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This film centers on a virus that is made by the American military and then stolen by the East Germans. On the flight from East Germany to Zurich the plane crashes which releases the virus into the atmosphere resulting in a devastating world-wild contagion. Although incredibly deadly the virus has one major flaw in that it goes dormant in freezing conditions. As a result, the people living in Antarctica are saved from its contamination provided they don't allow any infected people from the outside world in. So over 850 men and 8 women are essentially cut off from everybody else. At any rate, this is a decent post-apocalyptic film with an all-star cast. Unfortunately, except for a very few actors, none of them had the allocated screen time to really establish themselves and develop their characters. This gave the film a "paint-by-numbers" feel which I thought damaged the overall effect. Additionally, from what I understand there is a long version of this movie available which is supposedly much better than the shorter version I happened to view. If that is the case then that probably explains some of the scenes which looked like they had been cut which contributed to the choppy effect I described earlier. In any case, while the 108 minute version is okay it might be better to obtain the longer version if possible--if for no other reason than the fact that the story might flow a bit more smoothly and the actors can showcase their talents a bit more.

I saw the European/US one and half hour release and that version justifies the relatively low rating, however, the full length (Japanese version?) has much more depth in which the whole story falls into it's correct place. Though it is more than two hours long every scene contributes to the story. This in contrast to contemporary films where often at least an hour or so can be edited out because they contribute nothing to the plot.

I was also surprised by the beautiful scenery while most of the movie was shot on location (Antarctica), they even used real submarines on location. It gives the movie so much more realism depth and atmosphere than the boring CGI graphics the use nowadays.

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

An experimental 'weaponised' virus that binds to other disease-causing organisms and both increases their rate of reproduction and magnifies their virulence/immune resistance threatens to exterminate all animal life on Earth. As the virus becomes inert at sub-zero temperatures, humanity's only hope may lie in survivors isolated in Antarctic research stations. As pestilence-apocalyptic dramas go, 'Virus' is pretty good although the perniciousness of the titular biological-agent is a bit contrived and, by the 'third act', the story degenerates into extreme implausibility. In an attempt to produce a big-budget 'event' film with markets in both Japan and America, producer Haruki Kadokawa cast a large team of Japanese and American 'B+-list' movie/TV stars (Sonny Chiba, Chuck Conners, Glen Ford among others) and recruited the Chilean and Canadian navies to assist with the submarine shots. The cinematography, especially in the Antarctic is excellent, as are the gruesome post-apocalyptic scenes (the gratuitous and contrived 'second apocalypse' is less convincing). The acting is adequate for the story although there is some excessive emoting in the Oval Office and a lot of clichéd posturing in the pivotal 'espionage' sequence. I watched the full length (156 min.) version on TUBI* that includes prolonged sections of Japanese dialogue (not subtitled and I was not given a 'captions' option). I could still follow the story but using 'Google translate' to read the Japanese on-screen text was useful. By most accounts, despite being overly long and an awkward mix of languages (at least for me), the full-length version is superior. Like other 'medical disaster' films, 'Virus' got a lot of views during the covid outbreak. *TUBI also has the truncated and subtitled 108 min. 'American' version.

I just purchased a used copy of the Sonny Chilba Action Pack which includes the uncut Japanese 156m version of the film. By far the best transfer of the film to a media that I have seen thus far. This version is extremely better than the edited US version. Every bit worth the money spent to acquire it. Looks like it is presented in 1:1.85 aspect and not grainy. The cut Japanese scenes bring a better viewing experience to fans of this film like me. There are English subtitles where needed. The scene that prompted me to post this on here was a scene where the Japanese Antarctic team get a radio signal from a 5 year old American child unable to operate a radio correctly. VIRUS is one of my favorite movies about the end of the world.

