Mass pandemonium swept into theaters Friday with the release of the Warner Bros. thriller “Contagion.”
“Contagion” is an intelligent film that presents its story in perhaps the most realistic way seen in filmmaking to date. There is absolutely no Hollywood fluff about it, which may turn some people off.
The film seems to have no distinct genre or real purpose on the surface, but once the viewer digs a little deeper, they will find a very realistic depiction of something that could very conceivably happen in today’s world. Therein lies the horror.
The true horror of “Contagion” is the realism of the events and plot in general. Director Steven Soderbergh’s thriller isn’t so thrilling until it has the chance to sink in. (“Contagion” is a fairly quiet film, but it’s a restless, disturbing quiet that causes more chills than comfort.) It’s the feeling you get in the middle of the dark woods when nothing makes a sound or the foreboding calm before the storm.
The chilling realism is the strongest characteristic of the film, but given a little more thought, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that a virus outbreak of this magnitude is completely within the realm of possibility in today’s world.
“Contagion” follows the path of an extremely infectious and deadly virus as it spreads throughout the major regions of the modern world. We see the progress of the disease from multiple points of view, including the head of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Ellis Cheaver (Laurence Fishburne), patient zero, Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) and later her husband, Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon).
The main character of the film, however, has absolutely no lines. (The virus.) The entire movie is centered on the disease turning its star-studded cast into supporting actors. Time is denoted by captions from scene to scene and every time we are transported to a different city the caption is accompanied by a population figure for that city.
These clever uses of captions add a chilling idea of just how much damage the disease can do and in how many places. The film’s disturbing realism, however, does not completely hide the lack of character development that ultimately leaves the viewer not caring what happens to the characters involved in the story.
The film also seems to touch on many issues such as the injustice of giving privileges to the wealthy, the power afforded to unqualified loud mouths by social media and the increasing globalization of the modern world, but it never really spends enough time on any of these issues to make a clear, lasting impression upon the viewer.
Although the calculating and scientific presentation of the film afford it a certain uniqueness, it also contributes to a sort of dissatisfied feeling. This scientific manner of presentation also serves to undermine the film’s attempts to delve into human emotion and make the viewer really care about the characters in the film and sympathize.
However, “Contagion” still has its moments where human emotion does take center stage and contributes flashes of drama in an otherwise steadily scientific story. One of the things that really keeps “Contagion” from greatness is the lack of a clear climax in the film. As a viewer, we are ushered through the film with a feeling of intensity that never really builds, but remains at a steady level, never reaching a peak.
Ultimately, “Contagion” is a good film. (Good, but not great.)
The film cannot seem to make up its mind on whether it wants to be a drama or a horror film. It makes a few suggestions about the human condition, but never really expands upon them to form an overall message.
The plot is disconcerting in its realism and focus on how easy it is to catch an infectious disease, but that is about all it is in the end. The acting in the movie is very good and the script is fairly well written, but the focus on the disease doesn’t allow any of the Academy Award-nominated actors to really shine. They all seem to take a back seat to the intangible virus. All of these factors combine to make “Contagion” a good film that quite simply could have been great. It leaves the viewer wondering what exactly was the point of it all.
