Virus
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Movie Reviews of Virus
Movie Review: A real blast to watch
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a big fan of sci-fi horror movies taking place in outer space, deep in the ocean or in abandoned floating ships that harbor some evil life form that preys on anyone who passes it by and drops in to take a look around. Virus is one such movie, reminiscent of films such as The Thing, Leviathan and Deep Rising.
A crew of Sea Star has survived a terrible storm and while swimming thought it's peaceful eye, they stumble upon a seemingly abandoned Russian research center with it's power totally turned off. They can't find one body on the huge ship and as they turn the power back on strange things begin to happen. They appear to be in the belly of a beast, in the middle of an attack form outer space, which electrocuted the Mir and send a screaming signal back into the ship. As the crew starts to look through the ship, an anchor from the research boat drops itself into their tugboat, leaving them stranded on the ghost ship. They have no other choice but to steer it to land and try to salvage it. When they try to control the ship they find that all the electronic equipment seems to be working against them. When some of the crew go missing, and more accidents keep happening, they discover a sole survivor who has hidden in a lab for over a week and who warns them to turn the power off. She says that the attacked Mir transmitted a computer signal that took control over the ship, it learned all there was about humans form the central computer system and turned all the electronics, the robots and even rewired itself to form Terminator like creatures that killed of any remaining crew. Other than running away from crawling creatures, all mechanic and with destruction in mind, the crew starts to fight against each other. I found that a few of the characters grew in greatness, they performed self sacrifices to give a few spare minutes for their fellow colleagues and others turned to the evil side, with their own survival in mind. The ending was a real build up while the secrets of what went on were revealed, with the surviving crew growing smaller and their battle for survival getting harder and harder.
I'm not sure why this movie was so badly received, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this surreal story. The chases, the cramped quarters, the ships hallways and rooms reminded me of those of a space ship, with only so many exits and the movie kept my attention the entire time until the credits rolled. I rated this based on how much I enjoyed it, and yes this is not serious drama, if I wanted to watch one I would be watching Hamlet, but I chose to veg out on the couch with some food and drinks and my boyfriend to pass the lazy afternoon in front of the TV while immensely enjoying this movie.
- Kasia S.
Movie Review: Terminator at Sea
Summary: 1 Stars
A Russian communication ship is at sea collecting data when one of it's recovered space vehicles returns infected with an alien life form. Determined to survive at all costs, the electrical being attacks the ship, destroys the original crew, and that's when Donald Southerland and his salvage crew board her to find a dead ship or so it seems. Combining elements of the original TERMINATOR and Johnny Five from SHORT Circuit, VIRUS which is directed by John Bruno, leaves this story ripe with video plagiarism. The actors are the only elements which a viewer might look for originality. Donald Sutherland plays experienced Capt. Robert Everton, William Baldwin, seconds as Steve Baker and Jamie Lee Curtis as virulent, Kelly Foster. The film was written for the screen by Chuck Pfarrer from his original Comic Book fantasy and screenplay story. Viewers might find the actions scenes familiar and interesting, but were it not for the veteran actors, the entire film, like the ship should have been scuttled at sea. ** Movie Review: Virus (1999)
Summary: 2 Stars
Director: John Bruno
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Wiliam Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Joanna Pacula, Marshall Bell, Sherman Augustus, Cliff Curtis, Julio Oscar Mechoso.
Running Time: 99 minutes
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore, and for language.
On the American tugboat, the Sea Star, Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis), Steve Baker (William Baldwin), and Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland), along with several other crew members are lost at sea. While trying to sail through against raging storms and aggressive tidal waves, the crew has unfortunately lost the required cargo. They are lost for hope until the crew members of the Sea Star spot the Academic Vladislav Volkov, a vessel lying alone in the seam floating still in apparent tranquility, floating in the middle of the ocean with no signs of survivors aboard. Despite the permeating silence throughout the vessel, the Sea Star crew refuses to give up. They climb aboard the vessel hoping to find any insinuating signs of life. These people learn only too soon that they are not alone on this Volkov ship, for an unknown alien presence has traveled in the shape of an amorphous cosmic beam into a Russian Space Station. Unbeknownst to the Sea Star crew, the alien has taken over the entire ship and now it is hiding somewhere in this very vessel and spreading throughout the ship. The Sea Star crew must fight against this violent new species and their struggle becomes the ultimate battle between the human race and the alien virus.
Although it has some hokey moments, this big-budget sci-fi action thriller had a lot going for it; the where-is-everybody setting and premise is engrossing, the cast give their characters more credibility than the script sometimes deserves, the robotic special effects by Chuck Gaspar are eye-popping and David Eggby's dark photography slams along fast enough to leave you gasping. Chuck Pfarrer's script (based on his comic-book) has a good central idea - an electrical life-form comes into contact with a space-station, which unwittingly transmits it into the computer of the ship, from where it starts to use the people and equipment on board to build itself a physical existence. Where the script starts to break down for me is when the characters start losing it and acting like clowns, and the sheer vagueness of the alien's power (it can weld doors shut remotely on the ship, but wastes all its time building big-ass robots to chase the heroes down narrow gangways). The likable cast gamely throw themselves around the nightmarish sets, but "Virus" is not exciting, intelligent, or scary enough to sustain the audience's attention. Sutherland is ridiculously outlandish and Jamie Lee Curtis admittingly regrets her role and performance in the film. A little derivative of producer Gale Ann Hurd and effects man Bruno's earlier movies (notably "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "The Abyss"); "Virus" is a "shoulda-coulda been" mistake that didn't live up to its billing.
Movie Review: Though not a masterpiece, a movie worth watching!
Summary: 4 Stars
Virus, brings to the screen the story of a crew whose ship is badly damaged when struck by a typhoon in the Pacific, as it stumbles across a seemingly abandoned Russian ship. Things get a bit more complicated when they are introduced to the ship's new occupants...
Virus does have significant similarities with the movie Ghost Ship, only instead of an Italian cruise ship it is a Russian science/research vessel and instead of ghosts it's a hostile alien life force.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well.
The only major setback is in relation to some unnecessary and unintelligent dialogue in referring to the Russian alphabet as "Cyrillic crap" and "chicken scratch." Coming from some ignorant writer to refer to Cyrillic letters in such a way (which are based on the Greek alphabet) is just sad, especially when one considers the fact that they have been in use for more than a thousand years (Russian) and more than three and half thousand years respectively (Greek). The blame lies on the writer/s, but also on those who supposedly proofread the lines.
Nevertheless, the plot, the setting, the special effects, and the music are all good!
The film, which has strong elements of both sci-fi and horror, combines drama, action, and adventure making it rather enjoyable, as long as you're in that kind of a mood.
In short, it's a movie definitely worth watching, as it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 4 Stars
Movie Review: MAYBE NOT THE GREATEST - BUT WELL WORTH WATCHING
Summary: 5 Stars
Well a movie to me is entertainment - and this movie does fall in that catagory. I like Sci-Fi and Baldwin was added to the picture.
This is the third time I have watched it and have still enjoyed it - Just think there is always someone smarter than you out there. Weird life form.
Generally liked the characters - especially our bomb expert.
I have no problem following the theory that there has to be a total anihilation of this life form. The struggle to do so is still a tribute to man's triumph over his fears of the unknown.
Then we have man's ingenuity against machine's capabilities. And a definite scenerio of how man's greed is his own destruction. Oh yes, a tribute to man's compassion and partnership where it counts.
Acting?, well that is in the eye of the beholder. Yup! I will probably break down and watch it again sometime.
Have fun reading the reviews - it is a treat to see what others think. Judge for yourself.
Not bad - Recommended