Contagion

Play trailer

2:24

Contagion

PG-13

2011

1h 46m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

280 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When Beth Emhoff returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger fans the flames of paranoia.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Tense, tightly plotted, and bolstered by a stellar cast, Contagion is an exceptionally smart -- and scary -- disaster movie.

Read Critics Reviews

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/08/2017

B+

A bit of a mixed bag at times, its overall well developed character sketches and good performances will certainly keep the attention of moviegoers and no doubt increase DVD sales (as well as, perhaps, sales of Purell).

Go to Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

01/27/2012

3/4

It took me a good hour after seeing it for the hair on my arms to relax and the sweat on my brow to dissipate, and if something like this ever did happen, I shudder to contemplate the societal ramifications.

Go to Full Review

Monica Castillo

Dig Boston

01/09/2012

As disaster celeb-loaded disaster movies go, it could have been a lot worse.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 18

4/5

"Contagion" is at its best as an examination on the realistic levels of fear and paranoia that would strike our world if a disease came around that all of our Purell and flu shots couldn't beat.

Go to Full Review

Sukanya Verma

Rediff.com

08/27/2024

The thriller has acquired the realism of a documentary.

Go to Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

07/04/2024

9/10

A corker of dread... Accepting of the possibility, plausibility and even certainty of massive social tremors and upheavals. Flu, weather, warming, water: [it] could have taken flight from any of these... delicate filaments of global commerce,

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Ian S

@RT48225084 Jan 5

One of Soderbergh's best movies and very prescient predicting a future pandemic. Well acted with a good cast. Extra disturbing watching it again post the Covid outbreak.

See more

Eduardo R

@Dudi0310 Nov 23

Contagion is the best pandemic movie ever! As someone in the field of biology, I can say that the film got many things right, and I was also impressed by how similar it was to the COVID-19 pandemic and the SARS-CoV epidemic in 2002, a magnificent job by the screenwriters. The film manages to create a very tense atmosphere, showing very well the effects, not only biological but also psychological, that this outbreak brought. The cast is also sensational, with several big names, and they all manage to demonstrate the weight that a virus of this magnitude can cause.

See more

Cloudygeneral1691 T

@RT12930309 Aug 29

Watched this in 2018, thought it was good but believed "nothing like this could ever happen"... Long story short, this movie is phenomenal and way ahead of it's time....

See more

Jesus B

@RT71254475 Aug 17

Definitely different. Not necesarily a good thing though. Although the way the story was told is somewhat interesting, the story in itself is kind of a let down in the sense that there are many aspects of it left open which make it feel unfinished. I'd rate this as a 6 or 7 out of 10. The cast was excellent, but, to me, it was the story and writers that didn't deliver.

See more

Kauã M

@KauaMiguel Apr 9

Thinking that this film is extremely ahead of its time, in terms of social and scientific issues, is impressive, a plot that captures you, even more so after what we are experiencing with the pandemic, impeccable soundtrack and direction.

See more

Christian K

@ckacar 03/11/2025

Was crazy and maybe the most way ahead of its time movie ever cause all the main plot beats and terminology was all used during covid. It even has almost a direct ivermectin type plot going on. The movie itself is intriguing and is filled with recognizable faces and decent performances.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Steven Soderbergh

Director

Marion Cotillard

Dr. Leonora Orantes

Matt Damon

Mitch Emhoff

Laurence Fishburne

Dr. Ellis Cheever

Jude Law

Alan Krumwiede

Gwyneth Paltrow

Beth Emhoff

Unknown

56%

55%

Unknown

Watchlist

The Roommate

3%

27%

The Roommate

Watchlist

Premonition

8%

50%

Premonition

Watchlist

Armored

43%

31%

Armored

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Armored

Obsessed

19%

46%

Obsessed

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Obsessed

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Matt Damon’s Best Movies

Total Recall: Jude Law’s Best Movies

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Contagion Spreads to Home Video

Contagion: Trailer 1

2:24

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

When Beth Emhoff returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger fans the flames of paranoia.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Producer: Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Gregory Jacobs
Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Double Feature Films, Gregory Jacobs
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language|Disturbing Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $75.6M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now