Matt Damon’s Contagion Climbs Streaming Charts on HBO Max

Steven Soderbergh will complete principal photography on The Batman Part II and work closely with Matt Reeves. Soderbergh is one of the few filmmakers whose style fits Reeves’ well, and he can keep the grounded approach Reeves brought to Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. The announcement has also renewed attention on one of Soderbergh’s best movies, Contagion, which has shot up the charts on HBO Max. Fans are rediscovering why the horror/medical thriller still feels like a chilling snapshot of the future.

Contagion premiered in 2011 and landed hard. Critics praised its all-star cast, which includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Laurence Fishburne, and its extremely tense story. Scientists praised Soderbergh for accurately showing how a pandemic would affect the world. Despite a strong opening weekend, the film slowly lost box office momentum. Time has been kind to it. Contagion currently holds the #1 spot on HBO Max’s Top 10 list, according to FlixPatrol.

‘Contagion’ doesn’t shy away from the horrors of a pandemic

First-time viewers may be surprised by how simply the film opens. Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns from a work trip and feels slightly ill. Two days later, she and her son are dead. The sudden turn into a thriller hooks the audience at once and sets up the horrors to come.

As the pandemic spreads across the globe, the cast grows. It includes Beth’s husband Mitch (Damon), who is immune to the virus, and Dr. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne), the head of the CDC. It also includes Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), who spreads fear and conspiracy theories about the outbreak.

Contagion works because of Soderbergh’s direction and Scott Z. Burns’ script. Soderbergh acts as his own cinematographer and shoots in real locations to make each scene feel as tense and as real as possible. Burns spoke with scientists about what a real pandemic would look like. He also said his biggest concern was showing how the disease would affect society.

The approach paid off. The sprawling story slowly narrows in on how each character reacts to the disease. Cheever works to contain it, while Krumwiede sells fake cures and defrauds the masses.

Real-life events led to ‘Contagion’ aging like fine wine

The current surge on HBO Max isn’t the first time Contagion has spiked in popularity. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt less like a movie and more like a prophecy come to life. It showed a disease spread by coughing or touch, a massive upending of routine, and conspiracy theories spreading like wildfire.

The cast even reunited to make a PSA about social distancing, which created the odd effect of life imitating art. Burns later said it was “frustrating” to see a scenario he wrote come to life.

“It is also surreal to me that people from all over the world write to me asking how I knew it would involve a bat or how I knew the term ‘social distancing’. I didn’t have a crystal ball — I had access to great expertise.”

Fifteen years after its release, Contagion remains one of Soderbergh’s best movies. Its compelling story and excellent cast hold your attention from beginning to end. The film has aged well, and it shows that some directors are ahead of the curve.

Source: Polygon