This is my first review here, and I must say the movie I'm reviewing was a thorough disappointment... and the more I think of it the more disappointing the movie gets. Basically the interesting part of the movie is over after about 30 minutes. They build up suspense in that 1/2 hour, but after that they simply start following/dragging story lines of multiple (8 or so) characters with no dept of all. It could be described as somewhat Crash/Babel-like, but done very wrong: none of the characters involved are either interesting or fleshed out. It's difficult to identify with either one of them. You're just a spectator; after the first 30mins I never really got the feeling of being 'in' the movie, being involved, feeling what the people in the plot are supposed to be feeling. The director builds up parts of story lines with the characters, but does not work those out, does not follow through, and fails to come to a real conclusion on any of them. This movie does severe injustice to its high-class cast, and that's a real shame.

Inbetween during the movie infection- and death-tolls are being called or hinted at every now and then, growing into huge numbers, but you never really get the feeling that tons of people are actually sick and dying. Despite the incredible contagiousness, very high mortality-rate, and how fast the virus is supposed to kill after being infected. I won't spoil the ending, but that too was a grave disappointment. Way too easy, sorry. At the point in time the movie suggests a considerable part of the world's population should be wiped out, and a very much more considerable part gravely ill. Don't expect serious/believable plot twists, there simply aren't any mentionable ones. Some twists are hinted at, but then they simply don't follow through. It's actually predictability galore for 94% of the movie, and not in a good way.

If you want to get excited about something go watch the Contagion trailer, then forget Contagion altogether and go watch the movie Outbreak. The interesting parts of Contagion are all given away in the trailer. Outbreak works with the same material as the Contagion trailer, but actually gets the movie-parts (as in: "storytelling", "interesting characters", "character development", "plot", "action", "drawing you in and keeping you on the edge of your seat", "a sense of scale, drama and disaster" and even "going somewhere") right as well. Contagion fails on all of the before-mentioned, plus some I probably forgot to mention. 4/10 for trying.