Virus

Having read all the bad reviews this movie has received because of its poor videoquality and editing, I nonetheless bought it yesterday on DVD from a local store in Oslo. I just simply had to buy it in spite of the numerous warnings.

The reason is that I'm a huge fan of similar movies like The Andromeda Strain, The Satan Bug and the Cassandra Crossing which are all great.

Regarding the movie itself I was pleasantly surprised. It has good acting, good story and decent production values to boot. All the necessary ingredients for making a compelling movie.

Sadly this is ruined by an almost unviewable videoprint. It seems to me that the DVD-edition I bought used an old VHS videoprint as the source. The sound is equally bad.

Finally, some of the shorter prints of the film is plagued by abruptness. The version I acquired runs approx. 108 minutes. You get the feeling you've missed out on something. Nearing the end of the film one of the main characters returns from Washinghton to Antarctica. But we get no explanation as to how he made the journey. Which off course is a prudent question to ask, since in between his departure and arrival, a nuclear holocaust has transpired and several years have passed.

The longest version runs approx. 150 minutes. Hopefully I'll someday get my hands on that copy. And I urge everyone else to stay clear of the shorter prints and aim for the full 150 minute version instead.

Kind regards, Chris