Quarantine, virus, epidemic – these words are getting old, and sometimes it seems as if we are all caught up in a movie. If you want to get rid of the fear that sometimes shrouds you after reading the news, you need to look it in the face. At least, that’s what psychologists advise. Watch our selection of movies about mass infection and relax-it’s all been there before. And although the imagination of the filmmakers draws different outcomes of events, but we know for sure that everything will be fine, because it can’t be otherwise!
Infection (2011)
Steven Soderbergh’s catastrophe film with a title that reveals all the cards at once – “Contamination” – was released back in 2011. Mass audiences and critics met the picture with restraint. The film attracted attention rather than plot twists and turns, and the star cast. Soderbergh got Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and others on the same set. But the plot at the time, nine years ago, seemed a little banal: a dangerous virus with a high mortality rate and the fight against it – all this has already been in the movies more than once, and a fantastic scenario in life is definitely not repeated. In a word, the film is interesting, but only for once. That was the spectators’ verdict after the premiere. On the tape, probably, would have been forgotten if not started in China, and then spread around the world pandemic COVID-19. Soderbergh, without even realizing it, predicted the future, showing the reality in which the world suddenly found itself in such a believable way that it gives one goosebumps. In 2020, the film’s popularity skyrocketed: “Contagion” is breaking all records in the number of views and downloads – everyone wants to believe that the director and screenwriters knew something back then, and to see how this whole story that put the world on pause, will end.
In the film, it begins with businesswoman Beth Emhoff returning after a business trip to Hong Kong to her home in Minneapolis. Her husband and son are waiting for her there. Beth is not feeling well: all her symptoms point to the fact that she has the common cold. But it is not that simple: Beth dies suddenly, and her son dies too. It turns out that Beth caught an unknown virus in Hong Kong, which is already marching around the planet and “mowing” people with unprecedented speed. The World Health Organization takes up the case: a vaccine must be developed urgently, but the virus mutates quickly and panic grips people. In a word, the plausibility of the film in today’s realities is impressive, so if you have not had time to see “Contagion” – be sure to watch it, if only to understand how easily viruses are transmitted, and try to protect yourself as much as possible. Well, and for the sake of understanding that everything ends sooner or later, even this strange period.
Last Love on Earth (2011)
David McKenzie’s art house melodrama Last Love on Earth may seem too cheesy if you’re looking for a movie that shows all the horrors of the epidemic from a scientific point of view. This is not that kind of picture. It is an allegorical apocalyptic film where the dreaded virus that will sooner or later wipe out the entire population of the planet is seen not as a threat, but rather as a reason to learn to feel the joy of life even when a terrible outcome is inevitable. The director explores the apocalyptic event from the sensual and metaphysical side, as one would expect in an art house. That is why even the epidemic is unusual here: people lose their senses one by one. Romantics will surely appreciate the film: the love of Ewan McGregor and Eva Green against the backdrop of events that inevitably lead to the death of humanity seems incredibly touching and gives hope that all is not lost as long as we know how to love.
Michael and Susan – the protagonists of the picture – meet by chance, and this chance meeting develops into a real passion. But strange things happen in the world. People start losing their senses: the first thing that disappears is their sense of smell, then their taste. The heroes are among the first to face the terrible virus that affects humanity. Michael works as a chef and Susan is an epidemiologist. The guy tries to compensate people for what they have lost, and tries to do everything so that they continue to get at least a little bit of pleasure from food. Susan, meanwhile, is trying to figure out how the virus is transmitted. But the epidemic is gaining momentum: following the taste, people are losing their hearing and it is obvious that this is the beginning of the end. All that remains is to believe and love like it’s the last time, because this time may indeed be the last…
Carriers (2008)
The film “Carriers” by Alex and David Pastor could have never reached the audience if not for the box-office success of “Star Trek. The picture “Carriers” with little-known Chris Pine in one of the main roles was made back in 2006, but went to the “shelf”. And in 2009, the screens came out “Star Trek” J.J. Abrams, after which Pine woke up a real star, and producers on a wave of universal love for the new Captain Kirk decided to shake the dust off the “Carriers” and still release the movie Pastor in theaters. Miracle did not happen: “Carriers” simply got lost among the same-type pictures telling about various pandemics. But the film, which is a mixture of drama, thriller and philosophical road movie, is much more interesting than it may seem at first glance. It is appreciated only now, when pictures about various viruses are at the peak of popularity.
