Starring:- Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow
Director:- Steven Soderbergh
Contagion had the premise to become a memorable film. It starts brightly, Soderbergh stamps his mark early on by killing off Gwyneth Paltrow. As the infectious virus spreads incredibly quickly, the viewer is left initially reeling, feeling for the characters as citizens fall like flies. The film impressively shows in the wake of a seemingly unbeatable enemy, how quickly well organised societies can collapse in on themselves into total disarray. Basic human customs such as queues are discarded as vigilantes rush to get medical supplies. Towns and cities smoulder and burn worryingly and nobody is to be trusted. Krumwiede's blog spreads just as quickly as the virus itself as people struggle to maintain their grip on reality.
We follow several sub plots as the story progresses. Beth Emhoff's (Paltrow) death early on is visually shocking and plays out as an exciting, promising start to the film. Panic spreads almost as quickly as the virus as Dr. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne) and Dr Erin Mears (Winslet) set about finding a cure. Meanwhile Alan Krumwiede (Law) claims to have the cure, and publicises it aggressively on his blog.
Sadly though, we see a great idea, but not a great film. The tagline reads: Nothing Spreads Like Fear. Granted, during the first 20 minutes I was a little fearful. The film's biggest failure rears its ugly head however as the fear the film is supposed to be throwing into my living room just doesn't play out onscreen. It felt as if someone had turned the tone down a notch. Initially Contagion set a viable premise to kick from and I was awaiting an explosion, a spring board moment, but was left wanting. Like a spluttering engine it wouldn't get going. The multi-subplot presentation of the film was maybe to blame as the viewer cannot relate and empathise; we simply have nothing to cling to. The characters are soulless, making them impossible to react and interact with. I found this strange as Soderbergh has played out the multi subplot idea with aplomb before in Traffic.
The stellar cast that included four Oscar winners, Damon, Paltrow, Winslet and Cotillard, and 2 nominees Law and Fishburne was completely wasted in truth. Damon has proven himself as a powerful actor, yet seemed stunted and frustrated, giving a below par performance as a husband who has lost his wife and stepson, yet was completely devoid of any emotion. Paltrow, playing Damon's wife was adequate at best in a small role. Cotillard was completely underused, ending up being shunted out to a village somewhere. Jude Law gives a terrible performance as the annoying blogger with the worst Australian accent ever heard on the big screen. The one shining light, Winslet, gave a strong performance as the doctor determined to find the cure, but she is cut short too quickly- maybe hers and Fishburne's endings should have been reversed?
Contagion really frustrated me. It has the tools- The cast, the director, the Hollywood budget. I wanted it to build a country manor, instead it delivered a very simplistic lego set. I was left feeling the same as I do after witnessing a shop bought, garden hosted firework display, all the hopes and excitement then, ahhhh, was that it? The plot had the potential for twists and turns, the subplots could have have been more intertwined, instead they remained so linear, touching only briefly. The cast, of which we expect a lot, look tired, underused and under-directed. Sadly, I was underwhelmed.
IMDB.com rating- 6.7
Supermegahybrid rating- 2 stars
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