Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

vilj-1 This documentary was shown by PBS, in my area, on Monday 12/30/2013. That was GOOD, since otherwise, I would not have watched it, because I didn't even know this 2012 documentary even existed. The BAD part of it, is that PBS showed it from 11pm to 12:30pm, therefore they showed a close to a 1:30 hours documentary and the running time of it is 1:50 hours. That's 20 minutes of footage missing from the original documentary, which was filmed with a running time of 110 minutes. Documentaries are usually well edited, that's why there is always a lot of "extras," deleted scenes and so on. GOOD for PBS for showing it, but BAD (very bad) for cutting 20 minutes from it.

Danny Blankenship I've read a lot about AIDS and saw films and movies with it portrayed, yet I have to say that David France's documentary "How to Survive a Plague" is probably the best yet. The film sends a powerful message of awareness and it's focus of fighting to cure the disease is displayed in a powerful message from activists and medical scientists. Plus the film uses real news clips and footage from the ACT group. Starting with highlights from year 6 of the AIDS plague it's clear the disease is 100% fatal, and many take it for granted as those in politics see it as a falsehood. And most shocking and harrowing as shown in the film is how in the early years of AIDS all emergency rooms would turn patients away who were positive. So with raising cases of AIDS groups started to form to do protest and make media people aware of their bad treatment. Then the historical ACT group was formed to bring nationwide awareness and the fight for underground drugs and imported scientific finds from the medical world were hot topics. Along with the introduction of AZT it would be challenged as ACT looked for more answers from the FDA.Also showcased during this hard charged documentary was how the moral and religious side even condemned condoms for gays they wanted celibacy for everyone! Neat was seeing how many homosexuals did a Jesus and condoms rebuttal protest! Thru it all more hope was found thru new AIDS research with clinical trials and better drugs from other countries. Overall "How to Survive a Plague" showed that fighting the war on AIDS has came a long way still many battles are to be won, still it's nice to see an outspoken outcry of courage and determination to make a plague like this a known major awareness, and this film showcased it's worth a fight for all!

Patryk Czekaj How to Survive a Plague is definitely one of the year's most awe-inspiring, riveting, go-into- action documentaries. Through a mightily informative combination of recent interviews and archival footage the film exhibits a noteworthy fight against both ignorance and indifference towards such a deadly epidemic as the one caused by the HIV virus. This is also a serious, heartfelt, touching depiction of a movement that was ready to change something, even if it meant sacrificing a few soldiers along the way. And yes, the word 'soldiers' is perfectly suitable when it comes to all those young people who devoted their whole lives to a global, far-reaching cause. Year by year, How to Survive a Plague presents a through and insightful look at the actions that propelled the LGBT activists in some of their most tragic days. Undeniably, the story behind such coalitions as Act Up and TAG are exhilarating ones. Even though the then-deadly virus already infected many of those young people, they still didn't lose faith in the cause and decided to stand up against the government and its reluctance to help those in need. Lead by a few charismatic and devoted individuals Act Up changed to course of history and it's definitely not an exaggeration. By making the whole world aware of the seriousness of this ferocious AIDS plague the activists made the world a place friendly for all inhabitants of this planet, no matter their sexual orientation or skin color. How to Survive a Plague is a clever, intriguing and fortifying documentary. Every scene of the film matters, every voice raised is a significant one. Decidedly so, the interviews shine a new light on the past events presented in the archival footage, and their coming together combines for a valuable film experience.

MisterWhiplash That seeming rarity: an incisive, heartfelt documentary about people doing good that is important, even today as AIDS is not the 'plague' it once was. It shows what people will do when they are pushed to a limit - it's not even about gay rights but about human rights, for proper health-care for the deathly ill. It's filmmaking that doesn't shy away from the rougher areas - when there is infighting in ACT UP, the director (first timer David France) shows it warts and all. But it's the heroism by the likes of Peter Staley and Mark Harrington that shines through the most. As Roger Ebert said, it's most emotional for the audience with a drama when seeing good people suffer, as do the people in ACT UP and in the AIDS crisis, and in doing good, against all odds. We get the sense that they were not just fighting for themselves, though that was certainly a big component, but fighting for the millions that needed the medicine that could at least be attempted. The saddest part is seeing the trial and error over the years, where people who did take the early drugs like ATX just didn't get better like they should've. It's a bittersweet conclusion since by the time the medicine did get to the point where AIDS was at least something people could try and not, you know, kill them, so many had already passed (the ticker per-year that comes up becomes more and more shocking, albeit a lot of these numbers were from Africa). As a document of the AIDS/HIV crisis and as a pure protest movie and 'Fight the Powers That Be!' saga, it's moving, harsh, and keeps its story moving with compelling people who faced up to the fact that their fight had to be about science even before it being a social issue. Oh, and the sort of 'reveal' you don't even expect in the last ten or so minutes... it shoots this up to being essential viewing.