CONTAGION

[maikuu]

[Marine]

Hi Mike!
I really enjoyed "Contagion" because it was realistic and it is definitely something that can happen to human kind tomorrow

The MEV-1 virus begins with a bat eating a banana and dropping it in a pig farm where one of the pigs eats it. From the contact between the pig's spit and the bat's spit, the MEV-1 emerges. Then the dead and contaminated pig is taken to a restaurant in Hong Kong where it is cooked by a chef, but the chef does not wash his hands when he is meeting Mrs Emhoff (EWWWW!). By shaking her hand, the chef is contaminating Mrs Emhoff.
Then, by meeting people, getting physical contact with them and coughing, the virus spreads from Mrs Emhoff to the world. This is how the virus went global... Starting from a little spit and ending into a worldwide epidemic disease.

In this movie, my favorite character is Dr. Leonora Orantes because she is intriguing and her job is the most complicated one : find the origin of the virus. However, something is missing in this movie and i think it has something to do with this character. If the director had shown us how Dr. Orantes discovered the virus and then how the WHO (World Health Organization) found a vaccine, maybe the story would have been less monotone. Because she was so close to the location where the virus started, i found it frustrating not to see how she hasn't reached her goal. But i guess the frequent tension troughout the whole movie is Steven Soderbergh's style.

Finally, according to "Contagion", we can avoid catching the flu by staying at home, frequently wash our hands, avoid physical contact and wait for a vaccine. In my opinion, those recomendation would be pretty accurate if that situation were to happen today.

To sum up, i really liked this movie because those type of catastrophe/drama movie simillar to "World War Z" or "I am a legend" always have a light of hope somewhere. Here, they could find a vaccine in a few month which is amazing.

Thanks Marine for a great post! Soderbergh's style can be frustrating at times, but it seems he is very willing to show us reality rather than bling action. Most moviegoers, especially us younger birds, would rather see lots of action up on the slate rather than what Soderbergh chooses to deliver. The end of Contagion, which happens rather quickly, surprises us with the beginnings of MEV-1. You do an articulate job of describing this sequence. Had Dr. Leonora Orantes connected with this reality, the film, as you point out, may have had a stronger resonance with audiences.
Regards, --mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[christina8201237]

Hi, this is Christina.
In the movie, the director explicitly depicted the whole processes when a new breed of virus intrude in our daily life. Although I knew that some parts of the movie were skipped for us to imagine by ourselves, I can still realize the director tried to send us the message that this situation can really happen in our life undoubtedly.
At the end of the movie, Dr. Ally Hextall put the sample of MEV-1 together with SARS and H1N1. I think it's obvious that the director tried to connect it with our life and made it look more like a true-to-life story. The MEV-1 virus was spread by animals and was carried out by the dirty hands of a chef. It's hard to tell the animals not to do that, but we can try our best to maintain a high quality hygienic environment to keep away from those kinds of disasters.
The best character I like in the movie is Dr. Mears. I felt so sad when I saw her passed away by the contagious virus. Even when she was dying, she still tried to give her jacket to someone who needed it. Just a few people would act like her who was so generous and unselfish. If I were there, I think I would probably be like those people raging on the trucks for food aggressively. It shows human instinct when we face the crisis.
Finaly, I would like to say that I don't like this movie. I know the director gives us many realistic details from every aspects and the plots are clear, but I expect it to be a more exciting one.

Hi Christina-- As I read your post, I had the feeling that you found much to appreciate about Contagion, especially with the inspirational acts of unconditional love demonstrated by Dr. Mears. So when you concluded by saying you didn't like the movie, I was a little sad. This was the first time I showed this film in an ESL class, and I was aware that it's a little low-key (not much action), so I've been tracking the reactions of students.

The sense I get is that the story line seems to jump around too much and leave us with unconcluded actions. For example, when Mitch Emhoff and his daughter try to cross the bridge, he doesn't put up much of a fight. And what does he do after he hears the gunshots in his neighbor's house? Not much. I think moviegoers need heroes that do more. I guess Soderbergh wanted to chose reality over drama and action. Perhaps we can find a way to like Contagion for what it is.
Thanks for posting http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Reem-Aleshaiwy]

According to the movie, we can avoid catching the flu if we washed our hands frequently, avoid infected people, stay at home as much as possible and wait for the vaccine.

[goerlin]

Though I don’t really like this movie, I think the story is very close to the actuality of the world, for any unknown disease may begin at anytime and anywhere. According to the movie, I don’t think we could actually avoid catching the flu. Even if you stay home as long as possible or wash your hand frequently, food and daily use products will run out eventually and you will have to go out. What if the vaccine was never discovered? In my opinion, human cannot prevent or avoid any natural disaster and disease; however, things will always have its natural way of curing it.

