Contagion
Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Rating: 3.5/5
A new Steven Soderbergh movie is always something to get excited about - and Contagion is no different as the Oscar winner returns to the director's chair.
The movie follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.
At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.
It's fair to say that Contagion is not the feel good movie of the year it is a chilling look at how a virus could spread round the world so quickly - and we are the ones who will carry it.
Soderbergh must be applauded for the way he has constructed this movie he hasn't resorted to emotional or super cheesy stories lines instead the telling is almost clinical.
It's suspenseful watch from the word go as the world is gripped by fear and panic - a very realistic look at the way things would be.
There is just an unsettling feel about the whole movie it really is rammed home that something like this could be just around the corner and we could be powerless to halt it.
But it is the big names stars that really ram the tale home and keep you engaged - and dare I say even enjoy this rather grim story.
The ensemble cast works well as they are all trying to battle the virus in their own way; Matt Damon trying to keep his young daughter safe, Kate Winslet on the front line trying to help the sick in America and Marion Cotillard uncovering where the virus came from in the far East.
This is a very intelligent movie that delivers a very frightening reality - Soderbergh creates so much more tension and unease than movies like this have done in the past.
The planet is depicted as a very tiny place where only a couple of people who meet by chance can spread a deadly virus around the world - a very chilling thought indeed.
Contagion shows Soderbergh at the top of his game as this movie, in parts, is shot almost documentary style; which I think works really well.
The script, which was penned by Scott Z. Burns, really is very thought provoking and will leave you with plenty to think about once the credits have rolled.
This movie will make you look at amount of things and people that you touch on a day to day basis - and is may just have you reaching for the anti-bacterial wipes!!
Contagion is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Stephen Soderbergh