Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Contagion 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The new abnormal.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 25, 2024

Maverick director Steven Soderbergh's highly prescient 2011 thriller Contagion, featuring an all-star cast and some of the most gruesome imagery you're likely to see in a PG-13 movie, finally debuts on 4K from Warner Bros. this month. While 2021 would have obviously been the most logical time to release this disc (based on, you know, events, as well as being the 10th anniversary), 2024 seems like as good a year as any to finally revisit it from a fresh perspective... because holy shit, you guys, did Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns get an awful lot right with this one.

This is the part of the re-release write-up where I'd normally drop a link to Kenneth Brown's 2012 Blu-ray review and get right to the A/V details, but obviously anyone watching Contagion these days (probably through half- covered eyes, I'm guessing) is seeing something much, much different than 2012 audiences. And while I'll still refer you back to that older review link for a brief synopsis of the film, you can better believe this one's getting re-graded. If you're just here for the pertinent 4K A/V details, however, you won't hurt my feelings if you keep scrolling.

Like Sidney Lumet's Network, Contagion had the uncanny ability to predict our near-future with startling accuracy. Its rapidly unfolding narrative checks many of the boxes that we became all too familiar with in 2020 and the long years that followed: empty offices and gyms, social distancing, masks, the race towards a vaccine, conspiracy theories, fear, quarantines, armchair scientists distrusting the CDC, name-checking the 1918 Spanish flu, and other things we'd just as soon forget about but probably can't. Little did the writer and director know how quickly this work of fiction would become something of a reality, albeit not quite to the same degree of speed or severity as depicted here.

I've almost no choice but to award Contagion decently higher marks than Kenneth Brown gave it in his earlier review, and I'd wager that Ken might even re-grade it himself nowadays. I can certainly admit, however, that I tend to agree with several of his fundamental criticisms of the film, such as its overcrowded and slightly uneven cast of characters. (Ken specifically even pointed out that Marion Cotillard's "Dr. Leonora Orantes" feels like she's in an entirely different movie, and I couldn't agree more.) Other segments of the film struggle to maintain momentum, including the third act, which does indeed deflate the epidemic much too quickly. However... the stomach-churning accuracy of its narrative and multiple perspectives, which are presented in a way that largely avoids any kind of cheap political slant, carry a renewed sense of weight that elevate Contagion, warts and all, into bona fide four-star territory.

That's the short version... but the even shorter version is that Contagion shouldn't be ignored by anyone, not even anti-vaxxer Karen or your dumbass uncle that "does his own research" and calls masks "face diapers". It deserves praise for an almost unflinching commitment to realistic drama -- at least within the boundaries of a big-budget, star-studded feature film -- and is wholly recommended, now more than ever, to just about everyone for re-evaluation. Warner Bros. provides the perfect way to get reacquainted: with a welcome new 4K UHD disc highlighted by an outstanding 2160p/HDR transfer overseen by noted technical perfectionist Steven Soderbergh himself.

Contagion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the 2012 Blu-ray.

To say that Warner Bros.' brand-new 2160p/HDR10 transfer of Contagion is a beautifully polished yet visually faithful upgrade of the studio's earlier Blu-ray (which was also presented in open-matte 1.78:1, rather than its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio) would be an understatement. This is quite simply a phenomenal "from the ground up" effort whose all- digital 4K workflow ensured a smooth, precise, and obviously clean presentation of its impeccably-shot source material. Image detail speaks for itself on a large enough display: sure, some of the sights we see during Contagion ain't pretty, but they'll stop you dead in your tracks like WB's recent remaster of The Fugitive or maybe even one of Christopher Nolan's visual spectacles. Of course, Contagion wasn't shot on IMAX film... or any kind of film, for that matter, so WB's press release stating this "restoration" was "sourced from the camera negative" are a bit misleading.

But this is inarguably a great looking disc that boasts tremendous fine detail and clarity, enough to make almost any static shot pause-worthy. The perfectly saturated colors and smooth contrast levels are bolstered nicely by HDR, both of which routinely give Contagion a truly accurate and consistently precise appearance that easily outperforms the still- respectable Blu-ray of yesteryear. Those worried about color revisionism can rest easy, too: Soderbergh's trademark use of color filters looks to have been preserved rather than manipulated (albeit at slightly more distinct levels due to the HDR grading), which is yet another feather in its inarguably crowded cap. Five stars all the way.

Contagion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike its visuals, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix presented here sounds largely the same as the 2012 Blu-ray, although it may very well be mixed a bit louder this time around: I couldn't help but notice a more dynamic rear-channel presence for composer Cliff Martinez's original score during select scenes. Either way, it's a solid mix overall with no glaring drawbacks or other shortcomings. (One thing that changed for sure is the subtitle selection, as this region-free 4K disc is now equipped with a multitude of options for worldwide audiences.)

Contagion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This pressed MOD disc arrives with underwhelming new artwork, no slipcover, and a Digital Copy code. Sadly, only the legacy 2012 extras are on board -- I'd have loved a post-COVID audio commentary or featurette. These three recycled extras are listed below in name only; for more details, please see Kenneth Brown's 2012 Blu-ray review.

• The Reality of Contagion (11 minutes)

• The Contagion Detectives (5 minutes)

• How a Virus Changes the World (2 minutes)

Contagion 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steven Soderbergh's 2011 thriller Contagion obviously hits a lot harder these days, where it can be appreciated as a massively prescient piece of filmmaking that's not perfect but still packs a wallop. Warner Bros.' welcome 4K edition features a stunning new 2160p/HDR transfer supervised by the director which is easily worth the price of admission. Unless Contagion was a "once and done" film for you, this is a disc worth picking up for UHD adopters.