Influenza. Most people get it at least once in a lifetime. Most people suffer from it for no more than a few days and then go on with their normal lives. What would happen though if we were met with a more serious strain? One with a higher mortality rate and even higher contagion factor? This film tells such a tale. Starting as patient zero is admitted to the hospital with unknown ailments, and going on from there, getting worse at an alarming rate. This is one of the best things about this film - the way the sickness progresses is more than believable and sometimes even too close for comfort. It is not impossible to believe how the people respond to it and the actions they are willing to do to be able to survive.
What works against it in my eyes is the appearance of a plethora of big time actors and actresses, where it really does not need them. It feels like the directors didn't feel too sure about the film and tried to apply the age old trick of adding known faces in hopes to improve the film (it never works, and in this film it makes it worse by pulling the attention from the backing story).
Add to that the final minutes were unnecessary - the film could have done (and in my opinion should have done) without them and you get to the final result: a very good film which is hindered by just two problems, but rather drastic ones at that.
8 out of 10 needles in a haystack
What works against it in my eyes is the appearance of a plethora of big time actors and actresses, where it really does not need them. It feels like the directors didn't feel too sure about the film and tried to apply the age old trick of adding known faces in hopes to improve the film (it never works, and in this film it makes it worse by pulling the attention from the backing story).
Add to that the final minutes were unnecessary - the film could have done (and in my opinion should have done) without them and you get to the final result: a very good film which is hindered by just two problems, but rather drastic ones at that.
8 out of 10 needles in a haystack