Contagion

Steven Soderbergh’s variation on Hollywood disaster films is conceived as the exact antithesis of all of the attributes of the classic form of this genre established by A-level studio spectacles in the 1950s and definitively codified in the 1970s. At the same time, however, the aim of the film is not to subvert the genre, but rather to come up with a form of the genre for the era of extensive availability of information, so that it can again function effectively and arouse horror and tension in the audience, as compared to Emmerich-style popcorn tripe. The necessary foundation for this is provided by Scott Z. Burns’s masterful, intelligently constructed and information-packed screenplay, which is based on scientific knowledge and experience from the epidemics of that time (and therefore greatly corresponds to the real pandemic of 2020, unlike the naïve, fantastical scenario of, for example, Outbreak). (16/05/2020)

Typical Soderbergh, a cold, atmospheric (music, camera filters), surgically precise film. Contagion basically imposes nothing on us, it just shows the possible origin of an infection (banality) and its consequences in the context of human infection (captivating). This is followed, of course, by other things like hysteria, looting, religious problems, ethnicity, basic needs, etc. Perhaps a slight advantage for the director is the fact that he’s working with a topic so interesting in itself that even if the film wasn’t that good, its potential to captivate would still sweep away the shortcomings. Essentially, a film that is impossible to tear away from. (02/01/2012)

It has too little escalation to pass for a thriller, too little space for character development to pass for a drama, and too much casual presentation of empty "facts" to pass for a quasi-documentary. The half-heartedness exuded by every other scene is at times unbearable, regularly making a hard-luck child out of Stephen Soderbergh. As nothing more than a popcorn movie filled with tension, Contagion could have landed with much greater impact, but as it is, the creative intentions here completely missed the mark. (02/01/2012)

Oh, shit! No more shaking hands with strangers... To the point, perfect craftsmanship. It documents the course of the infection in rather a minimalist manner and the life stories of people just happen by the by, and a chain reaction occurs that leads to others being infected. Surefire sterility is augmented by the music too. The literally disgusting Jude Law enjoys his role and Matt Damon is pleasantly civilian (there are no small roles). I was a little disappointed by the sloppy ending (even though it’s probably nearer reality), Contagion had greater potential. (18/12/2011)

One might have expected the film to go against traditional audience expectations, yet Soderbergh manages to surprise us mainly through the optics he applies to the sloppy plot. He makes do with a documentary-like tone instead of spectacular crowd scenes and quite sovereignly lets the famous Hollywood names have minimal parts, for which they reward him with great performances. This is minimalism that digs deep under the skin. PS: This is the second film this year that was largely "made" by Cliff Martinez. (21/10/2011)