Revisiting Jamie Lee Curtis’ 1999 Sci-Fi horror film

The movie Virus first officially hit screens in 1999, but its biomechanical horrors only came to life a little earlier. The path to screen adaptation was not straightforward for the Navy SEAL turned writer Chuck Pfarrer; he first struck his high concept Universal imagesonly to then have it land at Dark Horse Comics. After the series’ success, Pfarrer tried his luck again with Universal. This time, however, the manufacturer Crazy Anne Hurd was there to help get Virus optioned as well as finding a potential director.

It was in 1995 which Universal first approached John Bruno about helming Virus. Initially, the visual artist was hesitant to direct a feature, and Pfarrer’s script was a major factor in that uncertainty; he found it too dense and complicated for his taste. But after a conversation with colleague and friend James Cameron, Bruno eventually accepted the offer, provided he could make changes to the story. Bruno and Species franchise writer Dennis Feldman revised the script together, which led to them changing the nationality of the haunted ship from Chinese to Russian, making the computer virus an electricity-based entity from space, and generally adapting the original comic rather than Pfarrer’s newer treatment.

Spread over four issues, Dark Horse’s Virus (1992) follows the crew of Electra as they first survive a Pacific typhoon and then battle the monsters lurking inside a large and seemingly empty Chinese naval vessel. Similarly, the film has the diverse cast Starfisha waning tug captained by Donald Sutherland’s Everton, discovers Vladislav Volkov and the biomechanoids on board that, like their comic equivalents, cannot be allowed to escape via transmission. And helps Jamie Lee Curtis and William Baldwin’s characters evade death is now Joanna Paculas Nadia, the only Russian survivor.

Image: A page from Virus comic, written by Chuck Pfarrer and illustrated by Howard Cobb.

The discrepancies between the cinematic adaptation and its source material are noticeable, but not outrageous either. Character names have been largely changed, with the exceptions of Foster (Curtis) and Richie (Sherman Augustus), but it’s clear who everyone else is channeling based on his or her function in the story. Leading man Steve Baker (Baldwin) is an approximation of his more macho parallel, Averil, and Apia has been replaced by a deckhand named Hiko (Cliff Curtis). Pacula’s Nadia fills in for Mallone, the only other female character from the comics, and Sutherland’s Captain Everton endures the same horrific transformation that awaits Captain Powell.

Naturally Virus the comic plays out like a movie, given its inception and Pfarrer’s original intentions, but the comic’s breakneck pace leaves no room for anything but constant emergencies and adrenaline-fueled action. Additionally, the sparse downtime has the characters barely considering the origins or purpose of their opponents. In the film, however, a direct answer is given to the aliens’ arrival; they are like Starfish crew, here to save. In their case, for spare parts of the body after considering humans nothing more than a virus. While that bit of information might be best inferred, moviegoers may appreciate the clarification.

Virus dismissed as just another batch of streamlined genre fare, but in its defense the film tried to add some meat to a barebones plot. Reading the comic helps make this distinction clearer. Nevertheless, for a more fully clothed experience of the same story, SD Perry‘s romanization does the job and then some.

Bruno expressed his approval in the attachment book’s preface: “The film was finished when I read the final novelization Virus. I was ecstatic. Here was the story as I had always imagined it. Through all the different drafts of the scripts. A seafaring tale with all the ideas (all the best ideas) wrapped up as a continuous story, right there on the page. I could take time to enjoy moments. Taste them. I could spend time with Foster, Steve or the captain at my own pace. (…) That’s why I’m so happy with the way (Stephani) Danelle Perry ended the story and expanded on the original idea. To fill in the gaps. She made it her own. The way I hoped it would be.”

Image: The Virus novelization by SD Perry.

The Tor books-published novelization was released in August 1998 to coincide with the film’s planned summer release. But plans changed, and Virus was pushed to October before finally ending in January ’99. The delay could have been due to the fact that Curtis’ more long-awaited horror picture, Halloween H20: 20 years laterwas scheduled a week before Virus’ original opening date. And perhaps bad buzz, after the initial postponement, led to the ultimate destination January, also known as a dumping month. Not everyone puts stock in dump months theory, however Virus’ abundance of negative reviews – Roger Ebert compared the film to the equally bad ones Deep Rising, and Variations Joe Leydon called it “derivative” – ​​only reinforces the concept.

Despite the film’s bad press, SD Perry’s literary companion is an enjoyable read that in part surpasses its celluloid counterpart. The part in question, of course, relates to the characters who came across as one-dimensional and underdeveloped on screen. Alternatively, Perry makes the cast more engaging. The story unfolds in much the same way as it does in Bruno’s version, although there are now bonus insights Starfish‘s motley crew as they fend off the metallic menace.

