VIRUS RATING: 6 / 10 --> Barely recommendable
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This film was supposed to be released in the summer of 1998. It was pushed back. Then, it was supposed to be released in the fall of 1998. It was pushed back again. Now, in January 1999, the film based on an original series from Dark Horse Comics called "Virus", is finally being released to the public.
PLOT: A Russian carrier gets hits by an electronic life form, unknown to mankind, which begins to study and meche elements of the humans onboard with all of the robotics engineered on the ship. When a stray boat accidentally bumps into the grand carrier, and the crew hop aboard the empty vessel for a looksie, they find loads of dead bodies, and computer-infested robots buzzing around in every shape and size. These new life forms see the human race as a virus, and would like to extinguish it from the universe.
CRITIQUE: This is not a great movie. It's not even a good movie. It's a standard, by the numbers, science-fiction derivative of the healthy ALIENS and TERMINATOR series, which offers a few simple shocks, some engineered tension, another politically correct cast, and special effects that don't add up to much more than a lot of machines mangled together in metals and lights. None of the robots in this film impressed me much because I figure that if you've seen one robot with lights, gadgets, buzzes and hoses flapping all around, you've pretty much seen 'em all! And despite this film brandishing quite a few of these android-puppies, some of which were hybrids of humans, I can't say that they did much to impress, scare or excite me. Having said that, it is to note that the plot was also as thin as Jack Nicholson's hair, and the actors campy in some scenes, movie-stupid in others.
The good thing about this lame duck film was that it knew not to overplay its obviously mediocre presentation, and did us all a favour by slapping the whole affair within a time package of a buck and a half. I was never really bored in this picture, and did enjoy Donald Sutherland's salty ol' dog of a sea captain, but will admit to longing for the legendary shots of Jamie Lee Curtis in all her form (For interested parties, please note that there are no T or A shots of the lovely Ms. Curtis in this picture). The rest of the supporting cast was negligible, and the shots of the vessel being attacked by a typhoon looked more like a model boat in a bathtub, but I suppose the film can be considered brainless fodder for those interested in this type of thing. So remember, it's quick, it's redundant, it offers some action and mediocre effects, no boobie shots, and some campy acting by Sutherland. If you enjoyed either SOLDIER (6/10) or EVENT HORIZON (6/10), you will most probably enjoy this one as well. It's the science-fiction crazy cousin that no one likes to talk about, but with whom we've all shared a conversation at one time or another.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Jamie Lee Curtis' big-screen film debut was in John Carpenter's original HALLOWEEN (6/10). Her mom is PSYCHO's Janet Leigh, and her dad, Tony Curtis. She has been married to former-"Saturday Night Live" star Christopher Guest since 1984. In 1983, she dated English rocker Adam Ant for nine months. She became Baroness, Lady Haden-Guest, when her husband inherited the Barony in 1996. Screenwriter Dennis Feldman also wrote the original SPECIES (7/10), while the other writer on this pic, Jonathan Hensleigh had a hand in ARMAGEDDON (7.5/10), THE ROCK (6.5/10) and DIE HARD 3: WITH A VENGEANCE (6/10). He also happens to be conveniently married to the producer of this film, Gale Anne Hurd, who herself had a child with legendary director, Brian DePalma, named Lolita. She was also once married to director James Cameron for a few years, during which, she conveniently produced some of his films including TERMINATOR (8/10)-which she co-wrote with him, ALIENS (8/10) and THE ABYSS (7/10). William Baldwin graduated from SUNY-Binghamton, where he studied political science. He has been married to singer Chynna Phillips since 1995. He has brothers named Alec, Daniel and Stephen, who are all actors in their own right. Donald Sutherland is a hoser at heart. He was born in Saint-John, New Brunswick in Canada, and graduated from the University of Toronto. He also fathered actor Kiefer Sutherland. This is director John Bruno's first solo directorial film. He also co-directed one movie before this one with James Cameron and Stan Winston called T2 3D: BATTLE ACROSS TIME. He is an Academy Award winner (for THE ABYSS) and six-time Oscar-nominee in the field of visual effects. He actually quit his post as visual-effects supervisor on a little picture called TITANIC (7/10) because what he really wanted to do was direct. Actor Marshall Bell, who played Woods in this film, made history as the first person to die in an episode of TV's "Tales From The Crypt". In 1989's pilot episode "And All Through The House...", he got a fireplace poker right through the head. Actress Joanna Pacula, who plays the Russian woman in this movie, is actually Polish in real life.
Review Date: January 15, 1999
Director: John Bruno
Writers: Dennis Feldman and Jonathan Hensleigh
(based on Chuck Pfarrer comic book "Virus")
Producers: Anne Gale Hurd and Mike Richardson
Actors: Jamie Lee Curtis as Kelly "Kit" Foster
William Baldwin as Steve Baker
Donald Sutherland as Captain Everton
Genre: Science-Fiction
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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