KnotStronger
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Jenna Walter
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Allison Davies
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
This movie had potential, especially since it took place during the early stages of an infection that would affect many people.But the movie ultimately failed to cash in on its potential, and ended up being a mediocre movie that somehow felt like an attempt of mixing the zombie genre with elements from "The Strain".It should be mentioned that "Viral" does have good acting performances from a good cast. And the movie also has good special effects and CGI effects.But the movie was just suffering from being too generic and predictable. And the ending to the story was a slap to the face with a cold fish."Viral" offers nothing of any interest, and if you are a seasoned horror fan, like I am, then you are better off finding something else to watch because "Viral" is not all that interesting.
The Couchpotatoes
It seems to be that Viral brings very different opinions on IMDb. From reviewers that hated it to people that did like it. You can count me in the positive reviewers. It wasn't bad at all. Yes it is yet another pandemic movie about a virus in a form of a strange black worm that hosts your body. Those kind of movies have been done before but still it's enjoyable to watch. I would just added a bit more action to it to make it better. The acting wasn't bad considering there are a lot of teenagers in it, and that's rarely the occasion when it's this way. Okay they have a stupid behavior but that's like in real life, to me almost all adolescents act stupid and immature. So in conclusion I would say the story wasn't bad, the special effects were minor but okay, and the acting was certainly not terrible. Maybe not the best viral disease outbreak movie that has been done but still worth a watch.
TdSmth5
During the intro credits we lean there's some kind of viral outbreak. Then we meet sweet high-schooler Emma. Her sister Stacey is something of a pain. Their dad teaches biology at their school. The mom is out of town, but there may be some marriage problems.It's not long before the infection spreads to their small California town. Emma's best friend of course the first to fall ill. The infected appear dead but then reawaken and spit/vomit in the faces of others, that's how the disease spreads.Authorities impose a curfew but what do the stupid kids do but go to a party. Of course eventually a zombie crashes the party and infects most people including Stacey, who of course doesn't tell anyone. Once Emma finds out she does research and decides she can cure Stacey. Because it turns out the infection isn't virus-related but stems from a multicellular parasite. So all she has to do is remove the parasite which nests itself in the back of the neck. The dad by then is long gone because he's stuck on the other side of the quarantine. The kids also try to drive through the military blockade, which doesn't quite work. Then there are forced evacuations but of course Emma can't leave her zombie sister. Eventually authorities step up their measures and the kids will have to find a way to survive.Viral comes across as a mild PG-13 teen zombie drama. But it's rated R for some reason. It's not much of a horror movie either as there aren't a whole lot of zombie attacks. The movie focuses nearly 100% of the time on the Emma character. Good thing that Sofia Black is lovely. But it doesn't make for a particularly exciting movie because there is no other perspective. At least the interaction between the two sisters seems real and is very entertaining. Not sure why it took 2 directors to direct this when there is no other vantage point but seeing what Emma is doing. Overall, Viral is an alright movie for teens that could have been much better had they taken advantage of the R rating.
omendata
I originally gave this film a 6 but watched it again last night and upped it to 7.Its really a very good end of times / alien takeover movie. The photography is lush and reminiscent of the old days of Technicolor , acting is pretty decent, music is good and the special effects are really pretty gross out and convincing.As low budget horror scifi goes its actually a really good effort and well worth a rental.Was it an alien takeover or just a parasite never seen before on earth hmmm? - we will never know but the fact the contaminated all gathered to commune suggest intelligence of perhaps alien connotations in my mind which gives the film another hook for the viewer.Splendid entertainment and if it impresses my brother who is a real hardcore scifi horror fan then it must be hot half bad!
