Virus [DVD]

Not a bad science fiction thriller, I am surprised I missed it when it came out and just now in 2018 have viewed it. It wasn’t spectacular but I enjoyed it, I thought the pacing was good, it had a great cast, and the suspense in the earlier parts of the film was very well done.The plot centers around an alien entity made of electrical energy that makes it way to a Russian research vessel in the South Pacific. The ship, Akademik Vladislav Volkov, in communication with the Mir space station, is attacked by what looks at first like a powerful electrical surge, one that kills the cosmonauts and once on board the Russian research vessel, renders the ship a derelict at sea.A week later, a tugboat named the Sea Star, captained by alcoholic and depressed Robert Everton (played by Donald Sutherland), along with navigator and apparent second in command Kelly Foster (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and engineer Steve Baker (William Baldwin), make their way into the eye of a typhoon. In danger of sinking from the storm and the captain suicidal over losing a cargo to that same storm, a cargo they were towing that might have resulted in the loss of the Sea Star and all aboard, they discover a radar contact sharing the eye with them, something they soon come to realize is the Akademik Vladislav Volkov (Foster announcing its identity when the Sea Star is aside the Russian ship, reading from some sort of field guide to ships). Dreaming of a score from a salvage of research vessel with millions and millions of dollars of expensive electronics, robotics, and research equipment, they soon board the vessel, thinking they will be rich.They find the vessel at first devoid of humanity, even bodies, and though this bodes well for salvage – if even one person remains, they don’t get to claim the expensive ship as salvage – they soon get an eerie feeling from the dark ship. Splitting up – because of course they split up, they don’t know there is an alien monster aboard the ship – they soon find why the ship is derelict, the crew dead or worse. Not to spoil anything I hope, but the combination of hostile alien being that is made of electrical energy and a ship full of robotics and science labs doesn’t bode well for the salvage crew.I think the movie worked best when the salvage crew was exploring the odd, eerie, creepy abandoned vessel, trying to uncover what happened. Once the alien entity started targeting the salvage crew it didn’t work quite as well, partially because the suspense was gone, partially because I didn’t get that much a sense of horror or fear from what the salvage crew encountered. What the people fought against was certainly dangerous, but it came off less a horror movie and more an action film. Also I don’t think the movie fully realized what they could have come up against, that maybe the effects skill or budget prevented the opponents from being truly as bizarre as they could have been. I did like that the effects seemed mostly practical, I appreciated that, as today those effects would be largely CGI. I think too much of the movie was dark, which while making a lot of sense, made it hard to pick out metal monsters against a metal interior. I also think the way the movie portrayed how an eye of a typhoon works was more than a little off.Still, I thought it enjoyable and original and I understand the movie is sort of hated by many. It doesn’t deserve that hate and was worth watching.

Good movie well played a must thanks

This movie is great, but is in desperate need of a 4K UHD remaster, as there's significant crushed shadows/artifacting on basically every version available.

*I cannot really ''praise,'' per se, the originality or story of the film ''Virus,'' because, in all honesty, it's not what anyone can rightly call a great film. Sure, it's visually stunning and fun and enjoyable and all that... but it's certainly not ''Terminator'' or ''Aliens.''Even so, I'm somewhat puzzled that so many reviewers are having a difficult time ''relating'' to this movie, based upon how it plays itself out. I think they are missing one key element in the whole thing, however:Just as ADULT reviewers have to be reminded that ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' was a movie made for the tiny tot audience, reviewers of the movie ''Virus'' need to keep in mind that this film was based on a ''comic book'' story (...or as ''fanboys''-- current and former --would call it, a ''graphic novel'')!Anyone who pays any amount of attention would realize that there is NEVER (or rarely ever) going to be a ''totally straight'' presentation of a comic book story translated to the big screen -- even if the story itself is treated ''seriously'' within the pages of the comic. (''The Crow'' was one of those rarest of exceptions.)Keeping that in mind may actually make viewing this movie about an alien energy lifeform that....??? uses human bodies for ''spare parts'' ???...., and tries to kill them off more effectively by constructing cybernetic monstrosities???.... okay, so it's a little ludicrous, but again, I don't think it was meant to be taken completely seriously -- it's mindless escapism that's both fun and scary. That's Entertainment!* * *

Like the action

Well the idea for the film was sound but it just didn't grab me others may love it though.

