Outbreak: The Coronovirus of the 1990s
With news of the Coronavirus sending shivers down people’s spines all over the world, it is only right that we review Outbreak, which is an American film from 1995. The film is directed by Wolfgang Peterson. It is based on The Hot Zone, which is a non-fiction book that was written by Richard Preston. The medical disaster film is about the outbreak of Motaba, which is a fictional virus that is like Ebola.
The virus breaks out in Zaire and then starts to spread in a little town, which is in the United States. Some of the main stars in the film include Morgan Freeman, Rene Russo, and Dustin Hoffman. Co-stars include Patrick Dempsey, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Spacey, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
What is Outbreak About?
Outbreak follows a team of scientists as they find it difficult to stop a small town being destroyed, and potentially an entire country. This is a suspense drama, which begins when a deadly virus wipes out an entire village in just 24 hours in the mid-’60s. At the time, the military decides to destroy the village, as they do not want to risk any further infections. However, the disease re-emerges in Africa 30 years later, and this sees Sam Daniels called in, who is played by Dustin Hoffman.
The disease soon spreads to the United States when a monkey carrying the virus is smuggled into the country. You will follow the story as a small town in California begins to succumb to the disease. Will the team of scientists be able to find the antidote? Not only will you follow the team as they struggle to come up with the answer to this disease but you will also see the team at loggerheads as they struggle to come to an agreement on the best way to handle the situation.
This film has an advantage before it even starts in the sense that it is based on a truly terrifying premise. After all, a lot of people are worried about the real-life possibility that one day a snidey and extra lethal virus could sneak into the country and wipe out the full population within a day or two. You only have to look at how scared people are about the Coronavirus to see why a film like this would strike a chord.
Outbreak is the Kind of Movie You Enjoy
Outbreak is one of those unique films whereby you will enjoy watching it even though you can see yourself being manipulated. After all, the actors all play roles that we have seen before. However, they are so well written and acted that it does not even matter. Morgan Freeman brings something real to the film. He is trapped between his own better instincts and obeying instructions. This is a situation that most people reading this will be able to relate to, right?
A Number of Different Thrillers Into One
Another unique quality of this film is the fact that it brings a number of different thrillers into the one-story, which makes it even more exciting and fascinating. You have the professional and marital jealousy, as well as military conspiracy, and medical detective work. And that’s not all; there is even an action climax whereby Hoffman and his daring helicopter pilot fly over California in a race against time.
Outbreak Was A Commercial Success
You can often tell whether a film is worth watching by looking into the accolades that it has received. Well, when it comes to Awards, it seems that most people were impressed by the performance of Kevin Spacey. He won Best Supporting Actor at both the Society of Texas Film Critics Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. The film also performed very well in the Box Office.
On its opening weekend, it topped the Box Office in the United States, accumulating earnings of more than $13,400,000. It stayed at the top spot for three weeks until the release of Tommy Boy. Outbreak was certainly considered a commercial success. It grossed $122,200,000 internationally, and more than $67,600,000 domestically.
So there you have it: everything you need to know about Outbreak. We would definitely recommend watching this film if you are a fan of medical disaster movies. Not only does the film boast an A-list cast but it is certainly on a subject that is very topical at the moment when you consider everything that is going on around the world.
