Contagion

In telling the multi-layered story of a global outbreak of an apocalyptic virus, Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (2011) dances weakly, ineffectually around macro topics like Big Pharma, IGO’s shafting of the Third World, the environmental impacts of livestock farming, government nepotism, and opportunism among conspiracy theorists. Embodying the latter target in Jude Law’s firebrand blogger and homeopath, Soderbergh develops as close to a dynamic and relevant critique as exists in the movie; he skewers the paranoia, bolstered by New Media arrogance, that fuels everything from anti-vaccine activism to support for Ron Paul. However, Contagion generally introduces fascinating, complex topics but only gives them cursory, albeit technically proficient consideration with a blandly do-goodnik perspective.