Plague films hold a certain bizarre appeal for moviegoers. Whether it's the criminally underrated 1995 film OUTBREAK starring Morgan Freeman and Dustin Hoffman, the post apocalyptic world of Will Smith's I AM LEGEND, or the Biblical aspect of Cecil B. DeMille's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, there's an inherent morbid fascination with these movies. Perhaps it's because audiences are obsessed with the "scientists racing against time" trope. However, I think it's more visceral than that. Plague movies are terrifying because the threat of a disease wiping out humanity is all too plausible.
If you've been following the news at all lately you know that the newly discovered Coronavirus has been quite the story in recent weeks. 6000 cases have been confirmed worldwide with over one hundred deaths reported. The disease, which mimics symptoms of the flu, originated in Wuhan, China and has prompted the government to shut down film productions across the country and many of its theme parks. There's currently no cure for the disease and the widespread news coverage has certainly sparked some fear among the masses that this could be a global crisis.
While most people turn to the film industry to escape harsh realities such as this, that's not always the case. In a bizarre twist, the 2011 Steven Soderbergh film CONTAGION leaped into the top-ten of the most downloaded films on iTunes last week, holding it's own against Oscar hopefuls JOKER and PARASITE. This despite the fact that the movie is nearly nine years old and has faded from the public consciousness. However, it's probably CONTAGION's eerie similarity to the real life Coronavirus that has people intrigued.
CONTAGION stars Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Laurence Fishburne. In the film Gwyneth Paltrow's character returns to the United States from China with an illness that mimics symptoms of the flu, that she initially attributes to jetlag. It turns into a global crisis, that quickly gets out of hand. Are you starting to see the similarities here? Starting to understand why people are suddenly fascinated again with CONTAGION?
It's amazing to me how sometimes life can imitate art and vice versa. CONTAGION is an excellent thriller but it's also based on hard science. Soderbergh has always been a meticulous director with a keen attention to detail. The same holds true with CONTAGION and the scientific aspect of the film lends an air of verisimilitude to the story. Perhaps that's why so many people have been downloading the movie.
Thankfully, the epidemiologists are able to produce a vaccine in the movie and eventually save humanity. However, this isn't before nearly 26 million people have died. While I don't believe that the Coronavirus is on the same level as the disease in CONTAGION, it nevertheless remains a very real threat. Here's hoping the situation gets rectified quickly and a solution is found.
CONTAGION is available for rental and purchase on iTunes and Amazon.