With universities being closed due to the Coronavirus, I wanted to make a top 5 list of movies to watch for the “quarantine,” in no particular order, including those with themes of a virus and long lengths for the long days inside.
- Contagion (Directed by Steven Soderbergh): This 2011 film about a virus that takes over the United States after being harbored from China is actually already gaining a HUGE resurgence due to the Coronavirus and it really isn’t hard to see why. If you want to really open your eyes to what is going on in America, definitely check out this ingenious thriller.
- The Godfather Epic (Directed by Francis Ford Coppola): What more needs to be said about these masterpieces of cinema? This edit of the first two Godfather films runs seven and a half hours long, incorporating new scenes and the narrative being cut into chronological order. It is available to watch through HBO, and if you need a time-waster this is the ultimate choice for a singular watch.
- 28 Days Later (Directed by Danny Boyle): This is the film that single-handedly reinvented the zombie genre, and it still sends chills up spines eighteen years after its initial release. The zombie outbreak, originating from a chimpanzee virus, causes zombies that are actually physically fit and serve as genuine threats for the main characters.
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Directed by Peter Jackson): Like The Godfather Saga, Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy is still unbelievably re-watchable to this day. One is sure to be teary-eyed, at the very least, as they finish up this flawless tale of courage and humanity.
- I Am Legend (Directed by Francis Lawrence): Another viral film that could be used to terrify modern audiences, I Am Legend has actually been an area of great attention since it came out. If my suspicions are correct however, it will receive a resurgence close to that of Contagion soon enough.