Virus
Metascore
19 out of 100

Overwhelming dislike - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 14 out of 17
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    0
    It's dead in the water.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Lisa Alspector
    20
    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.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    25
    "Deep Rising" was one of the worst movies of 1998. Virus is easily worse.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    25
    Some movies are a joy. Some are a chore. And some are sheer torture. A good example of the latter is Virus. [17 January 1999, Metro Chicago, p.8]
    All this critic's reviews
  5. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    42
    The pathogenic agent to fear, however, is the one that evidently turned every line of dialogue into inane gibberish.
  6. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Tom Meek
    30
    The plot itself is a disappointingly gory concatenation of two recently forgettable sci-fi thrillers; "Hardware" and "Event Horizon."
  7. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Nicole Campos
    30
    FX whiz John Bruno (Terminator 2, True Lies) makes a dubious directorial debut here, juggling monsters that are icky but not scary; an out-of-control Donald Sutherland as the tug’s Ahabesque captain.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    60
    An unpretentious, amusing thrill-a-minute sci-fi horror thriller / monster movie that plugs right into fears of a Y2K crisis.
  9. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    25
    95 minutes of unrelieved tedium.
  10. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Bob Graham
    25
    No one is likely to claim it's a great, or even good, movie, but it does offer some guilty pleasures.
  11. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    0
    This suspense-free, originality-deprived mess will likely be a major contender for the title of 1999's worst film.
  12. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    25
    Frankly, about 20 minutes into this dud, I was rooting for the alien beasties -- their diagnosis seemed dead-on.
  13. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Van Gelder
    30
    As long on adrenaline and special effects as it is short on genuine novelty and intellectual content.
  14. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    The script, based on a Dark Horse comic-book series, is hugely predictable, but the robot effects by veteran Phil Tippett are nastily entertaining.
  15. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Andy Seiler
    25
    The movie was postponed from 1998 and shielded from critics. (They were ot allowed to see the movie before the opening, usually a bid sign.) [15 January 1999, Life, p.8E]
    All this critic's reviews
  16. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    30
    Curtis and Pacula are thoroughly convincing in thinly written roles.
  17. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    30
    Everything in it is a cliche including the end.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. KeeganX
    0
    While it has a horror aspect that could have been interesting, it's boring and just not fun to watch. If you are considering watching this movie, don't.… Full Review »
  2. DennisJ.
    4
    Gad, what movie did you other raters watch? Special effects were good but plot was poor, illogical, unrealisitc and the acting often wooden and, in general, a poor movie. Symptomatic of the overall problem - the storm rages and washes one guy overboard but in the wheelhouse, no pitching or deck rolling. Way poor.… Full Review »
  3. avatar16
    2
    Il y a des films de monstres (ou l'équivalent) qui arrivent à sortir dans les salles grâce à leur budget, leur casting qu'ils offrent (ici, Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, Cliff Curtis...) et quelques noms "sympa" au générique (James Cameron à la production, John Carpenter à l'écriture...), le tout non sans esquiver les nombreux défauts du genre (à savoir aucune originalité, surdose de clichés, personnages sans intérêts, dialogues indisgestes...). Certains s'en sorte par un sens du spectacle (Peur Bleue) ou bien par un effet comique ainsi que sa distribution (Lake Placid). Mais Virus en est bien loin, surtout avec des acteurs qui surjouent énormément, une absence de caricature pour ce genre de film question scénario (la fameuse réplique "Machin, sois prudent" est bien trop prévisible et fait pitié, l'humour ne prend pas...) et surtout pour un ensemble qui fait plus grand-guignol plutôt qu'autre chose. Juste les robots (animation, effets spéciaux) sont assez sympas, mais bon... Virus est comme le personnage de Jamie Lee Curtis : il ne sert à rien!… Full Review »
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