres, there is a plethora of categories that come to mind before I will even consider the troublesome group that is disaster films. The concept of an event that will annihilate us all, whilst mildly entertaining during stressful commutes on the train, more often than not, fails to engross me on screen. However, upon hearing that Steven Soderbergh’s biological disaster thriller managed to kill off some of Hollywood’s shiniest stars, I was darkly excited to see the mayhem.

Contagion is about a highly transmittable virus, passed between humans through contact with surfaces and skin, that reduces us into foaming-at-the-mouth stiffs. The pandemic, originating in Hong Kong, quickly spreads around the world, killing victims within days, and causing widespread panic. Whilst government medical agencies attempt to understand, control and prevent the virus, waves of violent public unrest threaten the safety of citizens, and towns and cities become lawless wastelands. The film follows several interlinking storylines, refusing to present a central character, and instead opting for a multitude of differing experiences to the outbreak.

Gwyneth Paltrow stars as the virus’ starting point, having been in Hong Kong recently, she becomes ill and she soon becomes the first A-lister to receive the chop. Her husband, Matt Damon, already grieving the sudden death of his wife, receives another emotional blow, after returning home to find his step-son also dead from the flu-like killer. The boffins quickly conclude Damon to be harbouring a contagious sickness bug, and place him into quarantine, but release him after he remains healthy for several days. He now must survive with his adolescent daughter, as the town he lives in descends into fervent chaos.

Meanwhile, a humble Laurence Fishburne, working for the Center for Disease Control (CDC), takes the virus head on, attempting to manage both the science behind a vaccine, and the political firestorm which ensues. He works closely with a dishevelled Kate Winslet, whose selfless field work, ends up leaving her infected. Marion Cotillard is sent to Hong Kong by the World Health Organization (WHO), to try and discover the origins of the lethal strain, in order to best treat it. Her wellbeing is soon compromised, however, when the group she is working with in Hong Kong take her hostage, and hold her ransom in exchange for first dibs on a cure.

Alongside the scientists, Jude Law plays conspiracy blogger Alan, whose preachy online rhetoric about cover-ups and corporate evil, promote him to the level of the people’s voice. However he is soon revealed as a snake who is cashing in on the tragedy.

A worthy film, Sodenbergh has created an atmosphere of equal parts panic and urgency. By using the interlocking storylines, the tempo is quickened, and the audience have little time to grieve the death of a celebrity. One of the most poignant aspects of watching the film, is that the most terrifying part is not the virus, but the human reaction to it. While the death toll from the disease leaps into the millions, it is actually the rioting, crime, and violent disregard for our fellow citizen’s safety that becomes the worrying factor. Rather than a countdown to see whether the virus will kill us all, we are waiting to see if we lose our souls beforehand.

Decent performances all round, in particular Winslet, whose portrayal of the awkward doctor sent into the battlefield I found to be the most engaging.

The themes of Contagion, whilst heavily pertinent in view of health scares which have gripped the world in recent years, seem relatively tame. Viewers are already numbed to the peril of global catastrophes. In this film, we are walked through each stage of the virus’ development like take-your-child-to-work day, and by the time an actual sense of impending doom reveals itself, the matter is concluded quickly with sparse amounts of fallout. Whilst the public reaction to the outbreak is scary in places, it does not get the full attention it deserves, which would have made for a more interesting film.

Viewers with OCD, in particular a fear of germs and dirty surfaces, may find this film terrifying, as will any Hollywood royalty who will fear for their safety and that of their peers, but, for the rest of us, Contagion is, at best, a mildly thrilling disaster film without the knockout punch.