Like the viral-based colds that affect most everyone during the bitter winter months, Universal's "Virus" has appropriately arrived in the midst of the flu and cold -- not to mention the poor and bad movie dumping ground -- season. Ready to infect anyone brave (or foolish) enough to see it, the film -- that emulates those nasty bugs that arrive every year and essentially aren't that much different from their earlier incarnations -- is simply a mishmash and retreading of elements from many better and previously released pictures.
If you get the impression that you've seen this movie -- or at least elements in it -- before, that should come as no great surprise since some of the filmmakers here previously worked on other films from which this one not so subtly does its borrowing.
First-time director John Bruno, whose previous life consisted of manning some spectacular special effects for various films, worked on "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," while producer Gale Anne Hurd also worked on that film as well as "Aliens," and co-screenwriter Dennis Feldman previously wrote "Species," all that directly or indirectly influenced this production. That's not to mention other pictures such as "Demon Seed," "Deep Rising," "Sphere," "Runaway," and, of course, the original "Frankenstein" films -- where a "master" created life after death -- that all show up in one way or another here.
Nonetheless, and considering all of that, for a campy, eat as much popcorn until you get queasy type of film, this one is a modestly passable enough diversion, as long as you park all semblances of your brain at the door before going in, lest the overabundant stupidity weaken your defenses like any good virus will. Despite the "been there, seen that" repetitious nature of what unfolds, there's plenty of suspenseful action and enough blood and gore to please moviegoers who enjoy that sort of material.
Nonetheless, the proceedings are more than predictable as they follow the "cast is there to be picked off one by one, but the higher the paid star, the more likely they'll make it through until the end of the film" requirements that also include the requisite former star (Sutherland) who gets to ham it up as the outrageous villain.
The film is also essentially less than suspenseful or scary (unless you're very young or have a low tolerance for such matters), but it does manage to scurry along at enough of a breakneck clip that aficionados of this sort of film will probably walk away at least partially satisfied. That said, this is clearly more of a better video rental than a "must see" theatrical event, and this film shouldn't last much longer in the theaters than the typical virus-based cold does in your body.
The performances are standard for a film such as this, with Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween," "True Lies") and William Baldwin ("Fair Game," "Backdraft") giving it a bit more star power than it probably deserves, although their acting requirements are pretty much limited to looking concerned, scared and a bit worse for the wear after all is said and done.
Meanwhile, Donald Sutherland ("Disclosure," "Outbreak") is appropriately campy in a role that makes one wonder if this is how his character Oddball from "Kelly's Heroes" may have turned out, and at least gives the film a bit of much needed comic relief. The rest of the cast, however, only adequately perform their duty of taking up space before becoming fodder for the killing sprees.
Although the creature special effects are decently handled, the exterior shots of the ships going through the crashing waves of a typhoon look so bad that they instantly remind one of those old Godzilla movies where it was painfully obvious that small models were being used to create the effect. For a relatively big budget film like this and considering the director's former work as a visual effects supervisor, it's a bit surprising to see such obviously faked effects.
Upon consideration of the film lifting elements from so many other pictures, on the other hand, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Predictable, repetitious and filled with moments that make one believe that some of these characters grew up in the idiot-filled towns where "Halloween" and other such films took place (ie. They do stupid, go out of your way to be killed, things), the film may please some moviegoers. Most, however, will find that a heaping dose of one's favorite cold medicine and a good night's sleep should alleviate any symptoms this "Virus" may cause. We give the film a 2 out of 10.
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