5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
When a typhoon cripples their boat, the crew sails into the eye of the storm, where they discover a high-tech Russian communications and research vessel adrift. Only one Russian crew member is still alive, raving about "intelligent lightning." They soon discover that an alien life form has taken over the ship's computers and is churning out mechanical warriors. With their own boat destroyed, the crew must battle the creature as the ship reenters the storm.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Joanna Pacula, Marshall BellHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 30% |
Sci-Fi | 14% |
Comic book | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In two recent interviews recorded for this BD, first-time director John Bruno and screenwriter Dennis Feldman address the poor timing that hindered Virus during its abbreviated theatrical run. Universal initially planned for it to be one of its big summer movies in 1998 with Virus slated to open during the hurricane season. The production was budgeted between $75 and $80 million and had star power behind it with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, and William Baldwin. The film tested well as eight out of ten score cards at a preview screening were fervent: "Da bomb!" read several of them. Studio executives kicked and jumped out of their seats at the bristling action at one private screening. But this was also a transitional period for Universal with top brass leaving. Virus sat on the shelves and inexplicably did not open wide until January of '99. Critics who saw it over the holidays were unenthusiastic to say the least. Though a critical dud at home, the film did better overseas at the box office. Shout! Factory has released a comprehensive special edition of Virus that will hopefully give it a second life.
Kit Foster wants to assure the crew that she's in control of things.
According to Widescreen Review, Virus was shot in Super 35mm with the theatrical 2.35:1 aspect ratio matted within the 1.37:1 negative ratio. The MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer has been encoded on a BD-50, with a sterling average video bitrate of 35000 kbps for the feature and a total bitrate of 44.51 Mbps for the whole disc. The image looks film-like and takes on a dark and gritty appearance for the nighttime scenes on the vessel. Daytime scenes on the boat look clear and display excellent delineation of color. (See JLC's magenta top in Screenshot #17.) Detail is less pronounced in night shots but the transfer does a competent job of bringing out details with limited light sources. There may be a smidgen of dirt but it's hard to pick out. There are no film-to-video artifacts.
Shout! has provided its standard twelve scene selections for the main feature.
Shout! delivers the movie in a very robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (4543 kbps, 24-bit) and a down-converted
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2077 kbps, 24-bit). The 5.1 mix is very aggressive with thunderous waves and explosions accented on the satellite speakers. The English dialogue is crisp and generally intelligible. There is also some Russian dialogue which is supported by compulsory English subtitles (see example in #20). I did not notice any audible hiss during the first twenty minutes, an anomaly that plagued the Australian Region 4 PAL disc. Composer Joel McNeely supplies a rollicking score that combines the symphonic sounds of David Newman and John Williams (particularly the horns).
In addition to embedded subs, Shout! has included optional English SDH for the full movie.
Virus was both the victim of bad timing and the fact that there was an over-saturation of sci/fi disaster thrillers produced in Hollywood during the late nineties. While the dialogue is not a strong suit, the film has a lot to say about the hybridization of the body and the effects of biomechanical engineering. Virus is a very good "B" popcorn movie that moves fast and is cut together with efficiency, precision, and skill. Shout! Factory has outdone themselves with this excellent deluxe edition. The label has ported over Universal's commentary track, deleted scenes, and EPK featurettes. It adds four new segments consisting of fantastic interviews with the filmmakers and a new commentary with Bruno and Feldman. For fans of Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Sutherland, this release comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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