Gee Film Reviews

10th September 2011

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Contagion - Film Review

Grade: C+

Proven by many films in the past: a great acting ensemble and direction usually can make any writing material - no matter how recycled it may seem - appear fresh. With Oscar season slowly amidts, director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) gathers an all-star cast of Academy Award winners (Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet) and nominees (Laurence Fishburne) in Contagion, a disaster film that does not simply use its cast to follow the steps of a formulaic award-winning film.  Instead, Soderbergh - known for his “style over substance” directing - puts these veteran actors into a blockbuster film depicting a ravenous killing virus, resembling past efforts such as The Last Man on Earth or more recently I Am Legend and 28 Days Later. While it does not seem that the film flaunts originality, Soderbergh crafts a stylish thriller that frightens and entertains, and does everything except provide a humanistic perspective.

Contagion, from the opening scene, is a fast-paced cautionary tale of a deadly disease starting from Hong Kong, that spreads throughout the world. The screenplay of Scott Z. Burns is straightforward. Fortunately, this lean screenplay has simply only one focal point which makes the multiple perspectives within the film seem universal. Overall, Contagion has many branches of plot: A parent (Matt Damon) must protect his daughter from his rioting neighborhood; A World Health Organization official (Marion Cotillard) dispatches to China to find the origin of the virus; a doctor (Kate Winslet) must overcome a task to contain the virus from the midwest; a seemingly arrogant blogger (Jude Law) whose goal is to reveal pharmaceutical conspiracies. On paper, the whole film may seem like a convoluted mess that may seem as complicated as the virus the film depicts. But with its flawless pacing and intelligent writing, Contagion seems whole, while at the same time benefits from its stripped down and straightforward perspectives. Additionally the acting force flaunts realism unseen in any other disaster film. Not to mention, along with its stylistic editing and Cliff Martinez’s “Trent Reznor-like” soundtrack, the film maintains to be engrossing throughout, with no room for any stopping.

But what is supposed to be a human’s tale, Contagion does not give that impression. While Soderbergh holds Contagion to excellent technical standards, there is no heart to his film, it ultimately feels cold. It is no doubt that the acting is excellent and strong -the cast creates the tension and the film itself - but its flaws derive from what makes the film shine. Contradictory this may seem, with its fast pacing and ongoing tension, the characters never really develop in a way that allows that audience to sympathize. The only emotion present is the tension in which it relies on. It seems as if the film presents the populative perspective of the disease rather than the humanistic; it can be seen the acting force only goes a long way, but its much too fast for any emotional development. The audience needs to care about the fate of these characters, and that is the aspect in which Contagion fails to address.

Referencing to simple terms, Contagion is like the all-star game of any professional sport. It utilizes its star power for an entertaining experience, but does not have any sense of significance. Overall, Soderbergh crafts a film that excels in style, tension, and technical value, but ultimately lacks the human sense it requires. Grade: C+

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