Contagion (2011)

All Critics (235) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (199) | Rotten (36) | DVD (10)

Adopting a clean, chronological and punchy approach, Soderbergh holds a steady eye on panic and chaos. It's a disaster movie with a brain and conscience.

October 18, 2011 Full Review

Dave Calhoun

Time Out

Top Critic

'Contagion': Steven Soderbergh's new metathriller, gorgeously shot and rather playfully directed by the filmmaker, is an Altmanesque take on a deadly disease that takes down a good part of the world's population.

September 22, 2011 Full Review | Comments (2)

Joe Baltake

Passionate Moviegoer

Top Critic

The presence of movie stars helps: their authority is part of what keeps us fascinated by the gruesome fable, juicing it a bit, so that we can actually enjoy it.

September 13, 2011 Full Review | Comments (5)

David Denby

New Yorker

Top Critic

Contagion is compelling.

September 11, 2011 Full Review | Comments (8)

David Edelstein

New York Magazine

Top Critic

Contagion is the best movie made to date about an epidemic/pandemic.

September 10, 2011 Full Review | Comments (49)

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

Along with the stars, Contagion has plenty of scares, though in contrast to Matt Damon and Kate Winslet, they're things you encounter every day.

September 9, 2011 Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

"As slick and polished as this "real" version of "28 Days Later" is, it's an utterly heartless affair."

January 9, 2013 Full Review

Roger Moore

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

What we end up with is a film that is not particularly bad, just one that seemed unnecessary since it's a story we've already seen many times before.

September 19, 2012 Full Review

Jeff Beck

Examiner.com

Contagion may be a case of feverishly good filmmaking (and an excellent, if slightly more high brow, addition to the disaster movie genre), but ultimately it will leave you with little besides an admiration for Soderbergh's artistry.

September 15, 2012 Full Review

Kristal Cooper

We Got This Covered

A drama of this magnitude deserves memorable, nuanced characters. [But] as a reminder that a single gust of panic can bring down civilization like a house of cards, it works.

June 15, 2012 Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet

Filmwell

Before Contagion is anything else, it's a master class in filmmaking - shooting, editing, making a movie move.

April 30, 2012 Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

Soderbergh's detachment actually creates an effective air of understatement when working in tandem with the contrasting warmth and commitment of his cast.

April 6, 2012 Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

If you're a hypochondriac or paranoid (or both), don't watch this film.

February 28, 2012 Full Review

Matt Neal

The Standard

A bit emotionless and clinical, but Contagion is a pretty spot-on blow-by-blow of what it would be like if a real viral epidemic were to break out.

January 29, 2012 Full Review

R. L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

The fiercely intelligent Contagion outdoes its genre competition precisely because it doesn't dumb itself down for our sake.

January 25, 2012 Full Review

Shaun Munro

What Culture

Soderbergh, who is as skilled as they come at uplifting routine templates, gives the infection movie über-A-list treatment.

January 20, 2012 Full Review

Jordan Hiller

Bangitout.com

At the heart of Contagion is the fear of a disease that can send the world into anarchy, a scenario which seems extreme but is actually dangerously realistic.

January 7, 2012 Full Review

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

A first-rate cast, excellent acting, and a reasonably taut pace help a somewhat lackluster and sometimes melodramatic story line over its more-predictable soft spots.

December 31, 2011 Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

No one becomes a zombie as in 28 Days Later but the trajectory here is about the same and 10 times more frightening because of its true-to-life, very probable scenario.

December 30, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Richard Knight

Knight at the Movies

A supercharged cross between an episode of CSI and a World Health Organization infographic.

December 29, 2011 Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.

Goatdog's Movies

The disease/pandemic movie has grown up.

December 28, 2011 Full Review

Greg Maki

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Steven Lederberg's realization of Scott Burns' original screenplay is more interesting for its statistics and protocols than gripping drama as the world comes to terms with a virus that threatens to remove one-in-twelve from the planet.

December 23, 2011 Full Review | Comments (5)

S. James Wegg

JWR

I'm not making this up: I had a coughing fit during 'Contagion.'Luckily, I was sitting at the very back of the theater, so I was less likely (I hope) to add to the tension unfolding on the screen.

December 22, 2011 Full Review | Comments (3)

Linda Cook

KWQC-TV (Iowa)

Contagion is a reminder that we're hardly in as much control of the globe as we think.

December 7, 2011 Full Review

Steve Newall

Flicks.co.nz

As soon as you hear Gwyneth Paltrow cough, you know where you're headed.

December 7, 2011 Full Review | Comments (4)

Cynthia Fuchs

PopMatters

Todo luce muy cool, demasiado para un film en el que la gente muere como moscas y en el que se pretende alertarnos sobre una inminente crisis global. Pero no hay tiempo para desarrollar interés emocional por ninguno de los personajes.

December 6, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

• 1. Dr. Ian Sussman: Blogging is not writing, it's graffiti with punctuation.
  – Submitted by Melanie D (4 months ago)
• 1. Dennis French: Is there anyway someone could repenise the bird flue is that what were looking at.
  2. Dr. Ellis Cheever: Nobody has to the birds are doing that.
  – Submitted by macky s (14 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Erin Mears: Stop touching your face, Dave.
  – Submitted by Virginia C (19 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Erin Mears: Don't talk to anyone! Don't touch anyone!
  – Submitted by Nick P (19 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Ellis Cheever: Well, Dr. Gupta, there continue to be evaluations of several drugs, Ribavirin is among them. But, right now our best defence has been social distancing. No hands shaking, staying home when you're sick, washing your hands frequently.
  2. Helpful Doctor: Alan today on Twitter, you wrote on that the truth about this virus is being kept from the world, by the CDC, by the World Health Organisation, to allow friends of the current administration to benefit from it both financially and physically.
  – Submitted by Robert B (20 months ago)
• 1. Beth Emhoff: My arm.
  – Submitted by Nick P (21 months ago)

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