Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America

Most thought this movie was so far fetched when it came out in 2006. Then... 2020 happened and - reviews changed drastically. Not so far fetched anymore. We lived this nightmare.

What may be "fiction" now may be FACT in years to come. As bird flu in 2024 has now been contracted by humans, we'll see what the future holds...2025 is already off to a bad start.

We hope it's not a repeat of Covid with forced "immunizations" and wide-spread panic with rights being taken away. No one in 2006 thought this would EVER come true and yet it did.

Truth is stranger than fiction they say and if the past is anything to learn from, I hope we learned enough lessons in 2020.

There are similarities between this film and our current situation; however, the film is much more dark. The acting for the most part is stark and lacks emotion. This film is almost like like a hastily constructed documentary. This film will not leave you in a good place.

Many similarities in this film made in 2006 with what really happened in the world starting in the Fall-Winter of 2019. That will be a good reason to watch it. Joely Richardson and Stacy Keach are another reason to watch the movie. It's well made but has lengths that will be harder to digest.

Look through the reviews. Those from 2006-2018 are in the 3-5 range. Those from 2021 (like this one) see it differently. We've all seen the cheesy post-apocolypse or post nuclear war movies or killer bee movies. What they all have in common is that there is no reality to compare them to--so they could be accurate predictions or just pure bunk.

I'm sure those who saw this in 2006+ thought "Pure bunk. That would never happen!" I just watched it in spite of its 4.7 IMDB rating, as I was curious. Wow! OK, the movie is pure made-for-TV B-movie fare, but what were the writers thinking? Worst case scenario? Or did they have gifted insight? The almost unbelievable accuracy of the predictions is enough reason to watch this.

As a professional business continuity planner, one who has worked extensively in the pandemic flu planning field, let me tell you now that this movie is not about an impossible doomsday scenario. The H5N1 virus is a very real threat and every government on every level has been preparing for it for years. What was pleasantly surprising about this movie (which, frankly, I did not expect very much from) was its accuracy - both in portraying facts and possible situations. They did a very good job of giving background on the pandemics of the past - 1918, 57, and 68. They also showed the infections coming in waves, just as they have in past pandemics and in all probability will when the next one hits.

Watching this movie was like watching the scenario that plays in the head of every pandemic flu planner when they write response protocols and imagine how quickly this could move and how devastating it could be. I know I've seen this movie many times in my own head already. The fact is that it is a matter of "when", not "if". Historically, we have had pandemics on average once every 30 years (which means we are currently overdue for one). It is enormously unlikely that after an established record like that, we would never have one again. It may not be the H5N1, but it's very likely a pandemic flu will happen again.

The acting was good, especially Joely Richardson's performance. The characters were well-developed and watching the communities after the first wave hit brought tears to my eyes a few times. The bravery and resiliency of the American people is truly amazing. Scott Cohen also did a very real, believable job as Governor Newsome.

This movie is definitely scary, but what's more scary is being unprepared. Health departments in most large cities are developing or running education campaigns for the public to create awareness for common-sense precautions, as they say in the movie, so hopefully people will start paying attention to the ads that tell them to cover their coughs, wash their hands, and stay home when they're sick.

On a final note, despite being quite impressed with the quality of this movie, the ending was a little disappointing. I was hoping for something a bit more resolutory, but I suppose it would have been difficult to end the movie on a very cheery note.

Definitely worth your time to see!