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Virus (1999)
(lemmy.nz)
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this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
53 points (100.0% liked)
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The creature designs and effects in this movie are the best part. It's an okay movie but the second half is missing something.
I think it missed the existential threat later in the movie, especially as the virus ended up becoming just a big monster instead.
It's a hardware movie so to speak. Pretty much the entirety of the effort went to SFX and creature designs and the story is there to showcase more cool setpieces. The Director John Bruno is literally the SFX guy so this movie is basically SFX porn. On a narrative level - it is missing something because it is staging The Thing finale on a boat. While the prerequisites match evenly, it's a rethread to a tee. Behind the scenes - they ran into logistical issues that sent them overbudget so they had to pump the brakes and make it darker.
Sounds like an FX movie by an inexperienced director. It's still fun to see and the slow burn open is great.
Bruno was the SFX guy first and foremost. Naturally, he nailed that part. Running overbudget is more of a producer issue that plagues from SFX heavy production. Things need to be readjusted and fine-tuned - not every pre-planned sequence works out as expected - that eats up time and money real fast - especially when the director is one the boys. CGI was a game changer in this regard because it allowed to keep things as close to pre-vis as possible but also change things up when necessary.