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 Contagion 

What grade would you give this film?
A 20%  20%  [ 3 ]
B 53%  53%  [ 8 ]
C 27%  27%  [ 4 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 15

 Contagion 
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loyalfromlondon
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Post Contagion
Contagion

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Contagion is a 2011 American thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet. Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal indirect contact transmission virus (fomite transmission) that kills within days. As the fast-moving pandemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. As the virus spreads around the world, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.

The film had a production budget of $60 million, and filming took place in countries around the world. It premiered on September 3, 2011 at the 68th Venice Film Festival and was publicly released on September 9, 2011 in the United States, Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, and and four other territories.

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Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:58 am
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Post Re: Contagion
28 DAYS LATER, OUTBREAK, I AM LEGEND: If you've seen 1 pandemic movie, you've pretty well have seen them all and CONTAGIAN really isn't any different..

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Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:25 am
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Post Re: Contagion
STEVE ROGERS wrote:
28 DAYS LATER, OUTBREAK, I AM LEGEND: If you've seen 1 pandemic movie, you've pretty well have seen them all and CONTAGIAN really isn't any different..


Well, to be fair I haven't seen the movie yet (have you?) but Contagion seems different from the examples you listed in that this virus just kills its victims as opposed to turning them into monsters. Sure, there is Outbreak but that was fifteen years ago. In that same time span there have been hundreds upon thousands of serial killer movies yet they still occasionally find ways to approach the situation from a novel angle (Se7en, Dexter, The Cell, Zodiac, etc.)


Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:33 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
Feels like a sociological study rather than a film. I like that we didn't see the cliched race for a cure versus the crazy general who wants to destroy those quarantined.


Sat Sep 10, 2011 12:01 am
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Post Re: Contagion
My review: http://www.worldofkj.com/article.php?i=422

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Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:32 am
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Post Re: Contagion
Very low-key and matter-of-facts-ish. Not exactly a thriller and certainly not much action. It feels more like a social study on what may/would happen if such an epidemic were to spread. There are not many ups and downs, no big dramatic moments or climax, and the main conflict in the film, between Jude Law's character and CDC, is sort of just there on the side and concluded without real resolution. Still, overall it's an engaging film, different yes, but engaging. B.

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Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:03 am
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Post Re: Contagion
The Cotillard subplot could've been excised. It seems to be missing a passage: she's abducted, then we never see her again until the end, and she's suddenly become the quaint village schoolmarm.

And where was she going in the end? To the village she was driven to while blindfolded?

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Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:18 am
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Post Re: Contagion
Can you all imagine this movie being in 3D? It certainly doesn't sound like it would have befitted the gimmick.


Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:21 am
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Post Re: Contagion
MovieDude wrote:
Can you all imagine this movie being in 3D? It certainly doesn't sound like it would have befitted the gimmick.

No, that would have been utterly pointless and would not have fit tonally (sp). Sort of like having Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or Hoop Dreams in 3d. This movie was almost like a documentary.

Kate Winslet's character also did not have a final resolution, but I think we can fill-in the blank.


Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:10 am
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Post Re: Contagion
I am not as enthused by it as Gunslinger is but there are some definite positives to take away from this. First off, the realism in this movie is quite good. The actors play their parts well and the cold silence creates this eerie atmosphere of how a virus would actually strike. Unfortunately, that's almost all the good points as the stories don't seem to connect partially because of Soderbergh's style and the way the script was made. This is definitely not a movie for the masses and there are several unresolved plots that would have been better served had they extended the running time. I'm on the fence as to recommending this as some people might be bored out of their minds but some might find this engaging (which I did for the most part) but ultimately interest doesn't always translate to enjoyment.

I think the problem is that the cold and calculating style of Soderbergh just doesn't work for a viral movie. We need the emotion otherwise it just feels like random people dying by an infectious disease. This movie is like a hamburger wrapped in sandpaper. The parts are good: cinematography, actors, music, director but the whole thing just doesn't taste right.

6/10 (C+)

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Sat Sep 10, 2011 12:20 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
contagion

I thought it was a good picture but not a great one. I did enjoy the story and was interested in it most of the way through but it did begin to lose steam as we got to the end. Defeating a pathogen isn't the same as defeating orcs in a final battle or having a final boss fight. I also thought the characters were pretty flismy except for Damon and Winslet. I really enjoyed their performances. I thought Cotillard was wasted. I did like Jude Law's character as well. One of things I really liked was the electronic beats they used in the opening and throughout the film. Finally, I enjoyed the flashback to Day 1.

Grade - B


Sat Sep 10, 2011 12:32 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
Contagion is frightening precisely because of its low-key approach. Unlike past pandemic stories which have emphasized the over-the-top or macabre, this film is entirely grounded in a subtle and realistic approach. It's a "procedural" film, to be sure, and while making everything more melodramatic has certainly been done in the past with this kind of movie, Steven Soderbergh's method works quite well. Infectious diseases turning people into zombies might be entertaining, but it's not as scary as a simple cough or a hand in a jar of peanuts. Soderbergh expertly amps up the tension even with barely any action or graphic violence. The cast is stellar, and many of the actors manage to humanize their characters: I was particularly a fan of the performances from Kate Winslet and Jennifer Ehle, although everyone is quite good. The movie is ambitious, and could maybe have used a longer running time to flesh out some of its ideas more. But, in the end, Contagion is a harrowing look at what is not...but could be. Wash your hands. B+


Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:41 pm
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Sbil

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Post Re: Contagion
Caius wrote:
Kate Winslet's character also did not have a final resolution, but I think we can fill-in the blank.


