Contagion Review
Contagion is centered around a deadly virus that travels rapidly from host to host, and infects millions of people all over the world. An international team of doctors, employed by the CDC, try to handle this awful outbreak, while we see many victims suffering and struggling to stay alive. This is an intense action packed thriller; you’ll want to wash your hands and not touch a thing after seeing this movie…Don’t forget your hand sanitizer!
Rating: Two out of five popcorn buckets.
Release Date: September 9, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 13+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
The film is very interesting. It starts out on Day 2, as we see Beth (Gwyenth Paltrow), coughing while grabbing a handful of peanuts at an airport on her way home from Hong Kong. The movie focusing on people’s hands, and how easily germs are transmitted; whether it’s holding onto a bus railing, touching an elevator button, or even passing a credit card to a waitress. One character says, “We touch our hands to our face 2,000 to 3,000 time a day.” The film concludes with Day 1; a very clever ending.
There is an all-star cast, to name a few; Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet. With director Steven Soderbergh and the amazing actors, the film was extremely well done, and so believable. It made you wonder if an outbreak like this could really happen.
While there are many horror films and sci/fi movies that some kids like to see; most likely they will eventually realize that a zombie, or a scary monster will never enter into their lives. However this film could really be frightening and disturbing, especially for hypochondriacs. The subject matter could spark some good parent/child conversations.
Sexual Content: Mild
- In one scene Beth rearranged her flight so she could have a sexual encounter with an old boyfriend in Chicago.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
- We see victims suffer repeatedly throughout the film. They foam at the mouth and have seizures before dying; it was awful to see, this may be disturbing to kids and even some adults.
- Things get out of hand while people are searching for food and medical attention. We see people looting stores, breaking windows, and setting buildings on fire.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is used once. Characters also say; “s&@t,” a%s,” and “d*#n,” throughout the film.
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- We see characters drinking alcohol at a bar.
Even though this was a well done, interesting movie, I found it to be disturbing and a little depressing. With the intense subject matter, I don’t recommend this for kids under the age of 13, however mature teens may find it to be interesting. Don’t be too freaked out by viruses, according to a recent University of Michigan study, they found that kids raised on a farm have fewer allergies than city kids because they’re exposed to more germs which strengthens their immune systems.
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