Contagion Blu-ray review

            There have been many films about widespread disease which threatens to destroy civilization. This has been a common theme in horror films especially, with the virus turning victims into bloodthirsty zombies or vampires. In one film it turned all humans blind. The difference in Contagion is the realism and science which is used within the storyline and this is what makes this film so effectively gripping. One can easily imagine this scenario occurring, whereas zombies are a fantasy for those of us who play too many video games.

            With an ensemble cast of talented stars, a well-researched and detail-oriented script by Scott Z. Burns and the steady directorial hand of Steven Soderbergh, Contagion is dependably engaging and thought-provoking. Everything within the film is also entirely believable, and the reality is that the script is also quite possible. There is even a special feature within the Blu-ray disc that investigates the science behind Contagion and the possibility of this actually occurring. It features medical journalist Sanjay Gupta along with members of the cast, and reality is no less frightening than the fiction within the film.

            When a virus is created and spread on an airplane, there are deaths all over the world. Soon the disease threatens to destroy humanity if not contained. Although some people are inexplicably immune, many fall sick and die quite suddenly. A few brave scientists work relentlessly to find a way to grow the virus and find a cure for it. At the same time there are those who attempt to use the virus as a means for personal gain. The cast includes Matt Damon as a grieving husband and protective father, Jude Law as someone many believe to be a profit, and Marion Cotillard and Kate, Kate Winslet and Laurence Fishburne and many more are part of the team trying to stop the global destruction of the virus.

            The Blu-ray disc also includes two additional featurettes about the film’s accuracy. There is one with the many experts used to provide research for the actors, and a featurette about the impact of a virus on the world. The Blu-ray combo pack also includes a DVD and a Ultraviolet Digital Copy.