The plot is built around a company of young people: two brothers (David and Brian) and their girlfriends (Kate and Bobby). In a world where a virus is spreading at a rapid rate, which leads to the painful death of people, and the survivors no longer trust anyone, there is no hope for tomorrow. The young men decide to leave and wait out the terrible epidemic in a quiet deserted place, Turtle Beach: this is where David and Brian spent their weekends as children. But to get to the island of tranquility, you have to travel many kilometers. The company embarks on a journey to survive, but the road through a virus-ridden country prepares many surprises. Heroes will not only have to face other people who have lost their faith, but also to know themselves from a completely new side.
Blindness (2008)
Fernando Meirelles’ (who directed City of God) drama-thriller Blindness is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Portuguese writer José Saramago. The film opened the 61st Cannes Film Festival, but did not become a box office hit. First of all, the theme of epidemic is very topical for today’s reality and secondly Julianne Moore plays a fantastic leading role in the film.
Events in the film begins with the fact that a young Japanese man suddenly loses his sight. He is examined by a doctor, but the examination reveals nothing extraordinary. After a while, new cases emerge: more and more people in the metropolis are struck by instant blindness, leading to disasters. The government decides to place the blind in a quarantine zone. A leading ophthalmologist turns out to be among the other people who have lost their sight. His wife pretends to be blind in order to go to the quarantine zone, as she does not want to part with her lover. At the same time, the number of people who have lost their sight grows, people who have been isolated begin to manifest their true selves, and the quarantine area descends into chaos. The film is not about the nature of the virus, but about human nature, the worst facets of which are exposed under extreme conditions.
I Am Legend (2007)
You have probably seen Francis Lawrence’s post-apocalyptic drama I Am Legend starring Will Smith, but now is a good time to review the film. Many things in the film are perceived differently given today’s realities. For example, the scene where the hero walks through a deserted New York City no longer seems so fantastic.
The world rejoices: American scientists have developed a miracle cure for cancer. But three years have passed, and it turned out that the good intentions of scientists have led to dire consequences. The cure, which was supposed to be salvation, turned out to be a horrible virus that turned people into monsters. New York City has changed beyond recognition: wild animals now walk the streets during the day and infected people who have become sensitive to sunlight come out at night. In the midst of all this post-apocalyptic horror lives Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville of the U.S. Army Medical Service, who miraculously escaped infection. His only friend is his sheepdog, Sam. Robert hopes that he will be able to find a cure that will return the infected to human form. But can one man save the world?
28 Days Later (2002)
Filmmakers used to be especially fond of making movies about viruses that afflict people, turning them into monsters. Of course, zombie movies have little to do with the current situation, but they are great for relaxing and understanding that even when faced with mutants one should not despair – there is always hope that the world will be the same. That’s the kind of hope that Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic “28 Days Later” offers. The film is often called a landmark, because it changed the rules of the game in genre cinema. First of all, earlier zombie apocalypse movies developed the idea of the living dead, and Boyle bet on viral infestation. Secondly, the director popularized the concept of “fast zombies,” which gave dynamism to the film. These techniques have caught on in genre cinema, and post-apocalyptic has reached a new level.
The film begins with a group of activists invading a lab and releasing a dangerous virus. Twenty-eight days after this event, a guy named Jim wakes up in the hospital after a long coma. He wanders the empty corridors of the hospital, he sees signs of a disturbance. Jim can’t figure out what happened until he finds a newspaper with a note about an epidemic. It turns out that four weeks ago a mass infection began in England, but the virus does not kill people, but turns them into ruthless killers. There are many infected, and they are attacking those who have not yet had time to be infected. A guy who woke up in a new world will have to figure out how to save himself, and at the same time, all of humanity.