The best disaster movie you will never see. If you can get the Japanese cut, it has almost an extra hour, which I imagine probably gave a lot more depth to the film, just a guess. The American version I did get my hands on was pretty good on it's own....(read more) This is not really a movie about saving the world so much as surviving the numerous apocalypses the world can throw at you, even after the entire world population dies at the hands of a super virus, those surviving in Artic research stations(the virus cannot survive the cold) some 8880 men and 8 women(the scene where the women address how 1 on 1 "relationships" are going to be impossible, is one of the most genuine, poignant, and unique in the film, the Apocalypse doesn't hit home till you realize there's 8000 horny scientists, crawling over each other to play Adam and eve, those not-if-you-were- the-last-man-on-earth scenarios horribly reversed.), still have to deal with the fact that both the Russian and American automatic nuclear missile systems are still in operation, and a coming earthquake is liable to force them to launch, one of which is pointed at the Antartic research station. So two men on foot, one Japanese and one American take a trip to DC, to turn off the machine. A lot of the save the world stuff takes place in the last 20 minutes, the rest is all death and survival.

This was at the time of it's release the most expensive Japanese film ever made, and it shows, as we get scenes from Germany, Japan, America, and yes the Antartic, real submarines too. If you sat through "Outbreak", "The Day After Tomorrow", and many of the now numerous end of the world films, this wont be anything too new, there are some scenes which are undeniably cheesy(the "walk" at the end).

However, because I've got a U.S. cut, and U.S. cuts, as a rule of thumb, are generally dumbed down and streamlined, sad but true. So I don't know how to give an accurate review, this movie as it is at the 108 minutes I saw it, was decent with a fair serving of 80's cheese, I have a feeling though with a little more time, this might have felt as epic and grand as it intimates in it's best moments. "Virus" is also a terrible title for this film as well, which has little to do with virus', or bacteriology, it's a good global destruction movie, "The End" is a much better fitting moniker. Director would go on to later success with "Battle Royale".

Note: I picked this movie up because it get's referenced a lot in Junot Diaz's "The Brief And Wonderous Life Of Oscar Wao" as the title characters favorite film, and in the right context I can see why.

I have always loved this movie since I first saw it in the eighties but have been stuck with the shorter (105 or 115 minute)American versions. I finally found a full, 156 minute, version last year and it really makes a difference. As is the case with most Japanese movies edited for America, from Gojira to the present, they have a tendency to take out the poignant parts and edit so that some of the original plot points are completely lost. Here you gain more scenes at the Japanese base camp with them dealing with the loss of their families back home and a really powerful scene when they contact a young American boy by short-wave that has lost his parents. There are also more scenery-chewing scenes with some of the leads, especially with Henry Silva going way over the top. If you like the movie, this version is definitely worth looking for.

No, this isn't the one with Jamie Lee Curtis. VIRUS (1980) does illustrate the effects of a global catastrophe in frightening levels, yet despite the big budget of a Japanese movie, it lacks the kind of rage that we must strongly accept. The production values are still the same as with these crusty old late-night movies, but there is a premise to be understood here. We first look at the horrifying images of worldwide cities under panic and frustration over "germ warfare", and how the governments try to deal with the problem quickly. But until reaching halfway, the movie falters as the point of interest suddenly becomes lost. The big name cast, including an early entry by Edward James Olmos, is more confusing than wasted. As an alternative to movies like TESTAMENT, it is true about how human life is a best-kept thing to behold. VIRUS dramatically sets the stage for possible future calamities. A better script would help, though.

Up to 1980, "Fukkatsu no hi" ("Virus: The End") was the most expensive Japanese production ever made. Amazingly, despite all the money they poured into the film and all the American actors they hired as leads, the film never was able to secure a release in movie theaters...and you would have thought they would have worked this out before pouring all that money into the film. It was finally released direct to pay TV in an edited form. How long the original movie was, I have no idea...nor do I know if it was a good movie or not as all we have now is the 108 minute version I found on YouTube.

This film is a very depressing movie in which a worldwide virus kills just about everyone. However, a large group of survivors are in isolation in Antarctica...with about 850 men and only 8 women...a depressing ratio! Most of this film consists of life on this base and folks watching to see if anyone on the rest of the planet has survived as well as to see if they can find a cure.

