best disease outbreak movie since Outbreak

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Contagion plays on fears of global illness outbreak September 12, 2011 by

Garrett Estrada

All-star cast brings terror, tension to an already dramatic screenplay

A highly contagious disease is spreading across the world, wiping out the human

race. Its transmittal can be caused from one simple touch.

The best disease outbreak movie since, well, Outbreak, the new thriller

Contagion takes that terrifying concept and crafts it into a chilling look at

the worst-case scenario of bird-flu.

Directed by the extradorinarily talented Soderbergh ( Brockovich,

Oceans 11-13), Contagion takes a realistic look behind the scenes of how a

pandemic is handled, and how quickly it can go wrong.

It starts with a great opening montage. The camera follows the first few unlucky

people who get sick, making sure to point out every surface they touch. It sent

shivers down my spine watching as these carriers unwittingly spread the disease

in a way that will make you think twice before using the hand-hold on a bus

again.

Like any great disaster movie, the tension builds, as the audience knows things

are going to go from bad to worse any second; several thousand deaths later, and

it's crisis time.

Like Soderbergh's popular Ocean's franshise, the story is bolstered by a laundry

list of A-list actors, all of which turn in realistic performances. Gwyneth

Paltrow plays Beth Emhoff, cheating wife who is one of the first to contract the

disease. Her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) has to deal with her death, the fact

that she was cheating on him and try and keep his remaining step-daughter alive.

It can be a bit grim at times, but it is the emotional heart of the movie filled

with other simultaneous storylines.

Speaking of multiple character threads, there is a lot going on in Contagion.

ce Fishburne plays the head of the Center for Disease Control trying to

keep the public from panicking. Kate Winslet is on damage control trying to set

up relief efforts. Jude Law is a sleazy-looking blogger who thinks the

government is behind it all. It can be a lot to keep track of at times, but it

also does an incredible job of pulling back and showing this crisis from

different perspectives.

The film is also very impressive visually. Beautiful shots of empty streets,

buildings and airports help drive home the isolation the disease causes, and how

much of a scary place the cities have become. Even the final scene packs a

surprising punch.

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utbreak/

Contagion is a well-executed thriller, with a strong cast, slick visuals and a

little-too realistic story to be comfortable. It is definitely worth checking

out, just bring a few hand wipes with you to the theater.