Deranged psychopathic cyborg serial killer SID is trapped within the matrix. However, he manages to escape and when he enters the real world he continues his killings, but this time they are for real. It seems the only person that can stop him is convicted ex-police officer Parker Barnes; Barnes is conditionally released and is offered immunity if he is able to stop SID, but if Parker fails he'll find himself back in the box....
Is it just me or did this feel very much like Demolition Man? A maniac is released into a society that cannot deal with him and one police officer is sent to stop him as he is 'the only one capable of doing so.' This isn't necessarily a problem as despite some flaws Demolition Man was fun and was constantly winking at the audience whereas the same doesn't really happen in Virtuosity.
Whilst Virtuosity has a campy vibe to it it's not really a lot of fun to watch, nor does it have much in the way of tension. Many of the cast take things way too seriously and behave as though they are appearing in something worthy of an Oscar. I get that Denzel has to play things seriously due to what happened to his family and the assignment that he's been given, but Stallone had the same emotional baggage in Demolition Man and he still managed to knock out some humourous one liners and some amusing exchanges with Snipes. You don't get any of that here resulting in a fairly dull chase picture without a shred of good dialogue and one that doesn't even benefit from a particularly good or memorable ending. Some of the supporting cast aren't much better with the likes of William Fichtner being wasted by being given nothing to do and Kelly Lynch spending most of the film wandering round with a blank look on her face adding absolutely nothing to the film. Even the special effects look cheap and lame (and I'm trying to be objective and look at them from a mid 90's standpoint as opposed to a modern day standpoint) and I still think they look poor.
In all honesty, I think, had it not been for Russell Crowe's efforts, Virtuosity would be pretty much unwatchable, but he gives such a hammy over-the-top performance that it's hard not to smile at least a little when he is on screen. Is he scary or particularly menacing? Not really, but at least he seems to buy into the nonsense that is this film and has a good time.
Whilst good for a few (presumably unintentional laughs) Virtuosity is a pretty dull thriller that is only enlivened from time to time via Crowe's energetic performance. It does come close to almost being so bad that it's good, but the key word here is ALMOST.
DISHONOURABLE MENTION; Barnes crashing in to the back of another cop car for no reason.
Is it just me or did this feel very much like Demolition Man? A maniac is released into a society that cannot deal with him and one police officer is sent to stop him as he is 'the only one capable of doing so.' This isn't necessarily a problem as despite some flaws Demolition Man was fun and was constantly winking at the audience whereas the same doesn't really happen in Virtuosity.
Whilst Virtuosity has a campy vibe to it it's not really a lot of fun to watch, nor does it have much in the way of tension. Many of the cast take things way too seriously and behave as though they are appearing in something worthy of an Oscar. I get that Denzel has to play things seriously due to what happened to his family and the assignment that he's been given, but Stallone had the same emotional baggage in Demolition Man and he still managed to knock out some humourous one liners and some amusing exchanges with Snipes. You don't get any of that here resulting in a fairly dull chase picture without a shred of good dialogue and one that doesn't even benefit from a particularly good or memorable ending. Some of the supporting cast aren't much better with the likes of William Fichtner being wasted by being given nothing to do and Kelly Lynch spending most of the film wandering round with a blank look on her face adding absolutely nothing to the film. Even the special effects look cheap and lame (and I'm trying to be objective and look at them from a mid 90's standpoint as opposed to a modern day standpoint) and I still think they look poor.
In all honesty, I think, had it not been for Russell Crowe's efforts, Virtuosity would be pretty much unwatchable, but he gives such a hammy over-the-top performance that it's hard not to smile at least a little when he is on screen. Is he scary or particularly menacing? Not really, but at least he seems to buy into the nonsense that is this film and has a good time.
Whilst good for a few (presumably unintentional laughs) Virtuosity is a pretty dull thriller that is only enlivened from time to time via Crowe's energetic performance. It does come close to almost being so bad that it's good, but the key word here is ALMOST.
DISHONOURABLE MENTION; Barnes crashing in to the back of another cop car for no reason.