Contagion is a ‘What If’ Scenario for a Global Epidemic to Thin the Herd
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Contagion is absolutely not a horror movie as none of the components are there, other than of course the apocalypse.
Written by The Horror Czar, Don Sumner
September 9, 2011
Movie Trailer
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Release: September 9, 2011 (U.S. Theatrical)
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Scott Z. Burns
Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff
Tien You Chui as Li Fai
Daria Strokous as Irina
Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff
Monique Gabriela Curnen as Lorraine Vasquez
Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ellis Cheever
Every single day each person in any area of the world comes in contact in one way or another with dozens if not hundreds of people, through direct touch and sneezes but also via elevator buttons, glasses in a bar, door knobs, diner counters… if there is a virus or other contagion capable of living on an object for a period of time it wouldn’t take long to jump from person to person and spread it’s potentially nasty infection. To make matters worse inter- and intra- national travel has become so accessible and commonplace that such a contagion would potentially jet around the globe at lightening speeds. Contagion takes that potential and dramatizes it for all to see.
Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is on a business trip in Hong Kong and, after a tryst with her ex-boyfriend gets on a plane and heads home to her husband and child, uncomfortable with a bit of a cold that she shrugs off as jet lag. When she collapses in a heap of foaming at the mouth seizures and quickly dies in a hospital the next morning it is pretty clear that this was no ordinary cold. While the hospital paperwork is being completed by her husband (Matt Damon) their son is sent home from school because he has an illness resembling the flu, and he quickly dies as well. Not a good day for Damon.
It seems that there is sickness and death
happening around
the world, and it doesn’t take long for the CDC in Atlanta to realize
that there is a global epidemic in progress. As the sickness claims
life after life the courageous researchers with the CDC risk their own
lives to find a way to prevent this virus from spelling the end of the
human race.
Contagion is heralded by some as an “intelligent horror movie”, but that is absolute hogwash. Although the list of criteria necessary for a film to be classified as “horror” is debatable and subject to interpretation, a horror movie should include at least a few of the elements of victim, hero, quest for personal survival against a dark foe, elements of the supernatural, battle between good and evil… and a monster here and there doesn’t hurt. Contagion doesn’t really include any of these things in spite of the subject matter which would imply otherwise. The next potential classification is “thriller”, but the very name suggests that something in the film should be thrilling. Contagion portrays a viral outbreak with the potential to end humanity, yet is surprisingly without suspense or thrills. This film plays more like a neutral “what if” scenario filled with characters who generally behave believably yet prompt no specific emotional response when they do whatever they do, be it try and find a cure or die in a heap of foam.
The lack of “buy in” inspired by these characters is not a result of lackluster acting performances as this all-star cast does a phenomenal job with their roles. These are considered A-list performers because they are in fact A-list performers, and each shows exceptional skill at creating and maintaining a believable character in this horrific situation, but in the end it’s hard to really care. There is no emotional investment in any of it but rather watching this film resembles listening to a soft-talking documentary broadcast on PBS. Contagion would have been much more powerful as a short film being finished in 30 minutes… 45 minutes max. It appears that director Steven Soderbergh, known for films such as Oceans Eleven, Traffic and Ocean’s Twelve, decided to construct this film to communicate that the world will end with a whimper rather than a roar. That, and to make sure that everybody in the audience knows how important the CDC, FEMA and other government programs are to the very survival of the human race.
Actually, it is in writing that last sentence that the true purpose of this film has become clear, and it is to ensure that all who watch realize that the U.S. government is indeed our ultimate protector and necessary for the survival of us all. Interesting how subtly big-government propaganda can seep into cinema like rancid sludge.
Contagion is a dramatization of how a devastating pathogen could threaten huge swaths of the population, and what could theoretically happen within government agencies if it actually did. Beyond that this is not a horror movie, and not even a good thriller. When deciding between watching this film and catching the next cutting edge expose on the life of a little known Haight/Ashberry artist on PBS, it’s a toss up.
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