Movies
I remembered this as a rather serious take on the outbreak of a dangerous pandemic, clearly I was wrong. Petersen's film is a kitsch mix of action, deceit and just-in-time saves. It's really the battle of one asshole virologist against the American army, with the outbreak being little more than a footnote. The US is keeping a lethal virus strain behind closed doors, hoping to weaponize it when the time is right. A monkey shipped from Africa to the US is about to mess up their plans. It carries the virus and infects the people of Cedar Creek. Within no time, the little village is a hotbed for the virus. Hoffman is more than a little annoying, though part of that is just his character. The action scenes are too cheesy, the Hollywood bloat is considerable, and the second half is a bit of a disappointment. That said, the spread of the epidemic is well covered and COVID-19 still plaguing our planet does give this film an extra dimension. Not great, somewhat amusing.Read all