Hello Goer! Dang it, I wish you guys would like Contagion more. It just takes a little thinking outside the box. In other words, not an action movie. Aside from this though, you've all raised a good point about who the hero is, and why don't they be more heroic? This may be Contagion's big flaw as an entertainment vehicle.

You also make an excellent point about the balance of nature. It seems that nature has its way of dealing with native populations including human, and virus is a natural tool for this effect. We humans, as clever as we are, try to defeat nature by finding a "cure" for a virus, and this often has worked, so far. As a result, the world population has increased dramatically in the last century or so. But one has to wonder where all this will lead. At some point, the force of nature may say "enough is enough," and deal a heavy blow to humanity's numbers. Of course, this effect is unspeakably cruel on a personal level, but it may nature's way of preserving the greater humanity. Who knows?
Thanks for posting. --mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[alice03015]

Hi, this is Alice. During this movie, Mears who is the CDA researcher, just knows how to use her knowledge to organize a plan, then, try to help people who get contagion. Thus, she is not good at debate. Unluckily, she gets sick when she is waiting the information of the contagion. I think in the movie, director always likes to make happy ending. However,when I watched that Mears wears plastic clothes, lies in the bed and waits dead. Actually, there has not much miracle in our lives.

This is Mike. Yes, the story of Dr. Mears is particularly tragic since she seems to be such a kind person. Is she your favorite character in the story? Do you think the tragedy of Contagion is meant to reflect the reality of the real world? Interesting post. Thanks for your thoughts.
--mike www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Elyas]

Hi this is Al
in this movie a mysterious disease invades the world killing people within days, the movie starts by showing people dying from this disease in different parts of the world.
we then discover that all of these people are connected to the main character`s wife (who is Matt Damon)
the most part of the movie is played by Agents of the company that does research of the disease to find a cure

Matt Damon played a secondary role which was a disappointment

the "Bad Guy" did not do as well in playing the bad guy, i mean he wasn`t a real threat at all, when i knew that he was the bad guy the simplest idea that came to me was that he might use the virus as a weapon or steal the cure. they could have made it more exciting, but nevertheless it was a good movie and i think Matt Damon`s face is suitable for his character.

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Hey Al... Thanks for a good summary/opinion piece on Contagion. Like others, you point out the need for more character development in the story. I wonder why such a smart director like Soderbergh would choose to do this? He consistently stops short of taking these characters too close to the edge. I have to think it is because he wants the film to seem like real life. Do you think it is possible to accept Contagion on this level?
Regards, --mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com
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Hi, Michael

yes I think I would but isn`t everything in real life emphasized? I mean in the objective matter everything is Normal

but in the subjective point of view, everything becomes super dramatic, and almost all human experiences are subjective so if he wanted to make it look like real life he should have showed us what happens inside the characters and made us go deep.

what do you think?

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Hi Al-- Thanks for following up. Once again you point IMHO is right on the mark. Movies are supposed to show the most emotional moments, the moments where actors use vulgar words because this is what real people would say in this moment. It's all about the suspense and the drama in this kind of movie. Perhaps if Soderbergh had gone for more drama, the film would have been more well-received. Hard to say because art is so subjective. Great comments. And I still recommend Contagion.

--mike www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Belal Jaad]

Hi this is belal.i really liked the movie because it felt so real. In 2009 , a disease like that flu was spreading very rapidly between people. That is why it felt so real to me. People has experienced this kind of infection. Hopefully,no more.

Thank you Belal for liking Contagion and perhaps judging it for what it is, and not for what it is not (make sense?). I wish you would have more to say about this.
Regards, --mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Mink0410]

Hi. I'm Minkyo

MEV-1 virus began by pig. It first spread by handshake.
My favorite character is Dr.cheever because he was selfish in the first part of the move, but changed to a man of goodwill.

I think that this movie was little boring because there was no climax.
But It was interesting movie and I want to recommand it to other people.

[Abdullah_Alayed]

Hi, this is Abdullah

It was actually my first time watching this movie.

The story started when the virus began with the contaminated pig when they took it to Hong Kong, and after the chef had cooked it, he went to meet Mrs.Emhoff and he shaked her hand without washing it. So, he contaminated her and the virus started to spread among people by handshake, or physical contact.

I really enjoyed the movie because it showed how the diseases can spread rapidly and how people contaminate each other.

regards