Zaffy-1 I could write a whole review based on Jude Law's character and especially his tooth. It is maybe the biggest example of why this movie fails. I mean how can you take a movie seriously when it tries to establish a character by his distracting... denture? Not to mention the stereotype of the evil blogger, eeeww!In other news the film was as mess. They spread the story in too many places and characters, all of them poorly written. And indifferent. I could't care less about them or the drama on the screen cause the writing and the directing failed to make me worry or feel the threat of doom. Everything felt kind of flat. And unrealistic. It was frustrating watching important people who where supposed to have a crucial part in humankind's survival, not taking the necessary protections against the virus (sleeping in common hotels, touching everyone and anything, allowed to go home and in other places, etc etc).Too bad for the good cast wasted on a very weak script.

Tom (tombracher) Matt Damon's character is immune to a contagion spreading wildly across the globe as a result of human cross-contamination. Tragedy besets a seemingly unblemished family life when his partner, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, falls ill and dies. She is not the only unlucky citizen to fall victim to the unknown disease, as we see other accounts from across the globe in individuals showing similar symptoms. What start's out as a mysterious collection of deaths results in a race to save humanity from the deadliest contagion in history...There's no doubting the fact that Contagion does have flaws - an overloaded cast of A-listers making it difficult to feel sympathetic towards specific characters, a foreseeable drop in tension towards the final act and having to bare witness to yet another accent attempt from Jude Law.Agonising accents aside, the film has you feeling muddied from the off (along with the coughing over the black screen, did anyone notice the almost nauseously-tainted Warner Bros. logo?) The polluted appearance of shots creates a bubble of infectiousness that audience members cannot escape from. There are countless images of basic human contact with objects and themselves; whether that's wiping their brows, lifting their glasses, touching their clothes...all of which causes the audience to feel uneasy and overly-aware of themselves and the people around them (a clever trick to pull in a public environment).The film then settles into its plot, one that owes much to other infectious cinematic experiences such as Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later or any early medical-related apocalyptic horrors/thrillers. So despite it not being original, I find Contagion to be the best attempt yet at portraying the anxiety, tragedy and sheer scale of a real-life contagion; after all, the only thing that's sci-fi about this movie is the disease itself.Contagion does seem to throw all its eggs into the one basket of statistical data and fact; we hear all kinds of different numbers throughout, possibly in an attempt to deliver the imposing scale of this impending disaster as realistically as possible.The problem with this approach is that the audience can quite easily get disconnected from the complex world of medical science to focus more on the sentimental side of the film; of it's characters and whether they will stand the test of time. Films must choose between science and sentimentality to ensure they don't have to share focus between the two.There are some admirable performances from A-listers such as Damon, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburn and in particular Kate Winslett who I found wonderfully believable as a skilled medical expert struggling on many fronts. Unfortunately, I found myself quickly detached from any scene featuring Jude Law; mainly because I couldn't see beyond his adopted accent. Other than his rather brief appearances in Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', I find it hard to pinpoint a performance from Law that stands out. With that, Contagion could possibly have benefited from being one A-lister short.The film also features an intriguing score that represents the panic, struggle and disorientation of ordinary human life. Changes in pace and volume are evident throughout, rising in intensity as characters grow more concerned for their safety and human survival.I enjoyed the exhilarating pace and infectious tension of Contagion throughout. I think despite its flaws it portrayed the human reaction to disastrous circumstances very well, created the necessary tension up until the final act to keep you embroiled in the suspense and included enough good performances to make this B movie as believable as possible. I've seen it on a few occasions now and as a medical student, I appreciate its efforts every time.

disdressed12 I was entertained by this film.i thought it was well acted,well written and well directed.it's also plausible that this could actually happen.in fact,it has happened more than once,which makes it all the more enthralling and compelling.you really care for the characters.at least I did.it poses questions that we do not have the answer for.will the next occurrence be on a bigger scale?will we be ready for it? and is it possible the population could be decimated?nobody knows.we can only hope we are prepared for any eventually and respond accordingly.anyway,that's enough soapbox preaching.for me, contagion is a solid 7/10

braddugg A definite must watch for the way it terrifies sans supernatural elements.It's about an epidemic, a disease breakthrough yet very powerful in making impact psychologically. It's a rare film I must say that dares to take an ensemble cast, and go the whole hog of creating an epidemic. The film has Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow and many others. This implies that this is a script that convinced so many stars to be a part of it. So the script is great in itself. What makes it greater is the way it is directed. As a good director, Steven Soderbergh takes this script and adds pace making it a thriller than a medical autopsy of an epidemic.Yes, I must say it's a thriller and that's the genre of this film. It thrilled me from the word go and made me sit the very end and even after it's over it made me ponder. It actually gave me a lump in my throat. Kudos, to all those involved in making this and I rate this as one of the very important films for doctors and patients above the normal film viewers.Also, I stay in Hong Kong currently so I can relate to this film. I have seen, the MTR, the ferry and those streets that are shown in this film and actually felt very happy. But from Hong Kong to the USA and meanwhile citizens of other countries should be aware of any epidemic. There was SARS, there was Ebola, and now there is MERS and ZIKA now. We do not know their origins and the investigation is on and in future, there shall be more such epidemics if we are not careful.This film just acts as a mirror in showing to us, what life can be like if we are not just doing the right things. One person's carelessness, can cause a lot of damage. This film, inherently, gives a message to focus on personal hygiene in anything we do.The technical aspects are great and the atmosphere that this film created is chilling and amazing. It's a film that's a must watch and a 5/5.