How good can a movie be when the villain is invisible to the human eye? Since the early 1970s, numerous directors have attempted to create films revolving around diseases. Past side-effects of these film-born epidemics have included everything from immediate suicidal urges to impregnation with dinosaur fetuses - 1993's Carnosaur, in case you were wondering. With very few exceptions, however, none of these films have ever passed the threshold of mediocrity. Steven Soderbergh's Contagion proves to be one such exception.
Contagion brings the rapidly mutating MEV-1 virus to the modern world. The virus takes hold of its hosts through the air and public surfaces. While those who contract it begin with regular flu-like symptoms, their health issues are exacerbated with remarkable rapidity; 25 to 30 percent of those who catch MEV-1 die from it. Although this fatal virus may not be nearly as bad as impregnation with dinosaur fetuses, it easily encapsulates audiences with a strong sense of reality. MEV-1 does not elicit many laughs or doubts - it simply shocks viewers.
Acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's 11 trilogy, Traffic) weaves a number of different story lines into an intricate plot concentrated around the contagion. Each character goes through unique experiences because of the deadly disease. The perspectives Soderbergh chooses and the way he cuts the story lines together provides the feeling of a documentary at times; however, Contagion still has the mark of Hollywood throughout - big name actors litter the screen. The interesting mixture of Hollywood influences and independent documentary somehow combine into an extremely clean and surprisingly strong piece of cinema.
The large cast of famous Hollywood actors in Contagion will pop out to most audiences. The list of celebrities is never-ending: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Gould, Demetri Martin and more. Every actor performs superbly in his respective role and nobody stands out above the rest. While Soderbergh attracts a larger audience by including big-name celebrities in his film, he also delivers a powerful message: Everyone is human, and no one is immune. Not the rich, not the powerful and definitely not the faces we see on every magazine cover.
Another element of the film that stands out is its lack of romance. Whereas most blockbusters have at least one budding romance to boast of, Contagion has little to none. The marriages are marked by disloyalty or long distance. Pregnancy provokes absolutely nothing; no joy or sadness. Young couples are prohibited from kissing. The absence of romance plays into the overall anti-emotionality of the film as MEV-1 becomes the only thing on people's minds. The results of the virus are so appalling and widespread that shock replaces all other emotions.
There's absolutely nothing cheesy or corny about Contagion, and the entertainment is never lacking. The scarcity of emotion is not at all negative - it plays an integral part in portraying Soderbergh's vision and creating a successful film. In comparison to the vast wasteland that is the "disease genre," Contagion triumphs by leaps and bounds as a powerful film that hits hard - even if you can never see what's hitting you.
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