Antiviral - Review

Syd March is a clinic worker who sells live infection samples from celebrities to obsessed fans. March also sells illegal samples to make money on the side by smuggling the infections through his own bloodstream. He learns a harsh lesson when he infects himself with an engineered killer in Antiviral.


I had seen a lot on Antiviral because I read a lot of horror news and try to keep tabs on independent film. I became extremely intrigued when I saw the first trailer a few months back and now that it is streaming on Netflix, I decided to give it a whirl. Not only does it appear that Brandon Cronenberg knows what he is doing, but that he has a lot in common with his father.

I thought Antiviral was very solid and beautifully shot. It was suspenseful, had a lot of twists, and had an interesting concept. The idea of obsessed fans paying to infect themselves with celebrity viruses is just out there but somehow it worked.
As far as acting goes, I thought everyone did a fantastic job. Caleb Landry Jones (Syd March) was very impressive and it was a real different turn from playing Banshee in X-Men: First Class and the weird brother in The Last Exorcism. And just to say, whenever I see Sarah Gadon I think it is Evan Rachel Wood, but aside from that she played her part of the dying superstar quite well.
The cinematography and plot went hand in hand and I loved both. The shots were gorgeous and the overall tone was well played. I liked how they portrayed the future as realistic in terms of technology and overall celebrity sensationalism. Granted I don't think we will ever get to the point of paying to be sick or celebrities openly admitting to diseases and selling them, but that might just be me.

I don't want to give too much away, but I would definitely recommend giving this one a try. It is a little out there and it takes a bit to get started, but it has a point and it does eventually get there. One plus is I didn't have one moment where I felt bored. I was intrigued and kept on edge through it all. Very well done.