As I mentioned in class the other day, there were four films released this month alone that deal - in some way - with the depiction or threat of apocalypse: Melancholia [dir. Lars Von Trier], Contagion [dir. Steven Soderbergh], Perfect Sense [dir. David Mackenzie], and Retreat [dir. Carl Tibbetts]. Three of the four opt for the 'deadly virus' theme, whilst the fourth (Melancholia) begins and ends with a giant meteor destroying the earth (that's not a spoiler - you know from the outset of the film that it's going to happen!) You can watch trailers/read more about the films by clicking on their titles, above.
To date, I've only seen Melancholia, although I'm hoping to see Contagion in the next week or so; the other two I think I'll have to catch on DVD. Melancholia is astonishing - I'll post a review when I have time - and I recommend it, as the sheer audacity and chutzpah of Von Trier is something to marvel at and the opening sequence of scenes is breathtakingly beautiful. Besides that, it may make you laugh aloud (in disbelief/hilarity), feel sick (jumpy camera work), or cry copiously. I did two of these things - you'll have to guess which.
On the face of it, Perfect Sense looks like primarily a romance film (ick), but watch the trailer and you'll learn otherwise. It has some great cast members (e.g. Stephen Dillane, an under-used and excellent character actor), and the director, David Mackenzie, has good form: he also directed Young Adam (an adaptation of the deeply depressing novel by Scottish writer Alexander Trocchi) and Hallam Foe. Also, the music is by one of my favourite contemporary composers, Max Richter.
On the evidence of the trailer, Retreat looks like it is exploiting a standard horror story/film formula: isolated couple terrorised by crazy person (in this instance, Jamie Bell), and therefore it might not be a 'proper' apocalypse/disaster/catastrophe film at all. This is a shame, as I like the escalating panic, crumbling social infrastructure and pointless heroics of the more 'conventional' apocalypse film or disaster movie.
So far, Contagion is getting mixed reviews, with some suggesting it is rather 'slick' and 'sterile' (is the use of this word supposed to be a joke, Daily Mail?), but I like the rising panic of the trailer. Also, if you are feeling in any way complacent in the face of the impending apocalypse, then why not read these recent news stories accompanying the release of the film:
Dr Ian Lipkin, a 'virus scientist' who was an adviser on Contagion, tells The Observer that: "When I was a kid, the launching of Sputnik made us aware that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in the race for space. Now all of us are in a battle that is potentially devastating, only it is not against another country but against microbes."
Meanwhile, in the Guardian film blog, David Cox writes that: "Life as we know it won't be brought to a halt by asteroid impact, a new ice age, nuclear holocaust or alien invasion. A bug could do the job no sweat." (I love that he references an academic journal article!)
Right, off to do some more obsessive hand-washing now.
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