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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
GUILTY PLEASURE, May 21, 2005
This review is from: Contagion (DVD)
Yes, CONTAGION has some really incredulous dialogue and plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon, but for me it was a guilty pleasure. The movie knew how to push all the right emotional buttons; the president was stoically heroic; the virologist heroically sacrificial; the little boy hopelessly cute; the female villain deliciously over the top; and a scenario that although not expertly developed, still frightening in its implications. Bruce Boxleitner in a Bill Clinton impersonation plays the President who is assaulted by a crazed virologist and her partner, and given the Ebola virus, but a different strain that can be deadly even airborne. The President, his aides and a lot of patients are quarantined at an urgent care hospital and the villains demand a hundred million dollars or the president will die. Pretty far-fetched at times, but the scriptwriters knew enough to make us feel the tragedy of some of the deaths, but the Secret Service agents are refreshingly heroic and believable, even if the over the top general out to be president, is too incredible to be convincing. Jeffrey Combs of REANIMATOR fame adopts a combination Polish/Irish accent, but it's good to see this unusual actor at work; Lin Shaye is demonic as the scorned Dr. Crowley; and Megan Gallagher is convincing as the virologist. The pace is appropriate, and despite its many implausibilities, I found myself involved in the film.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
A typical Hollywood scare flick, January 8, 2012
The major danger to most of the world's citizens are malevolent or destructive acts by governments. Wars, concentration camps, etc. This flick is about the exact opposite thing: Government workers (the CDC mainly) are saving people from a malevolent virus-based plague. This has, of course, never happened, but who knows? There is no real plot here except 1) there is a virus-based plague; and 2) the Government swings into action to find a cure. Then society starts to break down (which has never happened in modern times in response to a plague, but who knows?)... There are some big named stars in this flick, but mostly the film is an infomercial about how lucky we are to have Government researchers standing around at taxpayer expense to cure Bird Flu or some other plague that might happen some day but never has. Not much room left for acting or drama. The only romantic angle to this movie sees a sordid cheating Gwyneth Paltrow get killed off in grisly fashion in the first ten minutes to the chagrin of Matt Damon, her cuckolded but loving husband. Pretty grim stuff. This is a watchable movie because someone plowed a lot of money into it. If you like to be scared by hyped-up non threats like Bird Flu, Global Warming, etc. then this film is for you. RJB.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ragin' contagion, April 8, 2011
found this a pretty good break from the slasher and space movies. Recommend those liking quarantine and isolation flicks to buy this. Was a good purchase.
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