Disaster movies were all the rage in the '70s. Producers like Irwin Allen created entertainment out of earthquakes, skyscraper fires and killer bees using a long list of well-known actors.

"Contagion" is the 21st-century version of that genre.

Director Steven Soderbergh's film looks at what happens when a fast-killing virus infects most of the planet. This story is told through a cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould and lots of other actors you'll recognize.

Rick Bentley's one-minute review

The big difference between the disaster movies of the past and this one is that Soderbergh's opted for a slow, methodical approach. There are a few scenes of rioting and looting, but generally this is a very quiet film about the battle to fight this disease through the people it has affected and infected.

Soderbergh's so obsessed with the stark visuals of empty buildings, streets and homes that the human element becomes an afterthought. The film's beautifully shot, but each time it seems to build tension the story switches away to a different striking visual.

For example, Cotillard plays a member of the World Health Organization kidnapped by survivors of a village in China ravaged by the disease. We see her kidnapped and then not again until months later when she's become the village teacher. There's no clue as to how she went from victim to participant.

At one point Soderbergh leaps the story ahead months without any explanation of how anyone has been able to live without food because stores were stripped clean by looters months earlier. Cellphones, water and electricity also are unaffected.

This is a cautionary tale about what would happen if such a virus escaped into the world. Government agencies slow. Nurses strike to avoid the danger. Police and fire departments are overwhelmed. Drug companies look for profits. They're all interesting plot points that are brushed over.

Soderbergh's approach is so nonchalant that the story feels more like a tap on the shoulder than the slap in the face it should have been, especially considering the talent at his disposal.

Disaster films of the '70s were cheesy and over-the-top, but at least they created enough tension to make us sit up and take notice.

"Contagion" just makes you more interested in hand sanitizer.