Plague

most of the people who comment on this film just don't get it. they don't appreciate it for the low budget gem that it is. "gemini strain" makes an excellent companion piece to the original "andromeda strain." "andromeda" is quality "a" filmaking, a full-budgeted production helmed by a major director (robert wise). as such, it's one of the best and most interesting pictures released by a major studio during the seventies. "gemini," on the other hand, is a down-and-dirty, low budget Canadian tax shelter flick. as a result it's grungier, grime-ier, and more "realistic" in a banal way. neither film is "better" than the other. each one represents a different approach to similar material. each deserves to be appreciated on its own merits. (i'm not going to give the film a numerical rating. film is too subtle and nuanced a medium to be quantified on a one to ten basis.)

Scientists develop a bacteria that could boost nitrogen levels in plants, thus increasing food production. Unfortunately, human error (aka: idiocy) causes a leak, resulting in the titular catastrophe. In no time, people are violently convulsing their way to their deaths.

PLAGUE is a Canadian horror-sci-fi / disaster film that bears a passing resemblance to earlier "infection" movies from David Cronenberg, especially his film RABID. There's even a young woman on the run after breaking quarantine, ala Marilyn Chambers' character in RABID.

There are also elements similar to THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, not in substance, but in atmosphere. This is rather interesting, since Kate Reid plays about the same role here that she played in that film!

Still, PLAGUE isn't bad on its own merit. It's a fairly low budget production, with a boom mic visible a few times and the sign for the research facility flapping in the breeze. The acting is adequate, but a bit stiff in places. Overall, not a total waste of time...

In my actual job (unfortunately, writing user-comments here on IMDb isn't my job), yours truly is active in the safety & prevention department of large multinational. Most of my job exists of investigating incidents, determining root causes and develop learnings. Why this piece of seemingly irrelevant and personal information? Well, solely to be able to claim that the events unfolding in "Plague" follow a certain pattern that is very typical for harsh and large-scaled incidents. And, even though fictional and seemingly far-fetched and surreal, the plot is reasonable accurate not as outdated as you might think...

Everybody is familiar with the principle of "Murphy's Law", right? Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Within the fine profession of incident investigation, there exists a similar theory called the "Swiss Cheese Model". Explained as simply as possible: each process or mechanism has a series of protective barriers and built-in preventive measures to ensure that, in the event or a calamity, serious or even disastrous consequences are avoided. But, as in Murphy's Law, you'll always see that these barriers can and will fail when you need them most. And, to make matters worse, multiple barriers will fail at the same time and the hazard will always find a way through the mazes of the net. To visualize it: the hazard always finds a new hole in the Swiss cheese through which it can pass.

Why is this relevant in the context of a review for a cheap & cheesy late-70s horror flick like "Plague"? Well, to illustrate the plot of the film is not that exaggeratedly far-fetched. Unlikely things happen and usually solid barriers do fail. The ventilation pipes of air-conditioning systems will inexplicably blow in the opposite direction. Carriers of a virus will sadly be the ones to escape from quarantine. People that usually wear hygienic gloves to prepare sandwiches will exceptionally not wear them on the fatal day the should, etc. It's the painful truth of Murphy's Law or the Swiss-Cheese model. In many reviews, even by acclaimed critics, I noticed these plot elements being referred to as dire clichés, but they are truthful.

There are two eras to look at film titles like "Plague", or at better and more known movies of the same type, like "The China Syndrome" or "Outbreak". There's pre-Covid and post-Covid. Nobody really believed scenarios like these were realistic in pre-Covid times, but we're not so sure anymore now. Even in this low-budgeted and practically forgotten 1979 flick, there are sequences where newscasters spread messages like "stay inside your house" and "avoid contact with other people as much as possible". Those warnings have an entirely different impact now, after the year 2020, than they had in 1979.

Even purely talking in terms of entertainment and horror/cult value. I enjoyed "Plague". True, it's extremely slow-paced and overly talkative, but writer/director Ed Hunt manages to maintain an uncomfortable atmosphere of fear and tension throughout. The footage of dying school children, violent riots between militaries and ordinary petrified people trying to leave the city to save themselves, or infected scientists locking themselves inside their laboratories to prevent further spreading of a virus are unsettling. The fairly unknown (to me, at least) cast members give believable performances and the minimal use of music and noises (like chiming bells) are effective. On a more personal note, I'm also a follower of the curious director Ed Hunt. He made one of my favorite early 80 horror flicks, with the uniquely original and creepy "Bloody Birthday", but also two of the worst - but nevertheless amusing - Sci-Fi/horror flicks with "Starship Invasions" and "The Brain". In terms of quality and amusement value "Plague" neatly ranks in the middle of his oeuvre.

Contary to the opinion of one reviewer of this film, it is NOT the worst film ever made, far from it. It may not be the best either but there are countless worse ones out there. Check out 'Ransom Runner' for example, that is a stinker by anyone's standards.

I quite like the low key documentary feel of this film, far less sensational than a film like 'Outbreak,' this rather prosaic style is probably the more realistic way it would be in real life. As the saying goes, the world ends with a whimper and not a bang.

In it's own way this is quite an effective little thriller along the lines of the old BBC television series from the 1970's, the 'Surviours.' And as another fellow reviewer points out, also somewhat contemporary now with the threat of 'bird flu.' Or indeed, other fearful epidemics like MRSA or even the constant threat of AIDS. Although, this was made before any of these awful diseases were known.

The acting is nothing to write home about and is standard at best, although, the actress playing Jessica, shines as a sardonic secretary.

While not in the same class as films such as 'Outbreak' or '28 Days Later' or even 'The Satan Bug,' which use the same end-of-the-world plot line, this passes the time and holds the attention to the end. Also interesting is the final reward to the two people who help save the world.

I mean, there is even a newscaster telling the public to stay at home and avoid contact with other people! Anyway, "Plague" is an attempt to make a disaster movie with no real budget to speak of; it is very drably shot, photographed, directed and acted, but its bare-bones, no-frills, minimalist approach is occasionally effective. ** out of 4.