Virus (1999)

After outrunning a typhoon at sea, a strong-willed tugboat navigator and her crew discover a high-tech alien life form that's taken control of a Russian research vessel and aims to destroy on a massive scale.

Director:

John Bruno

Writers:

Chuck Pfarrer (creator: Dark Horse Comic Book series: "Virus"), Chuck Pfarrer (screenplay)

Stars:

Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Kit Foster
William Baldwin	...	Steve Baker
Donald Sutherland	...	Captain Robert Everton
Joanna Pacula	...	Nadia
Marshall Bell	...	J.W. Woods Jr.
Sherman Augustus	...	Richie
Cliff Curtis	...	Hiko
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Squeaky
Yuri Chervotkin	...	Colonel Kominski
Keith Flippen	...	Captain Lonya Rostov
Olga Rzhepetskaya-Retchin	...	Female Cosmonaut
Levani	...	Captain Alexi
David Eggby	...	Norfolk Captain

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

russian | ship | storm | alien | sea | 

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Taglines:

On August 14, Mankind is history.

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director John Bruno is a visual effects artist known for his frequent collaborations with director James Cameron. One such film was True Lies (1994) also staring Jamie Lee Curtis.

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Goofs

Just before they go outside, Foster is just wearing a sweater and jeans, but in the next shot of her outside, she is wearing her raincoat.

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Quotes

Hiko: Touch it again, I'll cut your hands off.
Richie.: I can respect that.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD contains three deleted scenes:

• a discussion between Foster and Richie, in which Richie says he doesn't like Foster aboard a ship, which is followed by a discussion of Hiko's tattoos. Then Hiko tells Baker about his ancestors and his greatest fear.
• an extended version of the scene where Foster and Baker flee using the rocket motors.
• the original entrance of Everton into the Antenna Control room, which was changed in the theatrical release because the studio felt that adding computer generated robotic legs would cost too much and because the test audiences didn't like the line "It's me: Bob."

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Actors Who Hate Their Own Movies (2016)

User Reviews

*** out of ****

What I noticed about "Virus" is that ANYTHING can happen to ANY of the characters. They actually get the crap beaten out of them, even Jamie lee. The special-effects are fantastic for this film and the robots are actually menacing. The characters aren't too interesting but they suit the film. I was surprised at how the movie wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. "Virus" takes a new direction. Instead of having a bunch of aliens or monsters running around, killing people, they have robots. It's an original idea that hasn't been tackled that often in this type of genre. A good movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA UK Germany Japan France

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Virus

Filming Locations:

Newport News, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,013,640, 18 January 1999

Gross USA:

$14,036,005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,657,854

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutual Film Company, Universal Pictures, Dark Horse Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1