Virus (1999) – Deadly Bio-mechanical Hazard
VIRUS
Released 1999
Directed by John Bruno
Written by Chuck Pfarrer
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland.
It’s time to talk about some of the older movies which this generation might have missed or even wanted to miss. Specifically – VIRUS- , from the glorious pre Y2K period. Now this movie got a lot of hate from all possible angles and become a Box Office Flop, but in late 90’s it sank quicker than the Titanic.
If you trace VIRUS back to its origin, you will find it started as a graphic novel released by Dark Horse Comics a few years prior to the movie. I’m still trying to get that graphic novel. While it was originally written as a movie script, technological limitations halted its productions. But as you can see now, improvement is quite rapid, and even though by today standards the practical effects lack realism, they are still enjoyable and in some cases better than the VFX in low cut B movies released today.
The cast was filled with famous and well known Heavyweights like: Jamie Lee Curtis – the original “Halloween” scream queen. William Baldwin who starred in that all time classic “Flatliners” (1990) and of course Donald Sutherland who you may now recognize from “The Hunger Games” flicks or if you like classics “Outbreak”.
Goofs: “Nadya’s “husband” is recognized by the wedding ring on his left hand. Orthodox Christians, which is most common Russian religion, are wearing it on a right one. Having a ring on left hand is being a widow.”
After its initial release, the movie was called cliché overfilled, or a mix between the Terminator and Aliens (and that was meant as an insult). Generally hated by many, it was completely cast out from the viewers that would enjoy it. It’s time to make my point clear.
First, Terminator and Aliens are loved films that set many milestones in the industry, how that can be an insult? Did the reviewers try to state that it’s unoriginal or that it lacked feeling? We might never know for sure. The movie is funny and has a great gore, action and suspense. Even torture and freaking machines built from parts of the ship and parts of the crew. No, this wasn’t an early attempt at fish people designed for Pirates of the Caribbean, they are literally machine’s parts mixed with human pieces or “Spare Parts” as the movie says.
Let me specify, it has a great foreshadowing opening, character build up is rapid and strong right from the start. The characters are interesting and believable, and each one carries with him at least a few funny lines and/or moments throughout course of the film. Secluded area of the Russian Research Vessel, found literally “dead” in the water with its tight and small corridors, is the premise of this movie.
The claustrophobic feel adds to the suspense and you never know what terror lurks around the next corner. There is never a slow moment, and the thrills build up by the minute. All are practical effects, from the small stinky flesh membrane robots to the cyborg like human cadaver. The gruesome and disgusting detail is breathtaking on all the flesh meets metal scenes.
Greed and desperation lead to surprising twist and all in all each machine from the tiny spider like robot till the Goliath machine which has skull pieces and other living tissue connected to its body. And finally it is wrapped up with a final shock and scream scene for good measure.
When I read that something sucked or was rated as shitty, I would watch it or check it out just to have my own opinion. At first I wanted to get my hands on it, for a number of years to be precise, since I remember the trailer from the original release date and then the reviews. When I finally got to it, I was stoked. I played the movie and was overwhelmed. In fact when the credits started to roll, I rewound and watched it all the way from the start again. I’m not joking, this happened to me only with a handful of movies. It was a great weekend as I remember.
I believe that to enjoy this movie, you just got to be a fan of Sci-Fi horror, but it’s also worth to the general Horror community as one of the long and great movies released in the late 90’s.
VIRUS will forever remain in my top 10 Sci-Fi/Horror movies. Horror/Sci-Fi itself is admired to this day and very much alive. This genre is present in all sorts of media and I even write in modern, just rising sub-genre New Paradigm Horror/Sci-Fi. But, this is about a “classic” horror movie that should not be missing in any horror collection.
And now a courtesy from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t-fwrdmsk4
“YOU ARE VIRUS” is all I will add, now go get it and watch it!
IMDB Link:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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Review by:
Robert Friedrich
Indie Horror/Sci-Fi Author
