A Laughably Bad Sci-Fi Horror Flop Rustles up Some Overdue Praise

Even bad movies need love, too, even those which have long since been lost to the sands of time for a multitude of very good reasons. To underline that notion, if a $75 million sci-fi horror with Jamie Lee Curtis in the lead role was to be released today, then there’s a strong chance it would be a massive hit. Back in 1999, though, Virus was anything but.

A critical and commercial disaster of epic proportions, the existential intergalactic nightmare limped to a measly box office haul of just $31 million, while respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of only 12 and 22 percent from critics and crowds – the latter coming from upwards of 10,000 votes – proves that its reputation has not improved over time.

And yet, even when it comes to the bottom of the cinematic barrel, you can always rely on virtually any widely-trashed feature to boast at least a handful of vociferous supporters, and today is the day the Virus appreciation society comes out to play. On Reddit, in amongst the admissions that it’s not a good film by any stretch, praise has been directed at its enjoyably cheesy nature, and some of the practical effects that are vastly superior to the questionably digital domains that scream late 90s at the top of their lungs.

Virus finds Donald Sutherland and his motley crew of cosmic seamen venture upon a deserted ship, which they’re hoping can be sold for a healthy profit. Naturally, there’s a sole survivor who intones ominous warnings about what could potentially happen, which are then proven 100 percent accurate when a malevolent alien begins murdering them one by one, forcing Curtis’ navigator to try and get the survivors to safety.

Unloved, overlooked, and forgotten, Virus has at long last managed to rustle up some overdue appreciation.