The Paradise Virus (2003) starring Lorenzo Lamas, Melody Thomas Scott, Ralf Moeller, David Millbern directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith Movie Review

The Paradise Virus (2003)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Lorenzo Lamas and Melody Thomas Scott in The Paradise Virus (2003)

A Contagion Holiday

Micro-biology professor Linda Flemming (Melody Thomas Scott) and her teenage son Will (Gregory Wooddell) are vacationing at the topical island hotel owned by Paul Johnson (Lorenzo Lamas) and his daughter Kathy (Kristen Honey). But on their first day there they come across a seriously sick man and Joseph (Ralf Moeller) the local religious man who pushes Linda to one side and carries the man away. Fearing the worst Linda is convinced there is a severe viral outbreak on the island which needs dealing with now despite Joseph's refusal to let her help.

I always try to find something positive to say about a movie but when the best I can come up with is at least it wasn't shot on an old home movie camera it doesn't say much for the movie. That is about as positive as I can get when it comes to "The Paradise Virus" a made for TV virus movie which has a simple script, simple performances, simple characters and simple effects which simply doesn't add up to much when it comes to tension and drama. It is right off the bat one of those movies made for a certain audience who don't what realism, too much grit or anything which will demand their undivided attention.

Jessica Steen in The Paradise Virus (2003)

What that means is that we have the coincidence of a virus expert on an island where a virus outbreak is going on, the widowed hotel owner ends up not only becoming romantically involved but helping her to try and get to the root of it all whilst the local holy man doesn't want anyone's interference despite being ill himself. And just for good measure out side sources become involved which leads to problems. As I said this is for an audience who want easy watching and as such everything is telegraphed, horror aspects are skipped over and the need for realistic consistency comes a long way down the list.

What comes quite near to the top of the list in "The Paradise Virus" is the appealing nature of the cast and the likes of Melody Thomas Scott, Kristen Honey and Lorenzo Lamas have a certain easy going appeal about them. But as I said their characters are of the slim variety which means it doesn't even take 24 hours for you to forget them.

What this all boils down to is that "The Paradise Virus" is your simplified contagion movie made for a TV audience who don't want to have to concentrate too much on what they watch to follow it.


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