Worst2First: My Top Ten Virus Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Virus Films

With everything happening in the world today, I figured it's a good a time as any to showcase my personal top ten virus films.  These films won't focus on zombies (although some have variations of the classic monsters), but rather more on pandemics and epidemics that don't spawn the living dead.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

 Carriers

Basing itself around the Avian Flu, "Carriers" centers on a group of friends who try desperately to follow the rules to not become infected by the deadly disease as they traverse the country in search of supplies.  The film focuses heavily on peoples' fears of a virus and how we interact with each other when we don't know what'll happen, and features a strong cast including Chris Pine, Lou Taylor Pucci, Piper Perabo and Emily Van Camp.

#9

 Children of Men

Taking place twenty years after a mysterious illness left women unable to have babies, "Children of Men" focuses on the world in turmoil as all the young children have died, and there's little to no hope - until a woman is found with child, the first in twenty years, and it's up to one man to get her to the coast and to safety.  Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Chiwetel Ejiofor round out a stellar cast under the excellent direction of "Gravity" and "Roma" director Alfonso Cuaron.

#8

 Blindness

A more unique - and equally as terrifying - virus film, "Blindness" centers on a mysterious illness that's spread across the world, rendering ninety percent of the population blind.  The movie centers on a group of victims who've been quarantined, and the struggle they go through in order to survive.  Co-starring Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal and Sandra Oh, "Blindness" isn't as much about the illness as it is about human's response to a catastrophic epidemic.

#7

 I Am Legend

 In an attempt to cure cancer, scientists accidentally created a virus that has wiped out virtually the entire world, and only one man in New York City is left alive - a man who's immune to the illness, and must race against time to find a cure before those affected by the illness come after him, since the sickness has turned them into nocturnal monsters.  Will Smith gives a commanding performance as he's virtually the only actor on screen, showcasing the biggest city in America in utter ruin and disarray.

#6

 Cabin Fever

 Horror maestro Eli Roth's directorial debut finds five friends who go to a desolate cabin to enjoy a weekend together come into contact with a mysterious flesh eating virus, and their struggle to survive.  Based loosely on Roth's encounter with a skin infection in Iceland, "Cabin Fever" is not for the faint of heart, as it's very gory and violent, but also excellently directed and acted by the likes of Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd and Joey Kern.

#5

 The Omega Man

The second film that "I Am Legend" based itself off of (the first being the Vincent Price-led "The Last Man on Earth" in 1964), "The Omega Man" features screen legend Charlton Heston as the last living man in Los Angeles after a viral attack that's left people either dead or mutated into nocturnal albino mutants who seek to destroy the world that once was.  While some of the effects are dated now, it's still an exciting film with a strong performance by Heston.

#4

 12 Monkeys

Focusing on time travel, "12 Monkeys" tells the story of James Cole, a man in 2035 who goes back to 1990 in order to prevent a virus that's wiped out most of the population of the world, and sending the survivors living underground.  In the past, Cole is treated as an insane man and put into an asylum, where he begins debating his own sanity.  Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer and Brad Pitt (who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance) round out a grandiose cast under the direction of "Monty Python" member Terry Gilliam.

#3

 28 Days Later

 Director Danny Boyle puts a unique spin on the zombie genre with "28 Days Later," where a man awakens to find the world almost completely void of human life, except for some survivors and a bunch of ravenous people turned into monsters due to a virus caused by infected moneys.  Those infected showcase unstoppable rage, and can run at extreme speeds, causing the man and the other survivors to find safety with the military - but it might not be as safe as they think.  Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston round out a remarkable cast in this pulse-pounding horror thriller.

#2

 Outbreak

 After an Ebola-like virus arises in Zaire, Americans are shocked to discover that the illness has hit a small California town.  The film focuses on what the military and scientists will do to contain a deadly virus, and the lengths they'd go to keep it from spreading.  The film boasts an unbelievably talented cast including Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Spacey and Patrick Dempsey, and serves to show how far we'll go in order to preserve humanity.

#1

 Contagion

 The film that hits closest to home right now is "Contagion," a film about an airborne illness that started in China that's crossed the globe, infecting and killing millions.  Directed by Steven Soderberg, the film features an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Bryan Cranston, and is praised for how accurate the virus is portrayed by scientists, as well as showcasing the downfall of society as mankind struggles to find a cure - hopefully this real virus won't be as deadly.