Film Contagion

[jpgrdnr]

as per recommedation start a thread on this.

I thought it was pretty good, pretty realistic pandemic movie with some great actors. I got the feeling that it sort of carried the madness of H1N1 and went further, like...okay its now a doomsday scenario. Jude Law is a literal dick in this movie which is worth watching, and I think most of actors trade in their stereotypical roles. Paltrow is the sleep around exec, Matt Damon is a kinda douchey Dad (as opposed to ninja Bourne). Theres no real subtext to it, just a sort of nice what-if that gives you pause. Worth watching and beats out others like it Outbreak, the newer release of the Andromeda Strain (tv series) although the old version of Andromeda Strain is worth watching.

 

[axl blaze]

damn, I love Michael Chrichton but I have to admit Andromeda Strain the movie was a bit boring

I thought Contagion was also pretty good. not overtly bad... not overtly amazing... but a pretty good story and nightmare scenario with a ensemble cast that wasn't half bad

it was pretty realistic, or seemed so to an average guy like myself. props to that

my favorite part was the last 3-5 minutes where the film kind of explains the origin of the contagion, rather suddenly. actually, ever since I walked away from that movie I was wishing that I could view that sequence again... so interesting. I wish more virus pandemic movies did something like that instead of the old "it was the monkey bite" jig

 

[freddy47]

Just re-watched this movie.

I think its fucking fantastic. They got the science of it spot on and it has a stellar cast. Best movie about a deadly virus ever IMO.

Outbreak ain't got shit on this.

 

[L2R]

yeah good movie. emphasised realism to the detriment of dramatic effect, but in soderburgh's stylish hands, this is very forgivable. 4/5

 

[change-jug]

Me and my lady saw this at the cheap show. We both thought it was a really good movie. I`d recommend it.

 

[xstayfadedx]

Sorry I hated the movie... It was so boring and dry I even contemplated falling asleep in the movies. At least all my friends kept me entertained by yelling its aids or some stupid shit making the other people in the movies get mad/turn around and give us death glares.

 

[L2R]

^what did you go for?

 

[freddy47]

Sorry I hated the movie... It was so boring and dry I even contemplated falling asleep in the movies. At least all my friends kept me entertained by yelling its aids or some stupid shit making the other people in the movies get mad/turn around and give us death glares.

No offense but this is douche bag behavior. Its ok if you hated the movie but why did your friends have to ruin it for everyone else by being immature? Or do your friends just get off on annoying people?

 

[jpgrdnr]

*cue David Duchovny in Californication*

 

[batmanplaybaseball]

It was decent. It really lacked some element of tension that would have put it over the top, imo. I mean, I dont need crazy entertainment stimulation from a movie, but this one could have really used it. You dont have to sacrifice realism for action.

Oh and I liked The Andromeda Strain.

edit: Im talking about the 70s movie, never heard of the TV series.

 

[Cyc]

Not bad.. a little bit slow at times, but overall pretty interesting time killer.

 

[ForEverAfter]

Just watched this last night. There was no substance to the movie. Fear mongering (cashing in on the Swine Flu shit) with an ensemble cast. Sure the science part of it was believable, they obviously did their research, but the rest of the film was seriously lacking. There was no focal character, no narrative arc. The film relied entirely on it's subject matter, which didn't interest me personally. The amount of times they showed somebody who was sick touching something, or rubbing up against somebody... I guess I was supposed to feel squeamish. Personally, it bored me. I was just thinking, "Yeah it's contagious. I get it. It's in the title." If it focused more on the reporter (Jude Law's) character, they could have explored the media aspect of epidemics. If it focused on the immune father (Matt Damon) character, they could have explored the implications of an epidemic on family. If it focused on the researchers (Lawrence Fishburn, Kate Winslet) it could have explored it from that angle. In the end, it tried to do far too much. I felt nothing for any of the characters. No empathy whatsoever... And the flashback scenes in Hong Kong were borderline racist.

2 stars.

 

[batmanplaybaseball]

Just watched this last night. There was no substance to the movie. Fear mongering (cashing in on the Swine Flu shit) with an ensemble cast. Sure the science part of it was believable, they obviously did their research, but the rest of the film was seriously lacking. There was no focal character, no narrative arc. The film relied entirely on it's subject matter, which didn't interest me personally. The amount of times they showed somebody who was sick touching something, or rubbing up against somebody... I guess I was supposed to feel squeamish. Personally, it bored me. I was just thinking, "Yeah it's contagious. I get it. It's in the title." If it focused more on the reporter (Jude Law's) character, they could have explored the media aspect of epidemics. If it focused on the immune father (Matt Damon) character, they could have explored the implications of an epidemic on family. If it focused on the researchers (Lawrence Fishburn, Kate Winslet) it could have explored it from that angle. In the end, it tried to do far too much. I felt nothing for any of the characters. No empathy whatsoever... And the flashback scenes in Hong Kong were borderline racist.

