EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

George Taylor So-so movie about a woman visiting the far east who brings back a new virus that sweeps across America, killing her and thousands others. Really doesn't that will with how people in such a situation would prey on one another, Kate Winslet it decent as the selfless doctor seeking a cure. Matt Damon kinds of sleep walks through his part.

evening1 To think that a bat and a pig in China could bring civilization to its knees!This very well acted film drives home the plausibility of just such a scenario. There is some very good casting and ensemble work here. Matt Damon does well as a cuckolded husband who tries his best to cope with a harrowing situation. Gwyneth Paltrow is also good as a career woman who engages in an impulsive risk on one of her many business trips abroad. Also excellent are Laurence Fishburne as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kate Winslet as one of his top on-the-ground people. Ms. Winslet's performance in an unglamorous role was deeply moving. This film does a great job of driving home the point virus may be far less of a threat than the volatility of the mob at a time when rumor can spread instantaneously over the Internet. Observing the rule of law disintegrate...turns this into a kind of horror film, although things bog down a bit as we have to listen to a few too many rants by Jude Law as a paranoid blogger. Still, there are many sobering truths here. God-willing, our species will not have to face a replay of the 1918 Spanish flu in any one of our lifetimes. How vulnerable we seem to be!The film ends on a particularly intriguing note as we watch the perambulations of animals whose unknowing behaviors could very well hold the key to man's fate. Throughout, this film carries a stomach-churching score that seems a classic example of how music can contribute and enhance the cinematic experience.

Scott LeBrun Gwyneth Paltrow plays a "patient X", a woman who travels abroad and ends up contracting a lethal new virus that doesn't take long to kill the host. Things escalate fairly quickly, and soon the whole U.S. of A. is having to deal with an outbreak of massive proportions. The death toll is high: approximately one out of four people perish from contact with the virus. Dedicated doctors like Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) deal with the crisis as pragmatically as possible, while we see how it affects ordinary people like Matt Damon, in the role of Paltrows' husband."Contagion" is an interesting film, worth seeing, that attempts to show the more serious, "realistic" aspect to stories such as in "Outbreak" (1995). Director Steven Soderbergh, working from Scott Z. Burns' script, handles the material using a documentary-style approach. While some time is made for personal drama for assorted characters, Soderbergh and Burns would rather show you how places like the World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control would function in such a case. It does require the use of much language that the layman such as this viewer would not understand, but the points do still come across.Much like it would happen in real life, there is always a certain amount of cynicism and opportunism going on, as some individuals try to see how they can best profit from the situation. But then, this has always been the case. Just as we often see humanity at its worst during these times, we also see humanity at its best, as people like the Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Jennifer Ehle characters diligently work to solve the problem. In addition, we see how a cocky, smarmy blogger played by Jude Law undermines the efforts of Fishburne, yet the man does have some pointed comments to make himself.A gallery of familiar faces turn up in roles big and small: John Hawkes, Demetri Martin, Elliott Gould, Enrico Colantoni, Bryan Cranston, Sanaa Lathan, and Sanjay Gupta as himself. Each actor does get his or her little moment to shine, but this is truly more of an ensemble piece than a vehicle for anyone in particular.Key to the films' effectiveness is the fact that it remains fairly fascinating throughout, and its 107 minute run time moves along quicker than one might realize. It just dives headfirst into the story proper, with all credits, including the title, saved for the final several minutes. (And it waits until the concluding moments to show us how the virus got started in the first place.)Seven out of 10.

WubsTheFadger Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerContagion tells the story of a widespread virus as it starts to take lives. The story is very well organized. The film lets us see six different view points but does so very elegantly. The plot touches on how big companies use disease to make a lot of money, hypocrisy, loss, and humanity. It is a really good story with a great ending. The social aspect of the film is also great.The acting is very good. I personally liked Kate Winslet's character the best. Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, and Marion Cotillard all perform very well.The pacing was very good and consistent throughout the film. The runtime was a little overlong.SPOILER BELOWI would have liked the film better if they went into the legal aspect of Jude Law's character at the end and the outcome of the trial.SPOILER OVER Pros: Interesting and well-organized story, great social study aspect of the story, great editing of different storylines, good acting, and good pacingCons: The runtime is a little overlong and I wish they had done more with Jude Law's character at the endOverall Rating: 7.4