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Movies / On DVD / Virus
Virus

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Virus (1998)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:4

Rotten:37

Average Rating:3.1/10

Consensus: Despite its great special effects, this movie's predictability greatly undermines its intensity.

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Passengers of a tugboat take refuge in a supposedly abandoned Russian research vessel to wait out a storm in the middle of the Atlantic. Little do they know that the crew has been killed by an... Passengers of a tugboat take refuge in a supposedly abandoned Russian research vessel to wait out a storm in the middle of the Atlantic. Little do they know that the crew has been killed by an alien life form which looks at humans as a virus to be eliminated. The elimination is done by combining parts of human bodies with machinery to create deadly life-exterminating creatures. From the producer of ALIENS and based on a series from Dark Horse Comics. [More]

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Joanna Pacula

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Joanna Pacula, Marshall Bell

Director: John Bruno

Director: John Bruno
Screenwriter: Chuck Pfarrer
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Virus

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

While he can fling together a competent action or special effects sequence, his handling of the plot and actors is strictly routine.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Until the diverting special effects take center stage, this story, about an alien intelligence that builds an army out of flesh and metal, pathetically exploits genre conventions without generating self-reference, camp, or thrills.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/25/07
Lisa Alspector
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader

There isn't much about Virus that you won't know by guessing.

Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Mr. Showbiz

Nothing -- I mean nothing -- works in this film.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Nitrate Online

95 minutes of unrelieved tedium.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Not pretty. And not scary, either.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steven Boone
Steven Boone
Citysearch

The effects in Virus are not exactly whizz-bang, but the pace is good and the tension is on-going.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

The conventions of the genre are well-established, and Virus uninspiredly copies them all.

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

Curtis's earnest performance would be better suited for a more intelligent, exciting script, one where "What the hell was that?' and 'What the hell is going on?' don't make up 95% of the dialogue.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

For a movie about aliens determined to kill us all, this is pretty reassuring stuff.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Matt Diehl
Matt Diehl
Citysearch

Completely predictable and largely fright-free!

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rod Dreher
Rod Dreher
New York Post

The last shot is an homage to The African Queen, a movie I earnestly recommend instead of this one.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As long on adrenaline and special effects as it is short on genuine novelty and intellectual content.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Van Gelder
Lawrence Van Gelder
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The dialogue tends toward the obvious, and the characters are constantly explaining what is happening to one another.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle

Frankly, about 20 minutes into this dud, I was rooting for the alien beasties.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/25/03
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

This is not a great movie. It's not even a good movie.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/01/00
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

It's so unmemorable that I couldn't recall what movie I had seen while the credits were rolling.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

bathed in an incessant gloom that makes it look like one of the comic book artists who inspired this sci-fi/horror hybrid spilled his ink blotter on the film's negatives

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

A disgusting, ugly, and downright depressing excuse for a thriller, and that's what makes it good.

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

I'd even be tempted to call it old-fashioned, except for the existence of far more sophisticated films from the fifties.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
01/01/00
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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