Movie was pretty good but I don't plan on renting it again

This may not be deemed worthy of a four-star rating on artistic merits, but that may be too harsh and snotty way of assessing this film. So far as entertainment is concerned, this film, made 20 years ago, in 1999, is a highly enjoyable film. It has action and suspense, and even the villain is not quite what one might imagine a villain to be. Donald Sutherland and Jamie Lee Curtiss put up a wonderful performance. It is partly for that reason that the film is still enjoyable today.

PLOT...The crew of the Haggard tug board an abandoned Russian research ship and take on an alien life form, this life fold holds the ship hostage and feeds on electricity and thrives on developing new ways of killing the VIRUS known as man...THIS FIRST PART IS THE UK DVD REVIEW..This is a great 90's action Sci-fi, very underrated movie with a top budget and brilliant special effects, all practical creature robot effects and good old school blood and gore, the cast is pretty decent its always good to watch a young Jamie lee Curtis, the movie is slow to start but is well paced with classic sci-fi action throughout and a cool music score to make things creepy, highly recommend going back to this one.DVD has a pretty decent pictureNo special features but a teaser.95-mins, 1998, Region 2, Rated 18, English only.This review is for the German Blu-ray which I give 1 star if your buying in the UK.Even though the movie is region B its pointless to buy unless you speak German, the first part of the movie is spoken in Russian with German subtitles so you don't understand any of the story from the beginning!if your ok with that then buy it but it kind of ruins the whole watching experience.

About the Region B German import:Whilst the blu ray contains an English 5.1 soundtrack the disc defaults to the German track and auto plays the film. You will need to access the pop up menu and select the English track. The menus are ion German as you'd expect but are placed traditionally. (play film, Languages, Scenes and extras)Also the burnt in subtitles are in German, as you would expect. However, the beginning of the film is in Russian (its a Russian satellite ship) so good luck understanding that! The disc also has the dvd extras, English with German subtitles over the top.The film and sound quality is excellent, a definite step up from the DVD. If it wasn't for the problem beginning where you are left in the dark as to what is being said (but you get the idea- something bad) it would have scored higher. That's the problem buying import blu ray from Europe!

Virus is a sci-fi action picture set on earth and it puts a spin on the inspiration and concept first spawn with the Aliens films. The cast features many stars with a line up including the likes of "Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sunderland"; and all conduct they're roles with a modest competance; particularly William Baldwin who plays as boat engineer Steve. Not to give away details of the films plot, I found the ambition an enthusiastic and inspirational one, but the translation an inevitable feeling of amateur-ness.The dialogue is mostly very good with tension build up and intense lines. Action scenes however, loaded with special effects and saturated with a coarse taste of humour, subtracts from the atmosphere and status of the film considerably. Towards the end, the plot becomes untenable as it twists and turns into the more and more ridiculous. The Story line I found was uktimately very weak and character development practically non-existent. I felt technically the film was well made and transitions sound, but the directing was a bit of a let down.Fans of action/horror sci-fi, who watch Virus without the modicating expectation that the standard and merit will be as high as Aliens, may enjoy this. For everyone else this may come as an underwhelming and stale sitting... There is better out there!.

A tremendously fun 'trashy sci-fi' guilty pleasure, 'Virus' is an action/sci-fi/horror with patchy scripting, occasionally hit-and-miss acting, and a great deal of silliness. However, it's also terrific fun if you check your seriousness at the door.When Donald Sutherland's salvage tug crew get caught in a hurricane and their vessel is damaged, they think they've lost everything, but then stumble across a huge deserted Russian vessel in the eerie calm of the storm's eye. Boarding it, they find it deserted, and dreams of rich salvage start to dance in their heads until they discover that something else now calls the vessel home. Something lethal and inventive that has plans for them all. Virus uses a great deal of intriguing special effects, great monster designs, and brilliant action-horror moments. A great party movie, and one for movie-monster junkies.

This is a fun 90s sci-if horror and works fine in all UK Blu-ray players and has English audio. Only but you miss out on us the opening scene where some Russians have German subtitles. Otherwise it’s fine and the only way to get a Blu-ray copy in the UK right now