What Bruno and Feldman had originally planned for Foster and her shipmates in terms of characterization and background was salvaged from the cutting room floor and restored in the novel. Perry conjured up a proper – not to mention fear-inducing – journey before ever revealing the biomechanoids. Meanwhile, the author examined the interior of each Starfish crew member revealing their faults and innermost thoughts. Almost everyone in this mixed lot is as trying and disaffected as their screen counterparts, but now the source of that restlessness is transparent.

Image: The crew of Virus includes William Baldwin, Cliff Curtis, Sherman Augustus, Joanna Pacula and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The literary portrayal of Foster, the ostensible protagonist of Virushopes to make her own way after being known only as an admiral’s daughter. Or as Richie likes to call her, a “rich bitch”. Truth be told, the one Sea Star’s the navigator resents her privileged upbringing as much as those around her, and that bitterness comes through in Foster’s blatant defiance of authority. Especially when she and Captain Everton cross the chain of command. Then there’s Everton, no doubt an aggravating, sexist and con man, but he’s both haunted and dead by a failed marriage. The reminder of his unfaithful ex-wife is with him every day; she named it Starfishand he never bothered to change the name.

Surprisingly, the character that Perry explained the most was Hiko Alailima. This extensive detailing resulted in a decent sum of Maori culture and family history. And based on the significant spotlight she gave Hiko, it’s possible the writer was trying to avoid the “noble savage” problem that often occurs with characters like Apia, Hiko’s analog character in the comics. It is also worth noting how Hiko’s fate changed in the novel; unlike in the film, he survives along with Foster and Baker. This result was presumably due to Perry adapting an earlier version of the script, one of which continued with the “jump scare” that later became the film’s official ending.

Richie is another supporting character who gets more attention in the novel. Beyond his unequivocal affinity for marijuana, Richie’s decisive change of heart happens more organically as well as affectingly in the book. Hearing Foster and Nadia’s screams of terror in the distance, Richie stops to question his selfish actions; he reflects on the strange guilt that stirs within him. Perry was wise to then articulate this sudden internal conflict: “He hadn’t needed (Foster and Nadia), that was for sure. But maybe the needed him; maybe if he had stayed with them they wouldn’t be screaming right now.” The internal dialogue adds just the right weight to Richie’s typically off-putting character and makes his ultimate victim all the more emotional.

Image: Donald Sutherland’s Virus character Captain Everton meets the enemy.

Overall Virus novelization better depicts the ragtag quality of Starfish gang. This is an ensemble of misfits and lost souls who couldn’t cut it in normal life anymore. Foster was habitually noncompliant, Richie’s drug addiction got him booted from the Navy, Hiko never quite got over the loss of his parents, and Baker is commitment-phobic. But by airing everyone’s dirty laundry, Perry makes this cast more accessible. The simple thrills of humans clashing with the biomechanoids are undeniable, but now there’s more reason to root for them.

The main feature of Virusin any form, is its collection of cybernetic creatures. The novelization’s own brand of nightmare fuel is found in powerful surges; Perry was sickened by every dangerous encounter. For example, the draining eyesore that Richie and helmsman Woods (Marshall Bell on screen) spot early described as “alive, but it was only partially human. The rest was metal and wire, wires and circuits set in flesh that began to decay. It was a man, half his skull cleanly removed, the exposed brain glistening. Threads extended from the gelatinous mass and twisted behind the creature. (…) Cracked, dripping flesh hung from the skeletal fingers.” With such vivid descriptions, it is easier to imagine the unnatural horrors within Volkov.

Perry’s knack for gory detail aside, Bruno’s film remains the clear master when it comes to manifesting the monsters. The menagerie of Frankensteined mechanical freaks on display is being touted as the film’s only redeeming aspect – even the most disparaging critic couldn’t help but be in awe of Steve Johnson and XFX’s craftsmanship. And not to forget, Mayling Cheng’s immersive and impeccable production design also, and rightly so, comes up in the film’s reappraisals. Without Cheng’s efforts, the solid mix of practical and digital art, one that lifts Virus a notch or two on the scale of sheer entertainment, would have a less atmospheric place to unfold.

Universal invested a significant amount of time and money in Viruseven going so far as to give it the kind of ancillary products usually reserved for blockbusters. This included, on top of the novelization, a Europe-only video game and a range of toys. Needless to say, the film underperformed and was ripped to shreds by audiences, critics and later its own headliner. Jamie Lee Curtis has since said Virus is the “unbelievably bad movie” she whips up when actors compare their worst projects ever. So there are indeed shortcomings; from the writing to the characters, they are always present. Fans of horror and sci-fi pulp, however, can still admire the loud and flashy delivery, the array of special effects, and perhaps most of all, unique creature designs that have only gotten creepier with time.

Image: Jamie Lee Curtis’ Virus the character Foster tries to escape Goliath.