Contagion (2011) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne

Release Date: February 27, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis:

An international traveler reaches into the snack bowl at an airport bar before passing her credit card to a waiter. A business meeting begins with a round of handshakes. A man coughs on a crowded bus… One contact. One instant. And a lethal virus is transmitted.

When Beth Emhoff (Paltrow) returns to Minneapolis from business in Hong Kong, what she thought was jet lag takes a virulent turn. Two days later, she’s dead in the ER and the doctors tell her shocked and grieving husband (Damon) they have no idea why. Soon, others exhibit the same mysterious symptoms: hacking coughs and fever, followed by seizure, brain hemorrhage… and ultimately, death. The numbers quickly multiply as the contagion sweeps across all borders, fueled by the countless human interactions that make up the course of an average day. A global pandemic explodes.

As the death toll escalates and people struggle to protect themselves and their loved ones in a society breaking down, one activist blogger (Law) claims the public isn’t getting the truth about what’s really going on and sets off an epidemic of paranoia and fear as infectious as the virus itself.

Please Note: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

THE MOVIE / REVIEW:

‘Contagion’ follows the terrifying (and these days all too realistic) course of events chronicling the takeover of a deadly virus that mysteriously begins spanning the globe and soon leads to a widespread global pandemic complete with countless deaths, implemented quarantines, a fight about a potential vaccine and more. Following various individuals both on the front line and those just dealing with the tragedy and fear that arises from the uncertainty, all while the world races to get the virus and the accompanying terror under control by any means necessary.

The powerful (and these days significantly more unnerving and scary) film is directed by notable filmmaker Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns and Soderbergh does a solid job at the helm of ‘Contagion’ guiding along the tale that’s only become far more relevant in recent years than it was upon its initial release. Soderbergh’s capable work behind the camera is nicely complemented by a star-studded cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, and Sanaa Lathan along with more who each offer fitting and fully capable performances altogether in their respective roles.

Initially released in 2011, ‘Contagion’ is one of those few films that has become even more relatable and terrifying since its initial release and it’s nearly impossible to not look at this one in an entirely different light in today’s world. If you were to remake this film today it would require little more than a couple word and term changes in order to make it a fitting true life adaptation of the pandemic that overtook the world in 2020 and what’s perhaps even more horrifying is just how accurately it manages to predict almost everything. Picking up with a woman on a business trip in Hong Kong who arrives home and becomes terrifyingly sick shortly after, while also spreading it to countless others along the way; eventually building to those in charge racing to try and decipher the virus and create a vaccine while the death toll around the world only continues to grow.

‘Contagion’ gets almost everything hauntingly accurate from the source of the virus, the subsequent spread and even the conflicting opinions about the new, uncertain vaccine; down to quarantines, donning face masks to slow the spread and even directly stating that the best weapon is social distancing. Sound familiar? It’s possible that this release might have been even more pertinent if released a few years earlier, but perhaps that was just too soon.  While it may not have been met with overwhelming acclaim when first released, it’s impossible not to see this as an entirely different film today and oddly enough an even better one at that. If you didn’t catch this one previously and think you can take the downright eerie similarities to our recent lives, this one is truly fascinating to watch in 2024 and worth giving a chance.

OVERALL:

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment brings Steven Soderbergh’s disturbingly relevant 2011 medical thriller ‘Contagion’ home on 4K Ultra HD for the first time. The new release features a gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation with HDR-10 which almost surely looks drastically better than this film has ever appeared at home. The spectacular new UHD video presentation is nicely complemented by a multichannel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that holds up quite well, in addition to a few brief previously released extras that were ported over from the film’s older Blu-ray release. While some may be disappointed by the lack of any new extras especially considering the modern relevance of the film today, or the inclusion of a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the stunning new UHD video presentation alone will probably make this one worth the upgrade for fans of the film who simply want to physically own it in the best quality possible. If you’re already considering a purchase then this one is recommended, especially if you can find it at the right price.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Contagion’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10 presented in a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic and provides a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that’s absent of any troubles or problems to be uncovered throughout. It shows great detail and clarity every step of the way that’s noticeable on character specifics and faces, as well as littered and abandoned streets down to the interiors and exteriors and plenty of other settings throughout. The HDR-10 addition makes a nice complement to the already impressive presentation by contributing some more vibrant and sharp colors which are all further boosted by clean, deep black levels throughout. Overall, this is a tremendous Ultra High Definition video presentation and fans should be thrilled with this notable upgrade for the film.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack may not be quite as stellar as its accompanying video presentation but it’s certainly no disappointment either and it delivers a clean, crisp and often fairly aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, nature and travel effects, along with various other tidbits zipping throughout the various speakers, all while still making sure that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, this is a fully capable 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that holds up nicely and should leave fans largely satisfied.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Contagion’ features a few previously released extras in the way of a couple Behind the Scenes Featurettes; they include ‘The Reality of Contagion’ (running approximately 11 minutes in length) and ‘The Contagion Detectives’ (running approximately 5 minutes). An informative breakdown video titled ‘Contagion: How a Virus Changes the World’ (approximately 2 minutes) is also included.

*Please note: The above images are taken from the film’s Trailer and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above images were utilized. All content and images from the film are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 6.5/10

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Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Contagion’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD & Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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You can Purchase ‘Contagion’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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