Review: Virus (1999) -- By Robert B. Marks
Virus is a movie with a great deal of potential. The idea of an alien being, composed entirely of energy, coming to Earth is one which could be developed in any number of interesting and intelligent ways. Unfortunately, in this movie, it isn't.
What could have been an interesting piece of science-fiction quickly becomes sci-fi (the SF writer's word for "crap"). When the alien life form beams itself into the computer of a Russian research vessel in an odd electrical storm (somehow managing not to short out the computer in the process), it immediately begins to build robots and tries to take over the ship, killing the crew.
And then the crew of a small tugboat, commanded by a wooden Donald Sutherland (who looks almost embarrassed at his role), finds and decides to salvage the deserted Russian ship. Ignoring the obvious signs that something is wrong (such as bullet holes and blood splattered all over the place), they restore the power and are soon set upon by the evil intelligence which sees mankind as a virus to be removed; an idea obviously used only to provide an excuse for it to want to kill people.
What follows is a very poor impression of _Star Trek: First Contact_. Supposedly horrific cyborgs stalk the crew, wanting to turn them into spare parts. And, just to show off the FX, each new monstrosity is revealed before it actually begins to do something even remotely frightening, destroying what little suspense remains.
The movie, like most Hollywood sci-fi horror flicks, is also filled with stupid characters. Donald Sutherland's Captain Everton manages to ignore every single rational idea available, and comes off looking like an idiot. Crew members routinely disobey simple instructions, resulting in several entirely predictable results. And, to make matters worse, there is not a single two dimensional character present, much less a three dimensional one.
In the end, _Virus_ is an uninspired waste of money and time. While it is slightly amusing in some places, for the most part it is predictable and almost boring. It is one of those movies that is best watched as a TV rental.
So, the final score: 1.5/5. Sometimes amusing, but not even worth a half-price show.
--
The future has not been written, / The past is set in stone,
And I am but a lonely wanderer, / With time as my only home.
-- from _Demon's Vengeance_
Forthcoming: _Myth_ical Battlefields -- Computer Gaming World (May
1999)
Speculations: Monolithic Proportions -- The United (early
1999)
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