MovieChat Forums > Outbreak (1995) Discussion > Fun movie, underrated

Fun movie, underrated

posted 6 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8763)
4 replies | jump to latest

I just recently started reading The Hot Zone, Richard Preston's excellent book about the Ebola virus, and that inspired me to go back and watch Outbreak. I never did see it when it was first released, but read that it was loosely based on (perhaps better to say inspired by) The Hot Zone.

First, I was amazed by the cast: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, pre-disgraced Kevin Spacey, Show Me the Money, and Donald Sutherland all in one film. That's a damn good cast!

Also, as soon as I saw that Wolfgang Petersen was the director I knew the story was probably in good hands.

I thought it was a good film. It's Hollywood claptrap, yes, but of the sort that is fun and enjoyable when it's done well. And I think this movie did it well. The story is interesting, as is the inside look at the world of infectious diseases and those who work with them.

There's just something about the early-to-mid 90s when it comes to movies. It was a great era for film. There were so many good movies that came out around that time and they have a very specific look and feel to them, a look and feel that I now find nostalgic and comforting.

I was surprised to look on RT and see such low scores. 57% from the critics and only 56% from audiences. At the very least, I expected to see a solid audience score.

I wonder why this film wasn't embraced by more people. It's a fun ride and seems to me to be the kind of summer crowd-pleaser that the average moviegoer would enjoy.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8763) 6 years ago

I can't say I know anything about proper centrifuge protocol, but I wouldn't look to a movie like this for accuracy (though I do think that SOME attention was given to trying to be accurate). As I said in the OP, it's Hollywood claptrap, but the fun and well-made sort.

On a related note, The Hot Zone is getting a more faithful adaptation via a NatGeo series in May. That's actually what lead to me watching Outbreak. I saw the trailer for NatGeo's show, then started reading The Hot Zone, then decided to check out Outbreak.

Here's the trailer for NatGeo's series if you haven't seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YxNYnHTxAg

It looks great.

[–] Wuchak (8776) 6 years ago

Although viruses are so small they're invisible, they have the potential to be the biggest monsters of all. Certain deadly viruses, if let loose, can easily wipe out an entire town in a mere couple days. This is the scenario in "Outbreak." It could happen and is therefore realistic, which naturally makes the story more horrifying than most horror flicks or monster movies.

But "Outbreak" is more than just a scary what-if story as the second half involves a military cover-up and is edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, all the way to the final minutes. It's like an avalanche that slowly builds momentum.

The locations are magnificent, shot in the coastal towns Eureka, Arcata and Ferndale, California, all in the Northern part of the state, just South of the Redwoods and West of Bigfoot territory (i.e. Willow Creek). The African sequences were filmed in Hawaii.

IMHO "Outbreak" is top-of-the-line cinema -- equal parts scary, dramatic and suspenseful.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8763) 6 years ago

Don't know that I would call it "top-of-the-line cinema," but as I said, it is enjoyable. You know people often say "they don't make 'em like they used to." In the case of films from the early-to-mid 90s that really is true. I think that films have largely "felt" the same for about the past 20 years, but movies from that era have a look and feel that is all their own.

Of course I agree that a virus could wipe out an entire town. It's an interesting thought experiment to consider how likely it is that the government would be willing to proactively go in and kill everybody to contain such a situation. It both seems far-fetched and NOT far-fetched at the same time.

I have been looking around online for more info on the film and I see that a lot of people are comparing it to Contagion. I thought Contagion was a good film, but also a very different film. That movie was trying to be very grounded and go the "realistic" route, whereas Outbreak clearly wants to be a summer blockbuster.