Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Paul Magne Haakonsen "Pandemic" is a movie that sort of raised mixed emotions for me. The story in the movie is compelling and captivating, even though it drags out in a slow pace at times throughout the movie (making the 2 hours seem longer than they are). But in general, the movie works pretty well at a good pace.There were some pretty nice images throughout the movie, I especially liked the gloomy doomsday-like images of the normally busy and crowded Japanese cities devoid of life and shown in a bleak gray-scale.Most of the medical scenes seemed real (or believable enough), although there were a handful of scenes that had some flaws in it. Scenes that will make you go "hmmm, I wonder what kind of doctor/nurse would do that with their medical background". Which is a shame, because the medical stuff is what should carry most of the weight of the movie. But these flaws don't really bring the overall movie enjoyment down that much.For some reason, the actors/actresses having to cry in this movie were all so amazingly poor at portraying hurtful emotion and crying. It all came off so forced and fake. That was almost literally physically painful to watch. Oh, and you just got to love the "Engrish" that is used in the movie. Japanese people speaking English is usually funny, and in this movie, it is!The cast, in general, were fairly good. No award-winning acting going on though, but most did a fairly good job none the less.I would say that "Pandemic" is a mix of high rolling thrills and dragged out waiting. This is the type of movie that you watch one, and most likely never again. The movie does, however, leave you imprinted with lingering thoughts. Is a pandemic of this kind and magnitude lurking just around the corner? This effect is what brought the movie together in full circle.

imizrahi2002 raises a question of countries not being equipped, says the other reviewer? basic biology should teach us this... and that every breath is a miracle. it will never cease to amaze me(although it is unDOUBTedly one of the more clever mind mechanisms to prevent us from going crazy thinking about this sort of stuff aaaaaaaalllllllllllllll the time) that people don't realize how easily something such as an aids virus might mutate so that it can be spread through the air by droplet nuclei(a sneeze)... which just goes to prove that some education CAN be a dangerous thing. ;-) we're always just 'this/that close' to being wiped out en masse... maybe it's the ace up nature's sleeve just in case we get TOO destructive. although, re:me, it should've happened alREADY then... but please don't mistake this for a death wish on my part. too many good movies yet to be made...

8thSin For some reason, every one of the epidemic movies I've seen until "Kansen Rettou" ("Infected Islands") have all been cheesefest waste of time.This blockbuster film was actually very enjoyable. There were some corny lines and slightly forced plots here and there for drama, but overall very well-produced.The movie has a very strong cast. Tsumabuki Satoshi was excellent as the doctor. The "crying in agony" scene in the end was absolutely wonderful. There are many other actors in Japan who can handle dramatic roles, but truly talented actors can be charming and funny as well. This one particular scene near the end, where he takes a picture with the assistant professor really shows why he's among the best.They actually got Dan Rei, who has only appeared in major historical roles and stage play, to co-star in this film with Tsumabuki. Many Japanese actors challenge in historical roles and stage plays to improve their acting. Dan Rei, an actress who specializes in such roles, is on a whole different league in modern trendy films. Magnificent acting by both leading actors and their chemistry easily made up for whatever flaws there were to the story and the script. There were many recognizable faces among the supporting actors as well.The story had depth. "Kansen Rettou" tackled many important issues, such as the constant fear we should have on new diseases, personal sacrifices doctors have to make during emergencies, the "priority system" in choosing which patient to accept, and social responsibility leading to suicide in Japan, just to name a few. Although some aspects of the movie, like bleeding from the eyes and infected zombie foreigners were exaggerated, and two impossibly convenient defibrillator revivals before death, the plot was mostly plausible. The CGI of deserted Japanese cities were pretty realistic and had the "I am Legend" feel to it.I really liked the final 20 minutes, and this movie far exceeded my expectations.

Gordon-11 This film is about a mysterious, incurable and deadly infection that spreads throughout Japan alarmingly quickly."Pandemic" is a refreshing surprise. Though it contains some gory scenes, it does not rely on shock tactics to scare. Scenes of chaos, anarchy and people begging for help are enough to make people feel uneasy and to maintain suspense. Apart from some technical details (such as entering an infection zone without even a surgical mask), the medical scenes are believable."Pandemic" raises the issue that people, and even countries, are not equipped with epidemics like this. With new viruses being discovered every now and then, it is scary to think that the events in "Pandemic" could actually happen.