They cut to a shot of her corpse being buried in a mass grave immediately after she gave that dude the blanket. That was resolution enough for me.


Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:43 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
Libs wrote:
Caius wrote:
Kate Winslet's character also did not have a final resolution, but I think we can fill-in the blank.


They cut to a shot of her corpse being buried in a mass grave immediately after she gave that dude the blanket. That was resolution enough for me.

Thanks. Must have missed it while eating the last Milk Dud.


Sun Sep 11, 2011 12:49 am
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Post Re: Contagion
Caius wrote:
Libs wrote:
Caius wrote:
Kate Winslet's character also did not have a final resolution, but I think we can fill-in the blank.


They cut to a shot of her corpse being buried in a mass grave immediately after she gave that dude the blanket. That was resolution enough for me.

Thanks. Must have missed it while eating the last Milk Dud.


Yeah...that was the same scene where her co-worker had the flower bouquet and it was mentioned that they had "run out" of body bags.

Also, what did everyone think of the coda? I loved it, personally...I'm so glad they didn't go for some "OMG gotcha the virus is actually starting all over again!" twist and just showed how such a simple action caused this pandemic in the first place (not to mention the irony of Paltrow's company being the bulldozers).


Sun Sep 11, 2011 12:57 am
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Post Re: Contagion
I enjoyed the flash back to day 1. First, I thought dang I can't believe how simple something like a cross species virus could technically happen in the real word. Second, how unfortunate for Paltrow to be in the classic wrong place wrong time moment. Plus, if only that chef had washed his hands none of this might have happened.

I got that soundtrack from amazon. Reminds me of work from things like tron and fight club. Going to make nice ring tones.


Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:38 am
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loyalfromlondon
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Post Re: Contagion
It's a perfectly fine, compelling work. Perhaps falters by trying to humanize the characters - especially Fishburne and Cotillard - instead of sticking to its no-nonsense, streamlined approach. Cotillard's subplot, especially, drags the film down with its tacky sentimentality and cheap plot twists. In some ways, Soderbergh wants to have his cake and eat it too by sacrificing his cold aestheticism for outbursts of warm empathy - which doesn't really feel right. I liked its cynicism and wish we could've done without scenes like Fishburne giving away his vaccine or Damon giving his daughter a prom night. But maybe that's just me.

Still, it's paced like a motherfucker and scored just as well to boot. After this and Drive, Cliff Martinez deserves some kind of recognition.

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Mon Sep 19, 2011 11:36 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
6/10 -> C

Wasn't impressed as people seem to be... Too many characters and pointless stories. I did like how the movie nearly makes you having a phobia of touching. It's very tactile in nature if you pick that up very early.


Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:16 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
I have odd feelings regarding this movie. Part of me still wishes it had been a Traffic style experience, where in addition to a panoramic view of the issue, you also become completely invested in the characters, their plights, their nuances, etc. Traffic is a real emotional roller coaster ride, and the final scene with Benicio watching baseball is so soothing after it.

Contagion never hits those notes, but I do appreciate how clinical and clear-eyed and "factual" its vignettes feel. It's a very absorbing and timely thriller. They definitely could have cut Marion Cotillard, though. Nothing against her, but her segment definitely felt the most undernourished.

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Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:26 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
I saw this shortly after it was released in the fall. I'd give it around a C+. It was passable, mainly just to see all the stars do their thing. Unfortunately every doctor/nurse/govt person shown handling the crisis is presented as a living saint, they didn't seem like real people.

Marion "you can kidnap me if it's for a good cause!" Cotillard's character was especially annoying, and I usually love her. Kate Winslet loses all her attractiveness when she ditches the English accent. And that line about how often people touch their faces was obviously b.s., overstated by a lot.

Matt Damon helped make it watchable though, he added some grounding to it all. It might have been a better film if they had simply stuck with his pov the entire time and expanded on that.


Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:57 pm
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Post Re: Contagion
If nothing else, this might be the most aggressively edited movie of last year. Soderbergh once said that with modern Hollywood cinema, micro-editing has gotten better than ever while macro-editing has gotten worse than ever.

At times it loses the authenticity it so desperately seeks - I agree that Cotillard's character was deeply flawed, even though I did love the montages of her initial investigation. But I admire a film that dares to defend doctors and big government in an age where they've practically been crucified.


Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:08 am
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Post Re: Contagion
It was thrilling enough but also fairly predictable. I felt Damon was one of the only rational characters though in the whole production.


Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:08 pm
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Post 
Contagion

Being a fan of Soderbergh, I should have watched this long ago. He can shoot anything and make it watchable, and with Contagion he has crafted a brilliant film. Great score by Martinez and great performances by the ensemble. I especially enjoyed the Hong Kong aspect to it. Damon's character does not seem to grieve much for the loss of his wife and stepson, which didn't feel authentic in film world but on second thoughts probably makes sense in the real world - we all grieve differently. The international feeling and the pace at which the film escalates (mimicking the virus) were well-thought. It probably could have had another 20 minutes just to flesh out some of the stories, but it was a thoroughly cool and captivating watch nonetheless.

A-

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Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:30 am
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Post Re: Contagion
David wrote:
And where was she going in the end? To the village she was driven to while blindfolded?


Presumably she knows how to contact that Hong Kong fella and let him know the vaccines were placebos.

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Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:31 am
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Post Re: Contagion
Its clinical nature makes it hard to either feel the fear and panic of its characters, or the grief when characters die. I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if it went full apocalypse, but the world still got uprooted a lot more than coronavirus will, I guess. Jude Law’s character is a highlight and ahead of its time. Overall it is watchable especially in these times, but wasn’t in love with it.

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