Dose of reality in movies

I finally made it to the Regal movie theaters up at Triphammer mall last weekend and got to see Contagion. The movie, directed by Steven Sotoberg who also directed Traffic and Ocean's 11, is a drama centered around people dealing with a massive worldwide virus outbreak. The main focus is on characters played by Matt Damon, whose wife and stepson are the first two victims of the virus, Laurence Fishburne who plays a doctor at the CDC and is tasked with controlling the disease in the United States. Jude Law, who plays a rouge journalist in San Francisco that is against pharmaceutical companies. Kate Winslet, another doctor at the CDC is tasked with finding the origins of the disease, and Marion Colltiard, who plays a World Health Organization official tasked with finding out who the first people infected were. The story is an interesting take on what could happen if another outbreak like the 1919 flu epidemic that claimed the lives of one percent of the world's population took place today. It also provides a harrowing look at the vulnerability of today's medical system and really how unprepared the world is if another virus outbreak were to occur. There are some very disturbing images in the film and the movie might not be for those who have a weak stomach. I give the movie a three out of five stars because the cinematography is absolutely stunning and the story does keep you captivated throughout.