Contagion

Director Steven Soderbergh envisions a plausible global pandemic in this terrifying bio-thriller that begins with an international traveler Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) heading home to Minneapolis after meetings in Hong Kong. Stopping for a drink and snacks at the bar, Beth is soon feverish, coughing, and jet-lagged; two days after her return, stunned husband Mitch (Matt Damon) finds her dead. When other people begin to display the same flu-like symptoms in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Chicago, London, and Paris, it becomes obvious that a lethal virus has been unleashed. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dispatches Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) to investigate and assigns researcher Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle) to find a vaccine, as World Health Organization epidemiologist Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) in Geneva tries to trace the pathogen to its source. Meanwhile, sensationalist blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) claims the public isn't being told the truth by the government and touts an herbal remedy. Presenting a complex yet reasonably realistic “what if” scenario about mutating infectious agents—recalling recent worries about SARS, avian flu, and the H1N1 swine flu—Soderbergh keeps the tension taut with fragmentary, fast-paced, documentary-like scenes. Tapping into our most primal fears and survival instincts, this is recommended [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “How a Virus Changes the World” PSA (2 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “The Reality of Contagion” behind-the-scenes featurette (12 min.), “The Contagion Detectives” production featurette (5 min.), bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: an unremarkable extras package for a solid thriller.] (S. Granger)