2 stars.

I agree. Basically a drama movie with no characters, and some sort of disease narrative tying it all limply together.

 

[xstayfadedx]

No offense but this is douche bag behavior. Its ok if you hated the movie but why did your friends have to ruin it for everyone else by being immature? Or do your friends just get off on annoying people?

I don't know... I didn't participate in it but it was funny although douchebag behavior. These weren't some longtime friends though. This is when I was in placement this summer (you know when the state takes kids and puts them in group homes). And to L2R the previous sentence answers why I went, houseparents dragged us there. Luckily I was only in placement for two months and got out once I turned eighteen.

Also the girls I were with were immature even though one was nineteen (she didn't leave the program cause she would of went back to prostitution and didn't even graduate), the other girls were sixteen and fifteen. See explains it all.

But in the end the movie still sucked.

 

[freddy47]

But in the end the movie still sucked.

The majority of film critics and film makers would disagree.

 

[xstayfadedx]

The majority of film critics and film makers would disagree.

Well they aren't always right.... This brought the yawns.

 

[freddy47]

This brought the yawns.

And apparently also immature behavior as well.

Well they aren't always right....

Steven Soderbergh is one of the best film makers around these days. You would be hard pressed to find anybody within the film making community that would agree with your oh so eloquent statement of "This movie sucked."

But in the end its a matter of personal taste.

Still I think you and your friends were immature for ruining everyone elses movie going experience. Having worked at a movie theater having to deal with annoying kids like your lot was actually one of the parts of the job I enjoyed. Especially the part when I throw them out and refuse them a refund. Not that they deserved a refund.

 

[xstayfadedx]

Someone is mad. And I already said I didn't participate in the douchebag behavior, it was funny though. Anyways your post still doesn't change my mind the movie was lame.

And I've never been thrown out of the movies and most of the people who work at the movies are kids I know. They don't give a fuck lol, but yeah the movie was so generic and overhyped. I'm sorry but it wasn't interesting... We paid 9 dollars for the ticket for a movie that wasn't even worth one.

 

[freddy47]

^Not trying to change your mind. Like I said its a matter of personal taste. Nor do I really care if you didn't participate in this douchebag behavior because obviously you don't care about other people trying to enjoy the movie if you thought that type of behavior is funny. If you didn't like the film you could have left.

Just saying at least have some respect for other people.

And I've never been thrown out of the movies and most of the people who work at the movies are kids I know. They don't give a fuck lol, but yeah the movie was so generic and overhyped. I'm sorry but it wasn't interesting... We paid 9 dollars for the ticket for a movie that wasn't even worth one.

Then why didn't you go out and get a refund? I don't care if it wasn't interesting to you. All I'm saying is why disrespect the other people in the theater?

As for it being generic and overhyped. I don't see how its generic. Watch any other film with the same subject matter and you will see that this is obviously not true. And I didn't see too much advertising for it so I don't think it was over hyped at all.

 

[freddy47]

Just watched this last night. There was no substance to the movie. Fear mongering (cashing in on the Swine Flu shit) with an ensemble cast. Sure the science part of it was believable, they obviously did their research, but the rest of the film was seriously lacking. There was no focal character, no narrative arc. The film relied entirely on it's subject matter, which didn't interest me personally. The amount of times they showed somebody who was sick touching something, or rubbing up against somebody... I guess I was supposed to feel squeamish. Personally, it bored me. I was just thinking, "Yeah it's contagious. I get it. It's in the title." If it focused more on the reporter (Jude Law's) character, they could have explored the media aspect of epidemics. If it focused on the immune father (Matt Damon) character, they could have explored the implications of an epidemic on family. If it focused on the researchers (Lawrence Fishburn, Kate Winslet) it could have explored it from that angle. In the end, it tried to do far too much. I felt nothing for any of the characters. No empathy whatsoever... And the flashback scenes in Hong Kong were borderline racist.

I live in Hong Kong right now and am Cantonese and American and I didn't for one second think that any scene in the movie was racist in the slightest. As for your criticisms about the style of storytelling. Its what I think Steven Soderbergh calls hyperlink cinema in which he tries to tell the stories of multiple characters. He has done this in other films as well such Traffic which won him the best director Oscar.

The overriding themes IMO are panic, its results and how some people try to exploit that panic, and the quiet heroism of medical and social workers that were trying to stem the epidemic. Its hard to tell a story like that without telling it from multiple angles and characters.