Review
‘Contagion’ grips audiences with killer cough, cast
September 23, 2011
In a summer filled with thoughtless blockbusters, super hero movies, and poor quality sequels comes a fresh fall hit in “Contagion.”
A deadly disease has spread throughout the United States and now it is up to a team of doctors to not only find out the cause is, but also figure out a way to cure this nasty disease.
This group is headed by Dr. Ellis Cheever, played by Laurence Fishburne, expresses his dismay at how long the antidote is going to take to get distributed and how many will die during this time.
The people in the streets become outraged. Soon a blogger comes forward as a revolutionary trying to get the word out that the U.S. government is holding back and letting the masses die of this disease. The blogger is played very well by Jude Law, but even amongst all of this panic there is still some real heart in “Contagion.” This heart comes from Mitch Emhoff, played by Matt Damon, whose wife, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, becomes sick after a trip overseas and soon dies in the arms of her husband. Mitch soon finds out that he is immune to this dreaded disease and now he must not only try and figure out what happened to his wife, but also keep his daughter safe.
Mitch’s character really stuck out to me as even in this time of panic, he is calm, not letting his emotions get the better of him. It isn’t until the very end you get to see the weakness that burns inside of him. This weakness, however, is what drives him throughout the entire film.
“Contagion” is a very good film. It feels fresh and new which is a feeling I have not often felt while going to the movies this year. It really got me thinking of how easily a virus such as this could spread just by how we are as human beings. Just knowing how many of us touch our faces, don’t wash our hands, cough out in the open, or even share drinks are just some of the few ways this movie feels so real.
It was funny, while sitting in the theatre with numerous others I had to sit and listen to everyone cough and sneeze, just thinking of how I could be the start of a sickness just like in this movie. That is how sucked in I got to the story. Too bad the plot has as many holes in it as a slice of Swiss cheese. Besides that fact, I was truly able to just sit and enjoy myself. Watching all these peoples’ lives get turned upside down by something so horrific was both interesting and scary at the same time. Before it leaves theatres I would suggest everyone go see “Contagion.”
Dustyn Dubuque is a history major and geography minor that has a love and passion for film. He watches over 100 films each year and loves Academy Awards season.