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Amazon.co.uk Review
Steven Soderbergh alternates between films about individuals, like Erin Brockovich, and multi-character thrillers, like Contagion, which takes a Traffic-style approach to a deadly pandemic. It also represents a reunion for three actors from The Talented Mr. Ripley as Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon play a suburban Minneapolis couple, while Jude Law (with unflattering dentures) plays a muckraking Bay Area blogger. When Beth (Paltrow) returns from a business trip to Hong Kong, she brings a virus with her that spreads across the world, attracting the attention of people at the Centers for Disease Control (Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, and Jennifer Ehle) and the World Health Organization (Marion Cotillard). Just as virologists frantically try to track down the origins of the pathogen and to find a cure, it starts to mutate, foiling every move they make. Soderbergh, who serves as his own cinematographer, captures every development: false rumors, looting in the streets, and mass graves. Whenever he focuses on emptied-out offices and supermarkets, chillers like I Am Legend spring to mind, even if Contagion avoids most sci-fi/horror tropes, except for a stomach-churning autopsy sequence--one of his few real missteps. Mostly, he concentrates on cool heads dealing with life-and-death issues the best they can. The end result registers as more realistic than Outbreak, if less pulse pounding than Traffic, though the final sequence proves Soderbergh can find the grace notes even amidst an unbearable tragedy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
DVD Description
Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.
Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic), Contagion brings together a stellar international ensemble cast, including Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, Inception); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne films); Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (What's Love Got to Do With It, The Matrix); Oscar® nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Sherlock Holmes); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Iron Man); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic).
Extra Content
Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic), Contagion brings together a stellar international ensemble cast, including Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, Inception); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne films); Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (What's Love Got to Do With It, The Matrix); Oscar® nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Sherlock Holmes); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Iron Man); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic).
Extra Content
- Contagion: How a Virus Changes the World
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
A clever and challenging film, with a believable and eerily realistic approach. Contains little in the way of boobs, aliens, explosions, or exploding alien boobs, hence the number of badly-written one-star reviews, which you can pretty much ignore.
33 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Contagion is the story of a viral-outbreak and the ensuing global response. Praised by critics and those in the know for it's abject realism and realistic portrayal of CDC responses and WHO procedure. It follows CDC employees Dr Erin Mears (Winslet) & Dr Cheever (Fishburne) as they try to find the source of this virus in the ensuing chaos of quarantines and travel-restrictions. Meanwhile, internet blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) says he has the cure to the disease - a homeopathic remedy that the masses go crazy for, but does he hold the answer or is he just another false-prophet?
This is Soderbergh's attempt at an ultra-realistic portrayal of a pandemic, it follows multiple people through the throes of infection to the people around them and how humans actually react when faced with the death of their loved ones. Some deal with it stoically, some panic whilst others cheat & steal to protect their own. The cast is filled with stars (Damon, Paltrow, Fishburne, Winslet, Law, Cotillard to name the majority) that all portray their roles within this thriller with great aplomb. Literally no-one is open for ridicule here, I was enthralled for the duration as it deals with weighty issues such as mass-hysteria, crowd-mentality and how political bias corrupts procedure (Congressmen being evacuated in CDC planes instead of staff etc). It's not an easy film to make but it had me captivated from the off.
I personally think this will divide it's audience, you are either going to love the realism, or get bogged down by it, and there really is no middle-ground. I found it refreshing in many respects and a truly novel film (28 Days Later, this ain't) that doesn't dramatise this highly plausible concept. Thought-provoking, terrifying in it's possibility and well-acted throughout. Highly Recommended!!
This is Soderbergh's attempt at an ultra-realistic portrayal of a pandemic, it follows multiple people through the throes of infection to the people around them and how humans actually react when faced with the death of their loved ones. Some deal with it stoically, some panic whilst others cheat & steal to protect their own. The cast is filled with stars (Damon, Paltrow, Fishburne, Winslet, Law, Cotillard to name the majority) that all portray their roles within this thriller with great aplomb. Literally no-one is open for ridicule here, I was enthralled for the duration as it deals with weighty issues such as mass-hysteria, crowd-mentality and how political bias corrupts procedure (Congressmen being evacuated in CDC planes instead of staff etc). It's not an easy film to make but it had me captivated from the off.
