5 movies about virus crises

With huge numbers of people stuck at home, people are browsing the internet for films about viruses. And this has given new life to many films that had not been talked about for a while. Here are a few recommendations on films to watch in case you are interested in celluloid versions of a very imminent crisis.

Contagion (2011)
This is one of the films that has suddenly gotten a boost, most likely because of how it predicts something similar to the coronavirus crisis. The virus in the film started in China and a bat is to blame for it. This is the most quintessentially Hollywood movie on the list.

Virus (2019)
This one is closer to home. The acclaimed Malayalam movie is about the spread of the Nipah virus that happened in Kerala a couple of years ago, and the brilliant medical team that helped contain it. With a taut, no-nonsense script, the film takes a very realistic approach to the disease, while smartly including the elements of a thriller.

Train to Busan (2016)
This is perhaps the first South Korean movie to have a successful theatrical run in Karnataka. In stark contrast to the first two movies on this list, this film is not realistic, which is probably what keep you on your toes. A father and daughter are travelling on a train when a virus breaks out, and the virus turns people into zombies that want to bite you and turn you into one of them.

Children of Men (2006)
While it is necessary that we stay away from irrational fears about the coronavirus, some people are worried that we are heading to a dystopia-like situation. ‘Children of men’ may be a harmless indulgence in your fears. A pandemic has spread around the world, but it is not something that kills you. It has taken taken away the ability to give birth away from people.

Warm bodies (2013)
At the risk of hitting you with a cliche, watching this movie now would be indulging in “love in the time of Corona”. Curiously, this is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set during a pandemic. Fun Fact (if the internet hasn’t told you already): Shakespeare wrote King Lear when he was in quarantine.