Virus
A storm-stranded tugboat crew battles an alien intelligence that has transformed a derelict Russian research ship into a factory for mechanical killers.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Moderate
- claustrophobic
- frantic
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- 1990s genre movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as derivative and predictable despite impressive special effects, with underlit cinematography further weakening its impact.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The crew is trapped aboard an abandoned Russian research vessel while the storm closes in around them.
The alien life form takes over the ship's computers and manufactures mechanical warriors.
The central threat is expressed through manufactured android-like warriors and hostile ship technology.
A typhoon destroys the crew's boat and forces them to remain on the vessel as it reenters the storm.
Films like Virus, and why
Deep Rising
Shares a claustrophobic maritime setting, monster-driven horror, action pacing, and an endangered crew confronting an inhuman threat.
Leviathan
Combines isolated ocean survival, science fiction horror, mechanical or technological menace, and a tense battle for control of a vessel.
Virus
Features an isolated crew, hostile technology, body-threatening science fiction horror, and a confined industrial environment.
The Thing
Shares storm-battered maritime survival, alien threat, claustrophobic shipboard action, and practical-effects creature spectacle.
Movie Details
- Director
- John Bruno
- Release Date
- 1999-01-14
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 5.4 / 10 (720)
Cast
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- William Baldwin
- Donald Sutherland
- Joanna Pacula
- Marshall Bell
- Sherman Augustus
- Cliff Curtis
- Julio Oscar Mechoso
- Levan Uchaneishvili
- Yuri Chervotkin
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Virus about?
- A storm-stranded tugboat crew battles an alien intelligence that has transformed a derelict Russian research ship into a factory for mechanical killers.
- What is Virus like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Virus as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Virus violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Virus as moderate.
- What did critics think of Virus?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as derivative and predictable despite impressive special effects, with underlit cinematography further weakening its impact.
- Which films are like Virus?
- Films with a similar feel include Deep Rising, Leviathan, Virus, and The Thing.
- How long is Virus?
- Virus runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Virus?
- In United States, Virus is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
