Today’s quick review: Virus. While hauling a shipment in the South Pacific, Captain Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) and his crew find a Russian research vessel floating abandoned in the water. Hoping to claim the ship as salvage, the crew board and look for survivors. Instead, they discover an alien lifeform that has taken over the ship and is using any material it can find—mechanical or biological—to build itself new bodies.
Virus is a sci-fi horror movie set aboard a ship filled with technological abominations. Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis), Steve Baker (William Baldwin), and the rest of Captain Everton’s crew must survive until they can find a safe way off of the ship. Virus’ main appeal comes from the design of its creatures, suitably horrific amalgams of flesh and machine. However, it is otherwise a mediocre film, with a generic plot and not many real scares.
Virus has potential as a horror movie, but its execution is lacking. The setup is a recipe for tension: a cramped environment, an inhuman enemy, and a nervous crew. What’s missing is the sense of dread. The scares are too obvious to be effective, and encounters with the alien are isolated incidents, making it hard for the movie to build up momentum. Furthermore, lukewarm characters and a simple plot give the audience little reason to invent.
The result is a movie that coasts on its premise and its special effects. Fans of sci-fi horror may enjoy it as a serviceable execution of the formula, but it’s missing the atmosphere of dread that the best entries into the genre have. Skip it if you’re looking for something gripping or original.
For a much more unnerving take on a similar premise, try The Thing or Alien. For sci-fi horror with a more elaborate story, check out Pandorum. For a brush with a technological lifeform, try Star Trek: First Contact. For a more surreal horror movie about alien contact, check out Annihilation. For a low-budget thriller set aboard a ship, try Primal or Retrograde.
5.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent setup with mixed execution.