The Horror Show
Viral
by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
It’s no secret that I’m a rabid fan of fiction that involves the end of the world in some way, shape, or form whether it be zombies, viruses, nuclear destruction, or something else entirely. Every time I come across a film apocalyptic in nature (trust me, there are a ton) I take my chances on it. It’s about a fifty/fifty chance that the film will be good, and in the case of Viral, let’s just say the film is about fifty/fifty in and of itself.
Viral is more young-adult in nature, focusing on teenage sisters Emma (Sofia Black-D’Elia) and Stacey (Analeigh Tipton) as they deal with a serious outbreak rapidly spreading across the nation. Emma and Stacey’s parents are going through a rough time, so when the virus hits their town, it only adds insult to injury in their small yet dysfunctional family. None of the teens in the film seem to take the outbreak seriously, and that’s probably the most true to life part of the storyline. Most of the adults seem to be stuck on the other side of the quarantine so there is partying to be done, no time can be wasted on some silly outbreak! (At least that’s what the teenage version of myself would be saying.)
Unfortunately for these kids, though, the virus has already begun infecting people around them and it was only a matter of time until everyone at the party got exposed. Emma is soon faced with a tough decision when the virus hits closer to home than she’d ever anticipated. It’s a good thing she’s got her boy-toy neighbor by her side!
With a pretty simplified plot that lacks momentum, Viral wasn’t anything new or exciting for me. While the acting was good, the effects were executed well, and the overall production value was there, I just couldn’t find any one thing that really impressed me throughout this film. There were no unexpected plot points as everything in the storyline almost seemed dumbed down or outright handed to the viewer. The main character, Emma, never felt truly developed to me and I just didn’t see any real development with any of the other characters either. I also felt that the film didn’t know if it wanted to go for the “zombie” angle, so it decided to incorporate elements of other zombie fiction into a big blundering ball of infected human beings.
Personally, I love a good horror movie with an R rating, and IMDb slapped one on Viral, but this movie could have probably gotten away with a PG-13 and should have been marketed to a younger audience. If I had gone into this film with lower expectations, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. Like I stated at the beginning of this review, Viral is about a fifty/fifty for me. It isn’t bad, but it sure isn’t anything impressive.
Stevie Kopas
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