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In 1995’s “Outbreak”, Director Wolfgang Peterson painted a frightening picture of a mysterious deadly disease quickly spreading its way throughout the world. As Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman), a USAMRIID virologist and his team – which includes his soon-to-be ex-wife (Rene Russo) and a long-time colleague (Kevin Spacey) – race to crack the code behind the virus so they can craft a fix, the stupidity of the public reigns supreme, causing the thing to spread and spread and spread.
Though largely a popcorn film, and likely not anchored in as much fact as Soderbergh’s “Contagion”, “Outbreak” is well worth revisiting during these somewhat worrying times. While it doesn’t exactly mirror what’s going on around the world right now with Coronavirus, some moments are quite educational while others will provide reassurance.
Here are 5 reasons why you should revisit the film.
It shows how fast such a virus can spread – especially if we don’t abide by common sense or remember simple, hygienic rules. Wash your hands, then wash them again. And constantly. Don’t get too close to anyone – let alone share food or drink – with someone exhibiting symptoms. Isolate yourself in your home while you’re unwell – as we see in the film, Patrick Dempsey’s character not only gets about in public while infected, but flies at his worst – and for a good amount of time (14 days they say). Do the opposite of everything the victims do in this film, basically.
While the media and government are blowing up our internet browsers and the pages of our newspapers right now, and that’s all pretty alarming, rest assure nobody is considering blowing up cities – and the people within it – to stop a virus, nor are people with the infection being locked away in bubbles like E.T. They won’t us to go about our daily lives, while they work on a fix. Surely there’s some comfort in that?
Not to discount the toll Coronavirus is taking, the disease running amok in “Outbreak” is far, far worse. Whoever catches the fictional bug is essentially dead within days. There’s no “mild symptoms” case. There’s no “recovery period”. Once the thing has entered your system, that’s it. From all accounts, the Coronavirus is something most who catch it will effortlessly beat within a couple of weeks.
As seen in the film, know that scientists are doctors are working very hard, and likely round-the-clock to develop a vaccine. While it’s unlikely it’ll be administered to the public as it quick as it is in the film , a fix will likely be found just as quickly. These guys are smart. Trust in that.
We will prevail. We always do. That is the message of the film — and should be our motto right now, too. Just as we see in the film, we’re forced to endure some pretty troubling times for a while but before you know it, all will return to normal. Remember that and it might just help a few lay of the problematic panic button for a while.
Check streaming platforms or disc retailers for “Outbreak”.
To keep up to date with what’s going on with the Coronavirus, and for tips on how you can keep safe, check out the CDC website.
