Virus
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Movie Reviews of Virus
Movie Review: Not the greatest, but worth watching
Summary: 3 Stars
If you bought this movie like I did becuase you're a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis or Donald Sutherland, you might be disappointed. The story line doesn't go nearly as far as it could with obvious conclusions. The viewer wonders if perhaps there was a diferent ending and perhaps the studio made the director make cuts leaving the viewer less than fulfilled. Oh well, that is the delima. Great special effects and action, but don't expect your brain cells to be overly stimulated.Movie Review: How to blow $75,000,000
Summary: 2 Stars
Virus was an ill-fated title for many Universal Studio executives. Budgeted at $75,000,000, it was the last straw in a string of flops. Shortly after it was released, heads rolled. I can see why, as will you, if you see the video.For one thing, successful horror movies have been set in many places - big cities [The Exorcist, The Omen], small towns [Halloween, Carrie], and even in outer space [Alien, Aliens]. Jaws, the biggest of them all, took place by and under an ocean, but every other one I can think of that was set at sea promptly capsized and sank. Virus is no exception. This is regrettable, because, as my regular readers know, horror movies are one of my guilty pleasures.
The movie begins in fine fashion. A Russian ship on a science mission is in contact with astronauts in the Mir space station. A transmission is about to be sent from the station to the ship. Suddenly an astronaut spies a beautiful purple cloud approaching. Just as the transmission begins, the cloud hits the station. Huge bolts of electricity surge through the station, which sends them down to the ship. Things explode, debris flies, crew members scream. Fadeout.
What comes next brings the movie down to earth. We see a crew being tossed about in a tugboat in the middle of a typhoon. This dinky little ship is in the Pacific Ocean towing a barge about a hundred times its size. As it turns out, whatever the barge is carrying belongs to greedy Captain Everton [Donald Sutherland], who threatens to kill any crew member who does the sensible thing, which is to release the barge. When the crew, which includes Kit [Jamie Lee Curtis] and Steve [William Baldwin], finally wins out, the barge promptly sinks. Everton is beside himself with grief. The storm intensifies. Then Kit has a bright idea - hey, gang! Let's sail over to the eye of the storm! There they encounter that Russian ship, which is sitting dead in the water. Everton has a thought - Let's board it and claim salvage rights!
What follows is a fairly decent tale of an entity which takes up residence in machinery and computers. It's mission is, of course, to destroy the human race. It creates some cool monsters and thinks the only thing people are good for is as spare parts. The problem for both the entity and us is those idiots from the tugboat. They are so cartoonish and predictable that we wind up not really caring who wins the battle.
Jamie Lee Curtis, who proved, especially in True Lies and A Fish Called Wanda, that she is a fine actress, has turned around and returned to her horror movie roots. Donald Sutherland, once a great leading man, has lately taken some roles that would be beneath even his son, Keifer. William Baldwin is also not doing his career a favor. What we have may be three stars in search of new agents.
This brings us back to those horror movies which succeeded. Regardless of where they were set, each had in common well defined characters that we cared about. Was there ever a better woman as hero than Sigourney Weaver in Alien? Didn't we root for Sissy Spacek in Carrie? Wasn't it dreadful when Lee Remick fell off the stair landing in The Omen? In movies like Virus, there is simple nothing about the characters to make us care what happens to them.
Movie Review: This schlocky thriller has some vibrant kick to it.
Summary: 4 Stars
In the early 1980's, New Line Cinema released a low-budget horror film named "Deathship," in which a handful of shipwreck survivors board a mysterious vessel in search of assistance and shelter. Of course, things go wrong for the characters as well as the ludicrous, unaffecting plot, which carried no shocks, no scares, and no suspense (and you wonder why you've never heard of it until now). In effect, John Bruno's "Virus" is the movie that "Deathship" wanted to be, possessing a somewhat similar story structure that is predictable, corny, and uses just about every piece of science fiction dialogue known to man. But familiar can be fun, and for the most part, this schlocky thriller has some vibrant kick to it.
