VIRUS<br /><br />Director: John Bruno 100 minutes 1999 Rated R (for violence, gore and language)<br /><br />"Virus" is an overly familiar horror film where the plot is covered in grade "B" gore, the special effects are typically impressive and the characters all have motives to ensure the old rule that they will be picked off one by one by an in-human presence. Like many other movies of this genre, this is a recycle bin. Shall we count the films that "Virus" is recycled out of:<br /><br />1. "Deep Rising": The most obvious film that this movie's material comes from is another terrible gore feast called "Deep Rising," that was released about a year ago at this time. First of all both film's settings take place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, right in the time of a storm. Both movies are about another smaller ship whose crew who stumbles upon terrifying secrets in a larger, abandon ship.<br /><br />2. "Event Horizon": Another movie about a ship, but this time a different kind; a search and rescue space shuttle searching for an abandon vessel that disappeared seven years earlier. Of course, this is a futuristic horror film. What do "Virus" and "Event Horizon" have in common? Both film's are about a mysterious life force on an empty carrier of some sort. How are they different? "Event Horizon" is one of the best science fiction movies I have ever seen. "Virus" is one of the worst.<br /><br />3. "Sphere": Released about a year ago, "Sphere" was one of the most tricky movies to follow in 1998. It required brain work at all the time, thus major involvement. Remember, if you miss ten minutes of it you'll most likely be lost for the remainder of the film. Both movies use profundo voice synthesizers to communicate with the unknown as well. In "Virus" there are lots of mind games the movie attempts to play, all about what the monster is, and who the villains are, and about what happened to the ex-crew. Too bad none of the games make you think. As a madder of fact, you minds well park you brain outside before you walk into the theater to see it.<br /><br />4. "Demon Seed": Another horror film, this one from the mind Dean Knootz, the novelist who also wrote movies like "Phantoms." "Virus" uses copious amounts of gore, which doesn't earn any Oscar nominations or anything, to generate fear in an audience. Neither film worked, as didn't their familiar concepts.<br /><br />5. "Frankenstein": Yep, the classic. Where the evil deranged scientist uses body parts of other human to create a new life form. "Virus" takes that idea fresh right out of the container. This film uses body parts of humans and in combination to those. Also computer activated machines.<br /><br />6. "Ghost in the Machine" The little seen horror romp about a technological killer who travels through electric fields. "Virus" even quotes that film when an apparent survivor states that the oncoming crew must shut off the power-- for "it" needs power to survive.and to move in that madder.<br /><br />That about raps it up. I didn't list all of the film's in the above area, however. If I was to name all of the pieces to the movies that were used to make "Virus," I would have to explain the plot to you, which, as it sounds already, you can figure out by yourself.<br /><br />