he Russian science vessel Akademic Vladislov Volkov in the South Pacific has made its regular communications link with orbiting space station Mir when the space station is inundated with a mysterious blue light that also zaps the Volkov and all aboard.
Seven days later, in another part of the Pacific, the ocean-going tug Sea Star and its motley crew are fighting a typhoon when the cargo barge they are towing breaks apart and sinks. Intrepid navigator Kelly "Kit" Foster (Curtis) argues that their only chance for survival is to head for the eye of the storm, where they can gain a two-hour respite from the 100-mile-an-hour winds.
Suddenly becalmed, the Sea Star comes across the apparently derelict Volkov. Capt. Everton (Sutherland) is eager to claim the huge ship as salvage worth $30 million; the crew, including engineer Steve Baker (Baldwin), seem willing to go along. But as the crew splits up to restore power and get the ship underway, someone sinks the Sea Star, injuring Maori crewman Hiko (Cliff Curtis).
Then Baker's pal, Squeaky (Julio Oscar Mechoso) goes missing. The crew, meanwhile, finds a lone survivor, the Volkov's chief science officer Nadia (Pacula), who tells them an incredible tale: A force from outer space has taken over the ship and killed everyone on board.
At first incredulous, the crew quickly become believers when they have a few disturbing encounters with creatures that appear to be half-human and half-machine. A few more die, including first mate Woods (Marshall Bell), before Kit finally has it out with greedy Capt. Everton. But by then, it may be too late: The force is closing in on the crew members, and they realize they have to stop it before it can spread. Meanwhile, the typhoon's nearly upon them.
A virus sure to make you sick...
Virus, based on Chuck Pfarrer's Dark Horse comic book series and co-scripted by Pfarrer and Dennis Feldman, has at its core a good idea: What if an incorporeal alien life force came to Earth and cobbled together physical forms based on machines and human body parts? In the comic books, Pfarrer's fervid imagination envisioned flying insectoid robots with drill-bit fangs and human-skin wings, among other things.
But inflated into a feature film directed by former special-effects supervisor John Bruno, Virus collapses under the weight of horror-film cliches that sink it like the ill-fated Volkov. Like schlocky predecessors from Event Horizon to Deep Rising, this is basically a haunted-house story transplanted to a ship and dressed up with SF trappings. The characters are ciphers, and Curtis reprises her character from Halloween for the second time in a year (remember Halloween H20?).
This film defies logic. Boarding the Volkov for the first time, the Sea Star's crew sees evidence of carnage: bullet holes, buckets of blood, smashed-in iron doors. So what do they do? They split up into small groups and go exploring. Pacula, meanwhile, can't be more clear in her dire warnings: "You're all in danger." "You're all going to die." "Turn off the power." But does anyone listen?
The movie also takes too long to get down to business. It's nearly an hour before moviegoers encounter the first nasty creature; in the meantime, the characters seem to be vamping, arguing about the salvage, patching up wounds, and crawling around darkened passageways with flashlights. When the creatures finally appear, they're more disgusting than clever. And for a film directed by a special-effects maven, the miniatures and computer effects seem clunky and obvious.
