ShangLuda Admirable film.

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Paul Evans Initially I thought I was in for a horror movie without the scares. How many zombie movies start of in the same way, Ill person on train collapses, carnage follows, however, consider a film that substitutes the carnage for reasoned plot. In some ways Contagion felt like it could have been made as a TV drama, the threat is very, very realistic, as you watch you find yourself thinking this could really happen. Immediately after watching I bought a hand sanitizer and checked for bats :-) Surprising parts for Damon and Paltrow, but each perform very well. Overall it was more contained then I expected, that in itself makes it scary, that safe feeling you get knowing blood thirsty monsters are on the other side isn't here, instead are a series of events that cause real unease. A good watch.

Joseph Yurisich Contagion was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The cast was stellar but under used, the plot was very predictable and characterisation was frustrating.However the movie does have some highlights. The music does a great job of adding tension, which is very important as the screen writing didn't have any by itself. The lighting and general cinematography were also well executed, with a very exaggerated colour palette providing emotional depth or definition in an otherwise boring and flat movie.All in all, watch it to enjoy the great direction by Steven Soderbergh, as he did the best he could with the awful screen writing and unoriginal plot ideas.

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.

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.