Zoom in: Here are 5 medical disaster movies that are trending during the time of COVID-19
From the Korean film ‘The Flu’ to medical thriller ‘Contagion’ which deals with the spread of disease through surfaces, YSWeekender brings you a list of movies currently resurfacing, trending, and being streamed world over.
With the coronavirus outbreak world over, and with individuals socially distancing themselves at home, many people are watching movies based on pandemic diseases.
These movies are being streamed on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime and being watched by millions of people globally. Movie buffs enjoy watching these films, either to be provided with new knowledge on diseases or to seek comfort and solace during these trying times.
YS Weekender brings you 5 pandemic-related movies that people are currently watching….
The Flu
The 2013 South Korean film, The Flu, directed by Kim Sung Su, tells the story of an outbreak of the H5N1 virus that kills victims in a matter of 36 hours. Categorised as a disaster film, it stars Jang Hyuk and Soo Ae in leading roles.
The film is set in the district of Bundang which has a population of nearly half a million people. When the disease strikes, the protagonists struggle to save their citizens.
The Flu tells the story of a deadly H5N1 Virus (Image Credit: AsianWiki)
The movie shows how certain individuals needed to be quarantined, how birds were shot to stop the spread of the disease, and how families found ways to relocate in order to save themselves. The film also shows how soldiers, politicians and health organisations dealt with the crisis.
The entire city comes together to put an end to the isolation and they do no stop until they find a vaccination that brings healing and health back to their people.
Outbreak
The movie, Outbreak is a medical disaster film that was shot in 1995 and stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Morgan Freeman in leading roles.
It tells the story of the spread of a deadly Ebola like virus called ‘Motaba’ that infects the citizens of the fictional coastal village of Cedar Creek in California.
The Motaba virus spread through an African monkey in the film (Image Credit: Amazon)
Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) is an army epidemiologist who is summoned to Africa to investigate a mysterious fever that is killing those who come in contact with the virus.
On returning to the United States he tells his bosses General Billy Ford (played by Morgan Freeman) and General Donald McClintock (played by Donald Sutherland) that this is the worst virus strain he has ever seen.
Little does he know that his bosses are covering up a deep dark secret.
The virus soon spreads to the US via a smuggled African monkey, and kills several civilians in Cedar Creek.
Colonel Sam Daniels tries to do everything to prevent the virus from spreading further, and searches for a solution and a cure.
Contagion
The medical-themed thriller, Contagion came out in 2011 featuring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne and Marion Cotillard in leading roles.
Directed by Steven Andrew Soderbergh, Contagion is one of the most trending films currently being watched by people across the world on various streaming channels during the coronavirus outbreak.
Most people find that the film, Contagion, depicts symptoms closest to the Coronavirus (Image Credit: YouTube)
The film premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival in Italy, and has been praised by critics for the strong storyline and cast. The movie also received a lot of admiration from scientists at the time who claimed that content used in the motion picture was quite accurate.
In the film we see the spread of a deadly illness caused by ‘Fomites.’
'Fomites’ are inanimate objects in hospitals, such as stethoscopes or IV tubes or other objects such doorknobs, switches and handrails, remote controls and elevator buttons that can transmit infections among people if they are not cleaned thoroughly.
The authorities try their best to control the contagion, keep social order in place and prevent more lives from being lost. How is the disease cured? You need to watch the movie to find out.
12 Monkeys
12 Monkeys is a neo-noir science fiction film, directed by Terry Gilliam, that is about a deadly virus, which is powerful enough to wipe out most of humanity.
James Cole (played by Bruce Willis) is a convict who is sent back in time to gather information about a man-made virus and put a stop to it.
12 Monkeys shows us the danger of pandemics (Image Credit: Netflix)
The film is set in 2030 and James has to travel back in time to 1990 to figure out the root cause of the virus
He discovers that a rebellious group called the army of the 12 Monkeys had deliberately spread the virus.
James needs to find out the key information that the 12 Monkeys discussed so that he can help scientists find a cure for the disease.
12 Monkeys is a film one must watch to be aware of the impact that pandemics can have on civilisations, if not properly contained.
Other members of the cast include Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.
The film received outstanding praise for concept and the cast; Pitt won a Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated as Best Actor at the Academy Awards.
Pandemic
A science fiction thriller film, Pandemic, which released in 2016 is about how the world can deal with a pandemic if it ever arose.
This is one film that predicted that a pandemic like the coronavirus would occur in the near future but shows us that there will always be a solution, if one is patient.
In the movie, Pandemic doctors race against time to find a cure (Image Credit: uknewonnetflix)
Pandemic is set in the future, where a deadly virus of epic proportions has overtaken the planet. There are more infected than uninfected individuals on earth. People are dying at a steady rate, and people are losing hope.
However, all is not lost, when Lauren Chase, a doctor from New York, goes to Los Angeles along with her team to cure them.
Starring Rachel Nichols, Alfie Allen, Paul Guilfoyle and Danielle Rose Russell in leading roles, and directed by John Suits, Pandemic is a movie that is one of the most watched films during these difficult times.
(Edited by Asha Chowdary)