Sci-fi Thriller Needs Injection

by Jason R. Hewlett

There's a good idea behind the film "Virus." Electronic life form comes to earth and takes over a Russian satellite control vessel and rebuilds itself as a mishmash of human and robotics parts. It decides that human beings are a nuisance (the virus of the title) and they should be wiped out. Sounds to me like the makings of a decent techno-thriller.

Unfortunately the follow-through isn't up to the potential. Not fully at any rate. What we end up with is the standard "Six come on board vessel filled with evil and die one by one. A few people defeat evil thing and flee" type plot like we saw in "Alien," "Even Horizon," and the really crappy "Deep Rising" (which also took place on a boat) and the formula is wearing really, really thin now. It's too bad too as Chuck Pfarrer's script has several funny lines and a few cool action scenes. John Bruno (who got his start doing special effects for mega-director James Cameron) handles his direction relatively well and dishes up some cool effects. The problem is that despite all these elements there's no excitement generated. Everything is all too familiar and happens on cue. Time for a new storyline people!

They put a pretty decent cast together too. Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, and William Baldwin are the headliners but none of them shine too brightly. Curtis is back in her "Halloween" days. She doesn't really have much too do unfortunately. She was much better in "H2O" earlier this year and Sutherland is basically chewing the scenery. He attempts to pull off seafarer's drawl but doesn't quite do it.

Okay, so it's a short review but I don't have much to say. Try something different guys! We'll go if you do!

3 out of 10!