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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Contagion

    Featured In Issue 164, February 2012

    Picture4
    Sound4.5
    WSR Score4
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Warner Home Video
    (Catalog Number):
    3000041015
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG-13
    (Rating Reason):
    Disturbing content and some language
    (Retail Price):
    $35.99
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    106
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2011
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    01/03/12
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Steven Soderbergh
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    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. And a lethal virus is transmitted. This is Contagion. 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 exploded. 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. (Gary Reber)

    Special features include three featurettes: False Comfort Zone: The Reality Of Contagion (HD 11:29), The Contagion Detectives (HD 04:57), and Contagion: How A Virus Changes The World (HD 02:01); BD-Live functionality; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

    The 1080p AVC picture is digitally photographed and exhibits a digital character, with a pristine visual quality. Contrast is inconsistent and slightly compressed. However, blacks are decent and shadow delineation is revealing. The color palette is generally naturally hued with saturated highlights that pop through a seemingly filtered lens. Resolution is generally good, especially during close-ups, though, mostly the picture is softly focused. Overall, this is a pleasing picture but an undistinguished visual experience. (Gary Reber)

    The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced with effective enveloping atmospherics and sound effects, an aggressive holosonic® orchestral music score, and decent spatially integrated dialogue. While much of the soundtrack is monaural focused with the dialogue, numerous segments open up the soundfield, for an aggressive enveloping experience. Deep bass in the .1 LFE channel is limited but effective when engaged. Overall, fidelity is good with a warm sonic quality. This is an effective sonic presentation. (Gary Reber)

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