Contagion.

When you think of a disaster movie, what comes to mind? Is it a giant monster destroying a city? Or perhaps a horde of zombies? Or maybe you fancy the world being destroyed by flashy special effects? Contagion forgoes all of the options for a much more believable look into the genre.

It was brilliantly directed, all of the actors gave fine performances, the music was fittingly somber, and it was a welcome change of pace from the cgi/explosion fests that have plagued cinema for the past few months

Contagion tells its story through the eyes many individuals and their plights during a serious viral outbreak. We follow the head of disease control as well as his affiliates in different parts of the world, an online propagandist reporter, and a father who is doing everything he can to protect his daughter. These different angles are where the movie absolutely shines. Following each of these individuals, we get a different look at human nature and how different people will act during an outbreak of this nature.

As mentioned above, the strongest point of the film is the characters. However, we wouldn’t have these great characters without some great acting to back them up. Laurence Fishburne plays Ellis Cheever the head of disease control. Matt Damon plays Mitch Emhoff, the concerned father. Fishburne didn’t bring anything new to the table, but he was still fantastic. Matt Damon was great as a struggling dad. Early on we learn that he is immune to the disease but his daughter may or may not be immune. This brought some great intensity to scenes in which they’re scavenging for supplies. Even the simple act of making snow angles with the neighbor’s worries Damon’s character and we get to see an inner struggle. He wants to protect his daughter from this disease, but he also wants to let her have a life outside of a closed up house. Finally, we have Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede as the propaganda reporter. While all of these individuals were fantastic, Jude Law stole the show in my opinion. Even to the end of the film, it was hard to gauge his intentions.

If there was a viral outbreak, would you act selfless? Or would you succumb to the primal instincts of survival of the fittest? This film is able to explore these themes and proves that you don’t need mindless violence and gore in order to tell a mature and moving story. There are many scenes that are difficult to watch, not because of the violence, but because you will begin to question human nature as a whole. There was never a moment of peace in the film, as the content and pacing of the film will keep you on your toes at all times. One of the strongest themes that the film touched on was herd mentality and our inability to think when pushed into a crisis.

This was one of the scariest films I have seen in years, and it did it without violence and/or jump scares. Because of this, and the film’s gritty realism, I highly recommend this it. It’s one of the year’s best so far.