Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Virus Blu-ray Movie Review

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.

Virus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Virus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary with Director John Bruno and Writer Dennis Feldman - Bruno and Feldman reminisce about filming Virus. This is a fairly informative track but it contains quite a few vocalized pauses. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director John Bruno, Actors Marshall Bell and Sherman Augustus and Composer Joel McNeely - a group commentary headlined by Bruno with contributing remarks by two of the actors and composer McNeely, whose pretty insightful about his score. This track first appeared on Universal's 1999 DVD. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Eye of the Storm – An Interview with Director John Bruno (18:43, 1080p) - Bruno gives an overview of his career as a makeup artist, animator, and visual effects supervisor. He also talks about how he came aboard to direct Virus, the casting process, and the film's critical reception. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Science & Fiction – An Interview with Writer Dennis Feldman (15:05, 1080p) - Feldman discusses the Dark Horse Comics series, Virus as a graphic novel and shaping it for the screen, and the movie's actors. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Into the Woods – An Interview with Actor Marshall Bell (13:38, 1080p) - Bell delves into how specific scenes were done with his J.W. Woods Jr. character, working with fellow actors, and general thoughts/opinions about Virus. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Men, Monsters and Machines: The Special Effects of VIRUS Featuring Interviews with Robotics Effects Designers Steve Johnson and Eric Allard, Special Makeup Effects Artist Joel Harlow and More (28:59, 1080p) - this is primarily interviews with Johnson, Allard, and Harlow, who each go into great detail about how the robots, gizmos, and droids were designed and built. They also go into all the hard work that was put into the special prosthetic suit for Donald Sutherland and how the actor stubbornly insisted on wearing his "captain's hat", thus covering up lights and other accoutrements that they put on his head. This is a fine tribute to Steve Johnson's XFX shop. In English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Featurette – Virus: Ghost in the Machine (17:18, upconverted to 1080) - a vintage making-of featurette that covers the production design and f/x. This originally was included on Universal's 1999 DVD. In English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Featurette – Interviews with Cast and Crew (6:24, upconverted to 1080) - a basic EPK featurette containing behind-the-scenes footage interspersed with clips from the film and brief interviews with director John Bruno, producer Gale Anne Hurd, as well as actors Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, and Marshall Bell. We also hear from Phil Tippett and animation supervisor Thomas Schelesny as well as see XFX's Steve Johnson working with the actors. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Deleted Scenes (4:53, upconverted to 1080) - this starts with a title card containing green text on a black background explaining why the scenes were deleted. There are four full scenes shown in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen with no music or effects. The text screen warns that they are in their "rough cut" form. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:32, upconverted to 1080) - really a teaser trailer that Universal ran to promote Virus. Presented in 1.33:1 and appearing in good shape with some print flaws.

• Still Gallery (5:17, 1080p) - the first forty-six images comprise high-res color photographs from the production of Virus; the next seven consist of US and international theatrical posters; the last seven are color stills largely of actors with the makeup effects artists.

Virus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.