Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 304 Ratings

  • Starring: Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon
  • Summary: Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart. (Warner Bros.)

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 38
  2. Negative: 1 out of 38
  1. Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    Sep 9, 2011
    90
    A chilly, fascinating thriller at odds with itself.
  2. Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    Oct 17, 2011
    80
    A starkly effective ensemble drama which could well do for the sniffles what Jaws did for great whites.
  3. Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    Sep 9, 2011
    50
    Plays less like a conventional medical thriller - think "Outbreak" - than like a dramatic reading of a "Nova" episode, performed by Hollywood's elite.
  4. Reviewed by: Ed Gonzalez
    Sep 7, 2011
    38
    A germophobe's worst nightmare, Contagion touches on all the dramas big and small, mostly big, we've come to associate with catastrophes such as this, and does so as if it were hurriedly going down and adapting a list of bullet points, never lingering on any one drama in a particularly meaningful fashion.

See all 38 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 129
  2. Negative: 29 out of 129
  1. Classic Soderbergh but at his best. Thrilling and stressful. Heavy and compelling and very believable. Not over sciencey but enough to tie together a very realistic feeling and terrifying possibility. Timely and touching. He pulls you in to the characters even though it is the most shared screen time and the very def of an all star ensemble cast. Honest and not too bleak. Well done. Its got a "Traffic" feel to it. Superb film. Expand
  2. Contagion is a blend of horror, thriller, and suspense, and in combining theses genres it tells a unique story that shows the viewpoints of different people suffering the epidemic, giving the audience an excellent understanding of how a similar disasters affect the world at large. Expand
  3. Great cast, decent acting, but disappointing movie. The science and relationships between the various agencies was interesting, as was the detective work. Jude Law's character felt more like an afterthought, not a solid piece of the plot. The movie had a good message, but it gets lost. I have recommended to friends and family - save your money and wait for the DVD. Expand
  4. An almost 2 hour film with an ensemble cast trying to look concerned about a virus. There is no horror, action or shock factor in this movie at all. I was expecting at least something exciting to happen in the movie but I guess Warner Bros. spent all the money on the cast and filming locations. It has gotten so many positive reviews because it could possibly be the first chick flick to feature a super virus and Laurence Fishburne. Expand

See all 129 User Reviews

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