Considering the COVID-19 outbreak, choosing to watch this film now is not recommended! I also would not recommend the movie to anyone who is suffering with depression, as it easily could make it a lot worse! Yes, this is NOT a fun film to watch.

Despite being depressing, is the film any good? Well, it does succeed at seeming quite realistic and the story is unusual and riveting. On the other hand, the Japanese actors in the film were problematic, as many had a poor command of English and the film did not caption them when they were speaking anything other than Japanese. Overall, an interesting premise, a very depressing film and, somehow, also a bit dull at the same time!

It was 17 years ago (1983) that I watched this movie as a new release in Guadalajara, Mexico. I was 15 years old and I still remember it well. That is how much it moved me.

What if a man made military virus killed off the world except for the coldest place on Mother Earth? What if (at the height of the Cold War) Cold War enemies had to team up to survive? What if the few hundred men and women left in the world had to procreate mankind? Further (and what makes me remember this movie), how do they handle a new threat to their lives?

I strongly recommend this movie.

The little known, seldom heard of film known here as 'Virus' hit the UK shores on DVD in my local supermarket bargain bin for the grand total of three quid.

I took a chance and bought it…..

Actually this is surprisingly a very good story with an impressive cast list that must have been desperate for the cash although Chuck Connors as a British Royal Navy Captain does take a bit of getting used to! The story line is a well thought out scenario carefully planned and I am wondering what extra interest lurked in the reportedly missing 40 or so minutes of the full Japanese edit.

It was a pity therefore that this effectively straight to video effort was let down by some really bad editing, poor picture quality, duff soundtrack, too many stock images of icebergs and cities and an occasional bit of duff dialogue.

It does however keep running along nicely and unlike many examples of this genre, avoids getting bogged down in unnecessary scenes or throwaway dialogue with the possible exception of the rather bizarre ending.

With a bit of rewriting, some careful cast choices and a decent budget as well as modern effects, this excellent story could be remade to a standard of excellence that would put many of the big budget CGI laden super thrillers that seem to clog up cinemas these days to shame.

Now, is there a movie mogul prepared to take the gamble and put his cash on the line to give this story the proper treatment it deserves?

I suppose it is proper for the Japanese to make a film about a post apocalyptic world in which folks who were enemies had better learn to just get along. But it shouldn't have been such a shoddy one.

A number of occidental players were part of this project as well. A worldwide virus is out of control and decimating countries. Only at the South pole where a number of countries have scientific stations seems safe because the virus doesn't survive below the freezing mark.

But if that isn't enough a doomsday device that the USA and the Soviet Union threatens to go off. Just like Dr. Strangelove, that's got to be stopped.

A few familiar faces, Robert Vaughn, George Kennedy, Glenn Ford as the President of the USA and Chuck Connors most ludicrously cast as a British submarine commander. Connors doesn't even attempt an accent. It looks out of place and ridiculous.

Sincere story, horribly executed.

I saw the original one in cinema when it first came out in 1980 in Japan. Great adaptation of an original novel by Sakyo Komatsu. It was an epic of more than two hours, which shook my youthful soul with the power of love.

I was flabbergasted by how this epic was mutilated when I saw it again in video in USA. The one you can see in USA has no resemblance to the original version, where, I recall, much longer portion of the film was spent describing "the walk". Also all the episodes in Japan were omitted, so most of the Japanese characters in Antarctica made no sense. In a nutshell, the "American" version only talks about American people, so there is really only half the story left in the film. If you can get the original version, it is a very emotional film, 8/10. The "American" version is not worth anything, 4/10.

What's not to love about VIRUS? I bought the DVD (which supposedly features the 'director's cut') and discovered that I'd got the truncated American version, sighed and sat down to watch it anyway. For the next two hours I was caught up in an epic, world-wide story that never stalled or felt unconvincing for a second. This is a matter-of-fact tale of the apocalypse, showing what would really happen if a killer virus was unleashed upon the world's unsuspecting population.