I personally think this will divide it's audience, you are either going to love the realism, or get bogged down by it, and there really is no middle-ground. I found it refreshing in many respects and a truly novel film (28 Days Later, this ain't) that doesn't dramatise this highly plausible concept. Thought-provoking, terrifying in it's possibility and well-acted throughout. Highly Recommended!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I'm not going to go into this and write a large well rounded review as there are other reviews that do this, im just going to give you the main point this film comes down to.
I sat through the whole film and enjoyed it, it wasn't what i'd call thrilling or exciting but was enjoyable and felt realistic for an event that could actually happen. As a result the end of the film came and an on set of "is that it" dawned on me. This didn't ruin the film for me but it leads me to my main point, as someone interested in science who studied this sort of thing at A level it was a very entertaining and had a very documentative feel to it. You feel like you learn how easily something like this can spiral out of control and is very much entertainment for those of an academic nature and a nice surprise for others.
As a result if your a film buff looking for exciting plotlines and stories you'll probably be dissapointed with it generallly. The acting seems to focus on realism for the situation but theres nothing to exciting about it as the story doesnt really call for it. This isn't another disaster movie for action/thriller fans, If however you take an interest in science, media, medical, Disaster planning or just generally enjoy to broarden your mind then this is deffinately worth a go.
I sat through the whole film and enjoyed it, it wasn't what i'd call thrilling or exciting but was enjoyable and felt realistic for an event that could actually happen. As a result the end of the film came and an on set of "is that it" dawned on me. This didn't ruin the film for me but it leads me to my main point, as someone interested in science who studied this sort of thing at A level it was a very entertaining and had a very documentative feel to it. You feel like you learn how easily something like this can spiral out of control and is very much entertainment for those of an academic nature and a nice surprise for others.
As a result if your a film buff looking for exciting plotlines and stories you'll probably be dissapointed with it generallly. The acting seems to focus on realism for the situation but theres nothing to exciting about it as the story doesnt really call for it. This isn't another disaster movie for action/thriller fans, If however you take an interest in science, media, medical, Disaster planning or just generally enjoy to broarden your mind then this is deffinately worth a go.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I feel dirty now
Wow. Films with this tory have been done before. The one with Duston Hoffman for example, same story I'm sure. But this was good. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Paul H
Sleep inducing
I fell asleep watching this film. I expected a lot more but it was a waste of money. Don't even bother.
Published 1 month ago by Rindon Brodu
contagion
Not bad thought it would be a bit more interesting.with all the good actors in it.On the whole it wasnt to bad.
Published 1 month ago by C. L. Salmons
Average
If you suffer from OCD probably not the best film to watch, as this film works on the complete paranoia of all of us, about infection and disease that may be caught on a random... Read more
Published 1 month ago by chelios1981
Not as good as I hoped
This film never really gets going. It is like when you watch the beginning of a film and it can sometimes be a little dull but you know after about 20 minutes that things will get... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Letitia
What a pile of ........
Worst film ever - how can a film with so many stars suck so much?
Glad I only wasted £2.99 renting this one. Read more
Glad I only wasted £2.99 renting this one. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kindle Rocks
A-MA-ZINGGGGG
I thought this film was amazing, went to see it in the cinemas and at the time was studying microbiology and this was sooo relevant and i could understand the lingo, not the sort... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jodie1994
Why do People Assume These Films Have to be about Zombies?
Let's be honest here. People dislike this film because they expected a brainless zombierama. It's curious how annoyed people get when a film comes out that is slow, realistic, and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Pendlebury
Wash your hands!!!
A great movie, I liked it and i would watch it again. Dont be put off by the reviewers who only give it 1 star. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joolz
NOT compatible with iTunes!
I bought this in Amazon's Monday lightning deal; I saw Blu-Ray + Digital Copy for a good price and thought 'Great, I'll have that'. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JBW
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