Firstly let me say that this review is based on the full uncut 156 minute version of the movie.After watching this I can see why it was a financial failure when it was released and did not get more publicity. It is easy to see that the powers that be in the US and other countries featured would have preferred it never be seen. Just too close to the truth of what has happened on a smaller scale more than once.Ironic that a virus created by the US that kills almost everyone gets labeled Italian Flu. Do some real research of Spanish Flu that killed millions and you will know what I mean.This is a movie full of big name actors of the time, but you need to see the uncut 156 minute version to do it justice. All of the big names perform their roles well and while being very bleak the movies gets the story across with appropriate use of subtitles.Do not expect high end CGI or special effects, there are none, just a well put together movie that IMHO stands the test and is worth seeing some 35+ years later.Probably one of the best Armageddon movies you will see if you are prepared to sit thought it. This is not a hollywoodised movie in any way.Solid 8/10 for me, not sure I would watch it again though, a little bit too real for comfort.

I came across "Virus" on DVD at the dollar store recently, and though I'd never heard of it, a quick look at IMDb revealed that the film had a pretty decent rating so I risked a buck on it. I loved disaster films when I was a kid so I'm surprised this one slipped past my radar back then. After further research I learned that there are several different cuts of this movie available and that the DVD I purchased is in fact the shorter U.S. cut, which is missing almost an hour of footage (mainly featuring the Japanese characters and their back stories). Despite that, I still found "Virus" to be a pretty entertaining (if a bit depressing) film and I'm interested in tracking down a copy of the "true" version of the film.Apparently "Virus" was the most expensive film made by a Japanese company at the time of its release (1980), featuring a large cast of both Japanese and Western actors. Unfortunately it never got proper worldwide distribution and was a major financial failure, which is a shame because this was a pretty damn good flick, even in this truncated version. The American cast (who are featured more prominently in the cut I saw) are all genre stalwarts who appeared in a lot of similar disaster films around this same time period -- Glenn Ford as the President of the United States, Robert Vaughn as his Senatorial foil, Henry Silva as a crazed Army general, and so on. I was particularly tickled by the total mis-casting of Chuck "Rifleman" Connors as the captain of a British submarine, because he doesn't even try to affect a British accent. (Perhaps the Japanese producers figured "Screw it, we're just going to dub over him with a Japanese actor anyway.") It does tend to be a bit talky, could've used some more action scenes, and obviously its Cold War era politics are now out of date, but overall "Virus" was a pretty decent little end-of-the-world/apocalypse saga.As the movie opens, some cloak-and-dagger types meet in an East German hideaway and exchange a vial of a new biological weapon known as MM-88. The plane carrying the men away from the exchange point crashes in the mountains and the virus is freed, causing a worldwide epidemic of disease that all but wipes out humanity from planet Earth. The only survivors untouched by the disease are a small group of researchers and military types stationed in Antarctica, where the virus cannot spread due to the cold temperatures. These 800-and-change survivors find themselves not only faced with the prospect of repopulating the barren Earth (with only 8 women in the population!), but also preventing yet another catastrophe, because in the final days before the fall of the U.S. Silva's character had armed a missile defense system which pointed all of America's nukes at Russia. An earthquake in the region threatens to cause the defense system to activate, which would then result in a retaliatory strike from a similar defense system on the Russian side. So just as our group of survivors is getting used to the idea of living in this Brave New World, now they have to worry about a follow up apocalypse! An American soldier (Bo Svenson of "Walking Tall" fame) and a Japanese scientist are dispatched to the ruins of Washington, D.C. to de-activate the missile system before all Hell breaks loose on Earth (again). I will not violate the Spoiler Warning rules by telling you how it all turns out, but let's just say it's not the typical Hollywood outcome."All-star cast spectaculars" like these were a dime a dozen in the late 70s and early 80s and a lot of them stunk. "Virus" doesn't. It's a shame that such an ambitious project went all but unnoticed on this side of the ocean at the time of its release. Now that the U.S. version is apparently in the Public Domain and is readily available at an affordable price, it's worth taking a look at a film that had more to say than your average disaster flick. "Virus" is one of my better Dollar Store DVD pickups of late, and one of the few that I'm likely to watch again in the future. Now, where do I find a copy of the "true" original cut of this film? Time to do some searching.

