Pandemic Review

• 27th Apr 2011

Given the recent tsunami and resultant nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant, Japan has had its fair share of disasters. This zeitgeist disaster/sci-fi release (released directly to DVD/Blu-ray in the UK and Europe) seems to be spelling out “the end of the world is nigh” with the usual denouement that there is hope in the end. Made by Toho, who presented the world with the low budget cult Godzilla movies between the 50s and 70s, they are once again showing Japan under threat. Following the avian flu and H5N1 viruses with rolling news channels spreading fear that the end of the world was indeed nigh, this what-if disaster movie spells out the worst case scenario, for Japan at any rate, It tells us that the 3 million people killed during a spread of a particularly virulent virus seemed to affect only Japan.

At two hours and twenty minutes, the film is overlong and doesn’t have enough to keep the viewer interested. Some of the acting is very lame, particularly in the English speaking parts and despite some good production values and pretensions at big sci-fi disaster movies it lacks the set or show pieces of such films as Wolfgang Petersen’s Outbreak (1995). Except for some well put together shots of smoke filled and empty cities (due to the burning of bodies) most of the action takes place either in a hospital or the island from where the virus seemed to emanate from. The scenes of empty streets are suitably filmed in grey tones and the Blu-ray does bring those scenes to life. The hospital scenes also, for the most part have believability about them, as long winded and turgid as they may be. But this is where the film is deeply flawed. Aside from the varying degrees of bad acting, histrionics and sentimentality in the hospital scenes, these moments are ridiculously overlong and repetitive. I have to say this film had to have several sittings as I did find myself falling asleep through it – on several attempts.

Chris Hick