It begins by introducing us to the inevitable problematic situation: a Russian vessel commandeered for scientific research and medical experimentation receives a satellite transmission, in which a strand of alien life form is embedded that begins taking over their computer and power systems. Elsewhere in the Pacific, a small tugboat is battling its way through a typhoon. Its captain, Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland), presses on into the storm, despite cautionary warnings from navigator Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis), who urges him to head for the storm's eye.
A lost cargo barge and sufficient structural damage finally convince Everton to head for calm seas; once in the eye, Foster picks up a signal from another vessel, the same Russian vessel (gasp!) we saw in a state of disarray in the opening sequence. After boarding the abandoned ship, they find a variety of mysterious occurrences, from bullet holes in walls and windows, to a complete absence of power to the ship's engines and computers.
A good setup so far, so it may come as a letdown that the antagonist of the story turns out to be a wave of computer-engineered robots, ranging from the smaller "gatherers" to the monstrous half-machine, half human contraptions fitted with things like machine guns, drills, clamps, all of which are controlled by a main computer who sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger after too many martinis. As you may have guessed, the plot turns to race-for-survival tactics, pitting humans against human killing machines as they try to find a way off the vessel and a method of destroying the alien life form.
As with any clich?-riddled science fiction thrill machine, there are pitfalls. The plot relies heavily on familiar twists and shocks that are seen coming a mile away. There are the obvious "Is It Really Dead?" jump scenes, during which a supposedly dead robot suddenly jolts to a quick hit on the soundtrack, as well as the standard "You're All Going to Die" speech, in which the secret behind the alien infestation is revealed, as well as its plan for humanity. The movie also makes it painfully clear who is going to survive the requisite final explosion, in which all the problems are solved.
But, despite its banality, the film benefits from a likeable cast including Scream Queen Curtis and Donald Sutherland, whose cocky, arrogant demeanor is full of gusto and great zeal. William Baldwin plays opposite Curtis as the required "Love Beneath the Surface" character, Steve Baker; the fact that his role doesn't require much of his talent is a plus. The special effects, created by the wizards behind "Jurassic Park," are cheesy but effectively eye-popping, while the movie moves at a fast pace, making up for its lack of fresh ideas. Unlike an actual disease, "Virus" is too superficial and unoriginal to remain with you for long, but while you're there, it's quite a ride.
Movie Review: Is SFX everything?
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all I have to say the idea behind the movie is quite OK. An intelligence that exists in the form of pure energy manifests itself with the help of robotics in a russian science vessel. ... ...It definately does NOT live from its actors. The Only character that has at least some depth is the Captain, played by Donald Sutherland. In the beginning we get to know him as a ruthless guy that would sacrifice his crew and even his life for a doubtfull cargo, then he's tempted to kill the only russian survivor to get his thirteen million Dollars of salvage for the ship. And at last he is selling himself to the extraterrestrials for the same thiteen million reasons mentioned above.
Curtis isn't giving an extraordinary performance. This Role could have been played by a dozend of other actresses. But in my oppinion this means that the role is badly written.
Baldwin...well he's there and I'm sure he was payed in the end...
The robots and the borg-like creatures on the other hand look pretty amazing and the action is pretty fast and furious at times. The special effects deserve at least 4 stars, but the acting and the story decreases this rating.
I wouldn't recomend this movie for someone who liked Alien 1, 2, 3 - He/She would be disapointed. But if you don't expect too much and if you are sick of the real good movies that you watch over and over again you can enjoy this one.
Movie Review: Interesting concept.....
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a good flick. Very entertaining. This is a horror/sci-fi flick. Similar to the Alien series.Jamie has done better films, but she is equal to the task on this film. William Baldwin also does ok for a beginner. Donald Sutherland is his typical self. He can be counted on to play his characters convincingly.
The premise of the film is a lifeform that exists as energy. It needs to find bodies to do it's work. A Russian trawler (spy ship) just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The virus is able to download itself to their computers and so the horror begins..... Add a huge hurricane and there you are.
If it weren't for the special effects, this would be a B grade movie. There were some really cool shots of the robotics that the virus is able to create from the machines and humans that were on the ship.
Anyway, this one is worth at least two viewings. I've seen it three times, including once on broadcast TV.