Virus runs for 2hrs 35 minutes. Some of it came across as being a little cheesy and this in part was due to the soundtrack music (which grew on me and I am now searching for the LP), but overall the film gives a chilling feeling and the best "end of the world" scenario film I have ever come across. Everything that should be in this type of film is present and pulled off successfully (thanks in part to it's all star cast and good acting). Only film that I know of which has the actors give very realistic responses and moods to an impending potential doom. Besides it was by the director of Battle Royale so you know it cannot be all that bad.

"Virus" is a earnest attempt to chronicle an apocalypse, perhaps for cautionary as well as artistic and financial intentions. Unfortunately, the producers made many mistakes which seriously undercut their efforts. The result is a boring, sometimes tedious 2 ½ hour movie about a very important subject, i.e., gene splicing and the possible consequences of misuse as a biological weapon. This is doubly a shame, as "Virus" was especially timely, coming at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Although the fictional virus functioned in a slightly different manner, had AIDS been an airborne, highly infectious agent, the disastrous consequences could have been exactly the same.The first serious mistake was the use of flashback at the beginning of the film. Given that there is very little action in "Virus," the use of flashback undercuts any element of suspense, at least during the first hour.The second serious mistake was placing the disaster so near in the future (1982-83). Had the movie been a hit, it would barely have been out of the theaters before it was out of date.The third serious mistake was casting actors well known for action films. Casting actors such as Chuck Connors, Bo Swenson, Sonny Chiba and Henry Silva creates anticipation for action which rarely happens. Glenn Ford, Robert Vaughn and, to a lesser extent, George Kennedy are effective in their small, but pivotal roles. However, all three of these stars are as associated with dramas as with action films. The beautiful Olivia Hussey is decorative, but too matter-of-fact for a character who be troubled and conflicted. However, it was a special treat seeing a very young Edward James Olmos; he was effective in his few scenes. Just don't ask him to sing.The fourth serious mistake was not hiring a skilled second unit director versed in English. Many of the English-speaking actors overact; and, when there is this much overacting, it's the fault of the director. Given the sensitive manner of the scenes in which the actors spoke Japanese, I'm guessing the director was not well versed in English.The fifth serious mistake was the phony looking "Oval Office" set. Since much of the drama takes place in the "Oval Office," great pains should have been taken to create a more realistic atmosphere.WARNING: SPOILERThe sixth serious mistake involved the "ARS". anyone even remotely familiar with US defenses would know Silva would not be able to activate the "ARS" alone. US "Fail Safe" systems always require two individuals and an activation code. This would have been a very simple fix, and the mistake is compounded by allowing Silva to cackle like a villain in a bad melodrama.If the first two hours of "Virus" were simply boring, the last 30 minutes is downright tedious, despite a whole 7 minutes of mild action, the first since the first half hour. When a film this dull runs over two hours, all the earlier irritants become even more noticeable. Everything from the sappy music to Chuck Connors' terrible British accent and Bo Svenson's "Buford Pusser" haircut brings great irritation. Worse, the last 30 minutes is laughably absurd, asking us to believe an "above top secret" weapons control center can be breached as easily as an office building. Such a command center would have its own air supply and decontamination center, making it as safe as Connors' nuclear submarine. By the way, hasn't anyone ever heard of HAZMAT suits? After all, this movie was made nearly ten years after "The Andromeda Strain." However, the most laughably absurd element is expecting us to believe the Japanese scientist could escape on foot from "ground zero" of an all-out nuclear war and find, several thousand miles later, a colony of two dozen or so people, when he hasn't a clue where they are going to settle. END OF SPOILERKeep in mind, the dreadful "Virus" cost nearly as much as "The Empire Strikes Back," and all the producers have to show for the effort is some beautiful photography. "Virus" is just one more piece of evidence than good intentions don't necessarily make good movies. I give "Virus" a "3".