We saw this movie the day after it came out. We went into the movie with low expectations, because the previews/trailers made it seem very much like many other movies. And, to be fair, it really was similar to movies like Outbreak in many ways, but much better. Outbreak had sort of a TV- movie sort of feel, low budget in many ways. Contagion does not feel low budget at all. The cinematography is outstanding (not something I'd normally notice!), where different scenes have totally different color schemes and feels depending on the location and situation. Matt Damon was amazing as the concerned father, and Kate Winslet was so good as an American epidemiologist, I totally forgot about Rose Dawson.
There were only a handful of scenes that lagged or seemed a bit boring. There is about a two-minute montage of no dialogue, just visuals, that is meant to move the story forward, but it lasts far too long and doesn't give us any new information. It seemed like a bad decision in editing.
Also, from the political standpoint, for much of the film you are given the impression this a very right-wing piece of propaganda, yet at the end you are given an undeniably left-wing perspective as well. I won't spoil it by being any more specific, but just to say - don't get offended to shut down if you think the politics are not what you agree with - it'll likely change before it's over.
There were only a handful of scenes that lagged or seemed a bit boring. There is about a two-minute montage of no dialogue, just visuals, that is meant to move the story forward, but it lasts far too long and doesn't give us any new information. It seemed like a bad decision in editing.
Also, from the political standpoint, for much of the film you are given the impression this a very right-wing piece of propaganda, yet at the end you are given an undeniably left-wing perspective as well. I won't spoil it by being any more specific, but just to say - don't get offended to shut down if you think the politics are not what you agree with - it'll likely change before it's over.