Contagion is a 2011 film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is based on a globe-spanning epidemic thriller. Contagion is full of many off putting moments, and Soderbergh has great fun expertly grossing us out, while telling a story, vetted by experts, we're told, that seems all-too plausible.

The film is shot as a docudrama, and it certainly propels you through its sub-two-hour running time: You'll never be bored, except perhaps during a dead-end subplot about a kidnapping in China. I found that there were too many characters that didn't go into much detail, and that the film could have been better had they reduced these subplots. Matt Damon's character plot is the main plot, which is the most engaging. Followed up by Kate Winslet's subplot which also includes Laurence Fishburne.

Contagion is smart and well-made as it is, makes few emotional connections, perhaps because it's too ready to skip on to the next anecdote. Everyone on the planet is at risk, but we don't get to really know any of them.

Filled with an ensemble cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Gweneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, among others. Only Winslet, as a no-nonsense epidemic investigator willing to get close to the plague, rises above her few pages in the script.

Any thriller needs a villain, and Contagion finds its in Law, who's wearing an ugly snaggletooth that's a little too obvious a sign of his rottenness. The real villain needed to be the plague. But lacking much of a human touch in the storytelling, it stays just a remove or two away, even as it spreads across the planet and civilization breaks down. There's anarchy in the streets and they're running out of body bags, but Contagion keeps us at a distance: Rarely has the death of millions seemed so inconsequential. However, the film should have been more engaging and interesting.

After reading mixed reviews I watched with an open mind. After 30 mins I was left wondering what all the complaints were about. The first half an hour is excellent and then...well...the movie just dies.

I was expecting a lot more from this cast but they seemed lost with a messy script. No characters seem to interact and you don't really care about any of them. Jude Law does a great impersonation of a tree again and his role is laughable.

There are just too many 'plots' going on at once and no clues as to what caused the virus. The explanation given at the end is a total joke.

Although it's not a difficult movie to understand it does get confusing with the switch from character to character...most folks will try and see any link between the stories but you'll be flapping around in the dark.

Poor. 4/10

Adopting a clean, chronological and punchy approach, Soderbergh holds a steady eye on panic and chaos. It's a disaster movie with a brain and conscience.