"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 Had the movie been a hit, it would barely have been out of the theaters before it was out of date.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: SPOILER
The 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 SPOILER
Keep 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".
