Virus (1999)

Director:

John Bruno

Writers (WGA):

Chuck Pfarrer (creator: Dark Horse Comic Book series: "Virus")
Chuck Pfarrer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Life on earth is in for a shock.

Plot:

When the crew of an American tugboat boards an abandoned Russian research vessel, the alien life form aboard regards them as a virus which must be destroyed.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Alien | Sea | Typhoon | Virus

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Kit Foster
William Baldwin	...	Steve Baker
Donald Sutherland	...	Captain Everton
Joanna Pacula	...	Nadia
Marshall Bell	...	J.W. Woods Jr.
Sherman Augustus	...	Richie
Cliff Curtis	...	Hiko
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Squeaky
Yuri Chervotkin	...	Colonel Kominski
Keith Flippen	...	Captain Lonya Rostov
Olga Rzhepetskaya-Retchin	...	Female Cosmonaut
Levan Uchaneishvili	...	Captain Alexi (as Levani)
David Eggby	...	Norfolk Captain

Also Known As:

Virus (France)
Virus - Schiff ohne Wiederkehr (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore, and for language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany | USA | Japan

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Newport News, Virginia, USA

Company:

Mutual Film Company

Trivia:

Chuck Pfarrer explained in an interview that the comic book was based on the script that he wrote in the early-'90s. Because of the special effects that the script called for, it was impossible to make the script into a movie at that time, and he handed it to Dark Horse Comics who published it in 1995. Several years later, when special effects technology had caught up, Pfarrer revised the original script.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Woods is shot with the nail gun by the robotic critter, the blood stain on his shirt changes between shots, going from large and pale, to smaller and darker.

Quotes:

Captain Everton: Everton is the dominant species. I am Everton.

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)

High Tech Sea Yarn

Part outer space movie, part nefarious robots, part sea yarn, I'm assuming the key to Virus is the Dark Horse comic series, which I have yet to read. How else to explain the non-credible, cartoon character appearance of Donald Sutherland in this movie? While Jamie Lee has been quoted as saying, "Virus is a piece of sh..." it's clear that somebody, somewhere had fun making this movie. Fancy CGI, live action puppets, telemetry suits, 10 by 10 foot robot models, plenty of moving parts to keep the gearheads happy, and of course enough obligatory dental drill sound effects to make anyone squirm...somebody's gotta have fun watching that.

Any misanthrope will readily agree with the premise, that human beings are the "virus". Greedy, destructive, out of control reproduction, etc. And the Luddites will also enjoy the flip side of the same coin, that eeeevil computers (with REALLY unsophisticated interfaces!) are somehow in competition with human greed, destruction, etc.

And the documentary "Ghost in the Machine" really should have been entitled "The Body Electric". Rush is better than The Police, any old day.

Speaking of music, I come from a classic musicals background, so film music is extremely important to me. If you enjoy male choruses, be sure to suffer through the credits where composer Joel McNealy's fairly cool take on a Russian march, based on his own orchestral themes, will make it worth your while.

See, something for everybody in this movie. 7/10, three points for letting Jamie Lee Curtis cut loose with a few well-timed yelps.