The Five Faces of CONTAGION
:heart_eyes:
//
:smiley:
The film feels very timely in 2020 and the similarities with the ongoing Corona pandemic are almost creepy. The main difference is the exaggerated mortality and spread of the virus, for dramatic purposes.
:neutral_face:
//
:frowning2:
There's an odd atmosphere over the film, making it feel more like a documentary than a fictional film. That is probably the entire point here, but it actually loses the movie magic altogether. Everything feels sluggish and the dramatic tension is lost.
There's never a real soul or beat to the film like the director forgot to actually direct and just let the actors do whatever they wanted in front of the camera.
The film is crammed with big-name actors, but everyone's talents have been wasted since they really don't need to act properly here. Gwyneth Paltrow is probably worst off, though, only having a few minutes of screen time.
The film never shifts in tempo or tension, so it becomes boring very quickly. It doesn't really build up tension or conflicts.
Director Soderbergh stays true to his lifeless directing technique that kills all the fun from a movie. I will never get used to that, no matter how many times I watch his films.
:face_vomiting:
The loud and annoying electronic music doesn't suit the film at all; it plays over scenes that don't need music at all. This kind of music belongs to a made for TV action film.
There are many lifeless characters, and we jump between them recklessly. They are underdeveloped and clichéd, and none of them stand out as interesting or memorable.
This film goes on and on until the point where I just stop caring altogether, particularly when everything proceeds as expected and the script doesn't even attempt to shake things up a little.
The Final Face: :frowning2:
Review by dunpealhunterVIP OG 14BlockedParentSpoilers2011-12-18T23:00:06Z
This movie shows in a very good way how the next virus outbreak that will be just as big or maybe even bigger as the Spanish Flu is gonna happen in the 21th century. And believe me, sooner or later IT WILL HAPPEN.
I liked the electronic music that was playing at the beginning of the movie. It had sort of an panicked tone to it that together with the people who where getting sick and dying set a thrilling tone to the first part of the movie.
I found the movie to be very realistic. Jude Law character was spot-on. When there is gonna be an outbreak we will see people on the internet (who have no medical training whatsoever) who think they have found the cure and millions of people will listen to them. There will be millions of people who stop going to work, who stay at home and avoid contact with anyone. Others will do whatever they can to get their hands on a vaccination, even if that means killing someone else.
I liked the fact that we got to see the story from so many different angles. It really gave an overview of the entire situation and what the virus had for an impact on all the people involved.
The end of the movie was a bit disappointing. In my opinion that could have been a lot better. But overall i find this movie to be really good.