The Japanese production values are top notch and in particular the post-apocalypse sequences are expertly staged: a desolate world indeed is built up after the calamity that unfolds. Following in the best 'disaster film' traditions, an all-star American cast delivers the goods, from a particularly affecting Glenn Ford as the doomed president to Robert Vaughn as his trustworthy adviser and Henry Silva as a war-mongering general. Add in Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Edward James Olmos, tough guy Bo Svenson and even a cameoing Sonny Chiba and you have pretty much the movie-lover's dream cast.

Of course, given that this is in reality a Japanese film, the acting honours really go to Masao Kusakari, playing an ordinary-guy scientist who undergoes tremendous ordeals and feats of bravery by the time the film ends. Kusakari is the film's real hero and he's never less than excellent. I enjoyed the way this movie explores the real-life consequences of such catastrophic events, such as what happens when eight women are shared between hundreds of men, and at some point I'll track down the full uncut version, which I suspect will be even better

This Japanese production has a lot going for it. Solid veteran actors to open the film such as Glenn Ford as the US President, and Robert Vaughn as his opposition Senator. The film is eerily like the events of 2020 and the Corona Virus, except it is the US, not China, that creates it. Unlike the Corona Virus, however, there is no vaccine to combat this deadly flu.

Only a small outpost in Antartica is immune to the virus because of its extremely low temperatures. The international community there unites to try and sustain some type of continuity in the world order. If this was not enough of a problem to deal with, the film also contains an accidental nuclear war as an additional burden.

I really do not believe anyone would have survived this virus, much less a nuclear war thrown in for good measure, but there is one funny element in the film; Chuck Conners as a British submarine captain! If you can buy that, then buying the rest of the film will be a piece of cake. Interesting to watch.

In this vision of the early 80's apocalypse films, the U.S. and Japanese co-produced an ambitious film called Virus. It was 1980, and it ran right around the time, Threads (1981) and the Day After (1983)came out. The scenario starts with a submarine surfacing following the reconnaissance of a drone looking for survivors in Paris in the aftermath of terrible plague. Most of the still living international personnel are safe in Antarctica, and are trying to cope with this inevitable Holocaust that ravages most of the world from Spring 83 to November.

In flashbacks, we see how a bio-weapon called MM-88 is passed on in a weapons deal in E.Germany, but in the midst of this transfer parties are slain. Around the same time, President Richardson(Glenn Ford) asserts the peace process with a Soviet Accord in 82', much to the chagrin of the military establishment, which is anxious to get funding for the ARS (automatic response system) which would give them the "Arms advantage necessary to contain the Soviets".

An accident takes place while the weapon is being flown over a mountainous region, accidentally releasing the genetically engineered super virus (Italian Flu) that rages through country after country. Just when things couldn't get any worse, a "fail-safe" retaliatory strike will be accidentally set off when an impending sea quake of about 8-9.0 hits the sea (which will be interpreted as a nuclear blast by the ARS system)

It had the usual disturbing images....the burning of piles of bodies, and the moral dilemmas of repopulating the world. The melancholy music score provides ambiance to the somber proceedings. The continuity is a little stilted because the Japanese version has some events from Japan's point of view added in. Bo Swenson is a hoot in surly "Walking Tall" mode through the film. Ford provides a embattled, stern but rational President, while Henry Silva hams it up as the "military lunatic" on the fringe. The location shots in what looks like Antarctica was pretty good. The production looked top-notch for its time. A pretty good apocalypse film, if you ignore the huge gap in logic towards the end. 5.7 out of 10

This was the most expensive Japanese film of the time. The film didn't get any USA booking and played straight to cable before landing to video. In fact, several public domain labels now carry the film, when the film actually have a copyright! I saw both version of the film, and I think the uncut version is the best. A deadly virus is loose and wipes out all the U.S. population except for a group of people in Arctic. Most of the Japanese plotline was edited out, making the early stage of the film choppy in the US version. In fact, the end was also changed. Good American and Japanese cast supported by Canadian cast. But several actors like Ken Ogata (of MISHIMA fame) and Sonny Chiba still had little to do in the long version of this film. So I suspect a longer print might have been made. There was reports that a big accident happen on the set back then and several crew was killed.