--- title: "Contagion: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/contagion/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/contagion" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Contagion (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 17 reviews: 10 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find Contagion plausible and frightening, and the praise clusters on Soderbergh’s control: the pace, the documentary-style attention to how a virus actually spreads, and the decision to make the scientists the heroes rather than the stars. The ensemble is widely admired, with Jennifer Ehle’s turn as a researcher singled out more than once. The reservations cluster just as clearly. Many reviews, including several favourable ones, call the film cold or clinical, and say the large cast leaves few characters with room to make you care who lives or dies. The spread is wide. The New Yorker calls it brilliant and emotionally enveloping; Slant Magazine finds it a schematic, scare-mongering spectacle without human feeling, and Den of Geek thinks it turgid and dull. Several British reviews compare it unfavourably with Traffic. The consensus is respect for the craft, with doubts about the heart. ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2011. The critic calls Soderbergh’s film brilliant, serious, precise, frightening, and emotionally enveloping—a highly controlled work about an out-of-control pandemic that confronts reality head-on without melodrama. It recovers the director’s mastery seen in Traffic. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/09/19/call-the-doctor-david-denby) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2011. The critic praises the film's plausible and frightening depiction of a pandemic spreading globally, highlighting its documentary-like approach and emphasis on science as the hero amid panic and societal breakdown. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/contagion-review/) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 18 October 2011. It is a sober, engrossing thriller about the hysteria surrounding a worldwide epidemic. Soderbergh extracts a strong ensemble effort while holding a steady eye on panic and chaos. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/contagion) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2011. The critic praises the thriller for moving stories along at an epidemic clip with expert choreography of its cast, making a film you can’t stop staring at despite its grim subject. It is effective but not perfect, with some plot strands less convincing than others. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-sep-09-la-et-contagion-20110909-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2011. The 1970s-style all-star disaster flick gets a slick modern update in Steven Soderbergh's global disease thriller. Soderbergh shapes the story with muscular confidence and captures some great images, though the film sometimes looks like a mosaic of mini-dramas and is less strong on the fear and horror of ordinary people. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/oct/20/contagion-film-review) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2011. Festival review. Chilly but sometimes truly scary, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion tries to do for infectious disease what the director’s Traffic did for illegal drugs, though not as sure-footed. It features an impressive ensemble cast and ripped-from-the-headlines topicality. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/contagion/5031510.article) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2011. Soderbergh delivers a high-minded, lean disaster movie that is compelling and provocative in its portrayal of viral spread and human response, but feels a little sterile like a cinematic exercise. It singles out the selfless individuals and realistic details for praise while noting the cold, clinical tone. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2011/09/movie_review_contagion.html) ## Financial Times Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2011. The film has tremendous pace and a grim, purposeful look with lethal images, but it never quite takes off or dynamites the castle, settling by the end into a mood of soft regret after releasing the viewer. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/a6b7de76-fa79-11e0-8fe7-00144feab49a) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2011. The critic sees it as a germophobe’s nightmare that puts an Oscar-decorated cast through a deadly outbreak but notes the bloodless, semi-detached procedural quality makes it hard to care who lives or dies. A shrewd marketing campaign should ensure healthy returns despite these shortcomings. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/contagion-1117945945/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic views the film as efficient but unmemorable and lacking real seriousness, comparing it unfavorably to Soderbergh's better work like Traffic while acknowledging its plausible elements and capable ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/contagion-review-7427230.html) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2011. The critic finds the film restrained and academic but ultimately unexciting, noting its sober approach avoids typical disaster-movie thrills yet results in a distant, undramatic listing of pandemic scenarios. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/contagion-steven-soderbergh-106-mins-12a-blood-in-the-mobile-frank-piasecki-poulsen-85-mins-12a-2374468.html) ## Slant Magazine Rating 1/4. 7 September 2011. Soderbergh's film is a chilly, schematic spectacle of scare-mongering that prioritizes connect-the-dots alarmism over human feeling or drama. It singles out the soulless, clinical style and lack of emotional depth for complaint, with only small flashes from Damon's performance. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/contagion/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 6 September 2011. Soderbergh's star-studded plague drama creates a credible, science-based picture of a global mystery disease and societal reaction without sensationalism or heavy effects. The fine cast and topicality position it as a robust performer, with the heart of the film resting on the medical professionals. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/contagion-231873/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 9 September 2011. The critic finds Soderbergh’s smart, spooky thriller about a killer virus and rampaging fear as ruthlessly effective as the malady itself. It updates 1970s paranoia films for the present with visceral urgency and a dystopian vision of fear, paranoia, and denial of science. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/movies/contagion-steven-soderberghs-plague-paranoia-review.html) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 9 September 2011. The critic praises Soderbergh's realistic, tense depiction of the global pandemic response, strong ensemble performances, and effective use of minimalistic techniques for dread. They criticize some one-dimensional characters, fizzled plotlines (including unintentional xenophobia), and distractions that undermine the authenticity. [Read the review](https://collider.com/contagion-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2011. The critic calls it a measured, clinical and compelling take on a pandemic that builds tension and anxiety with an authentic grasp of the mechanics of societal collapse. It is arty moviemaking in a genre setup but not Soderbergh at his best, with limited emotional attachments amid the whirlwind narrative. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a345958/contagion-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Jon Lyus Rating 3.5/5. 21 October 2011. Soderbergh delivers a grimly realistic disaster film that builds tension through grounded narrative threads rather than spectacle. The critic singles out Jennifer Ehle's standout performance as a scientist for particular praise while noting some star-driven subplots feel distracting. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/contagion-review/) ## Eye for Film — Paul Griffiths Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The film offers a compelling start and immersive second act with solid ensemble performances but ultimately peters out. The critic praises the direction and key turns by Winslet and Ehle but finds some storylines contrived and the conclusion underwhelming. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/contagion-film-review-by-paul-griffiths) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2011. Soderbergh’s virus thriller is intellectually stimulating and ambitious, raising provocative questions about pandemics with strong grounding in real science. However, the large ensemble means few characters make an impact, so the film engages viewers’ brains more than their hearts. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/review-cough-and-world-coughs-you-taut-contagion-30804/) ## Den of Geek — Luke Holland Rating 2 out of 5. 19 October 2011. The critic finds Contagion a turgid mess that is emotionally bereft, flabby and dull despite glimpses of promise and competent direction. It intelligently explores themes like media and bureaucracy but fails to add anything new or generate momentum or pathos. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/contagion-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/contagion.md