The movie Contagion, written by Scott Z. Burns, is a semi-accurate representation of the aftermath and rebuilding of society after an extreme outbreak of a highly contagious disease. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, this movie goes deep into the inner workings of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) both scientifically and politically.
The movie starts out by tracing what seems to be the origin of the disease and how it spread from country to country, and eventually around the world. Following this introduction of sorts, it goes into more of how the CDC deals with international problems such as this, and political issues they face when controlling a situation. A handful of these problems include the prioritization of the U.S. over other countries in receiving the vaccinations, the order of who gets the vaccination first within the U.S., and also the anarchy the world goes into when people must revert back to their survival instincts rather than act in a socially acceptable manner. Looking only at content, the movie is very intellectual and gives viewers another point of view on our government’s decisions.
Although the plot of the movie is up to par, the acting and special effects are somewhat lacking, if you’re into that stuff. Nothing too fancy, except for the depictions of the symptoms of the disease. The movie is based more on the content rather than flashy effects, so if you’re looking for a high-action thriller, maybe you should pass on this one.
Overall, I was surprised at the level of detail that went into this movie and in designing the inner workings of the CDC. The lack of special effects wasn’t much of a downside for me, but at some points the acting was a bit cliche. As a whole, I think the movie deserved 9 out of 10 stars for its intellectual basis rather than masking it with special effects.
