This review has
simmered for a while but I finally decided it’s a three because of its unique
spin on this outbreak/super-virus/zombie theme. It was realistic and very
thoughtful/pensive/methodical/measured. The director, Steven Soderbergh, really strove to
make it play like it would probably work in real life, i.e. it wasn't science fiction. But beyond that, it
was the tale of the heroes in this world who risk their lives and reputations,
break convention, to do the right thing. We got lots of different
perspectives and levels of it, from top to bottom. There were also bad guys: it was interesting that the young journalist/blogger was made to be an antagonist and it showed how he was really corrupt and used the public’s fear for profit, all while manipulating their thoughts and exascerbating the problem. People directly died because of the chaos he helped promulgate. Also, the unfaithful gambling alcoholic wife had a lot of blame, as well as the multinational company she worked for that was clear-cutting in the Third World. There was some real skepticism of goverment, politicians, the military and CIA as well.
In the end, the movie tells of how these heroes worked to try to beat the virus, find practical solutions, and save the world, which is a different ending to these kind of movies too: it was optimistic and provided hope, which is refreshing. So even though this is not what I was expecting from the title, I liked its overall message.
