Virus movie review: A hard-hitting masterpiece blended to perfection by Aashiq Abu and team

'Virus', one of the most anticipated Malayalam movies of the year, finally graced the big screens on June 7. The film has been ruling the headlines since the date of its announcement, and after the recently released trailer, expectations surrounding this flick reached sky high. It should be noted that this Aashiq Abu directorial is a survival thriller, and it portrays some real-life incidents which happened in Kerala last year when Nipah virus started killing humans with full fury. Interestingly, the film reached theatres at a time when Kerala is once again facing the threat of Nipah virus.

Loaded with an ensemble star cast, 'Virus' features Kunchakko Boban, Asif Ali, Tovino Thomas, Parvathy Thiruvoth, Revathy, Rima Kallingal, Rahman, Indrajith Sukumaran, Joju George, Indrans, Soubin Shahir, and Remya Nambeeshan in lead roles.

Please scroll down to read our genuine and unbiased review of 'Virus'.

A tale of survival

The film showcases some real-life incidents which happened in Kozhikode during the Nipah outbreak in 2018. In the initial moments itself, director Aashiq Abu loudly proclaimed that he has made this movie after doing so much research. The first half of the film primarily concentrated on the beginning of the Nipah outbreak, and the fear it spread among the people in the area.

There are some fine moments in the first half, and it includes a scene where Tovino Thomas who plays the role of the district collector talking to Ambulance drivers who were hesitant to drive vehicles due to the fear of getting infected. Even though the first half ended in a very interesting note, the second half failed to keep up the momentum.

In the second half, the director seems a little clueless on what he was doing and at times, the script derailed from his hands. However, when the film neared the climax, Aashiq Abu once again showed his magical filmmaking skills, and the climax speech delivered by Revathy gave goosebumps to the audiences.

Technical side

'Virus' can be considered as one of the most technically sound films ever produced in the history of Malayalam film industry. The cinematography handled by Rajeev Ravi and Shyju Khalid seems top notch, and the music composed by Sushin Shyam was mind-blowing. The editing was crisp, but the film would have been much more enjoyable if Saiju Sreedharan trimmed some of the unwanted scenes in the second half.

Aashiq Abu as a director deserves full mark for crafting the first half of the movie in such an engrossing manner. In the second half, the film lacked cinematic elements, and at times, it felt like a documentary. The fake note sequence in the climax sequence could have been avoided, as it had nothing to do with the storyline.

Aashiq Abu has also tried to convey his political ideologies in this movie by portraying a team of central government health experts under a bad light.

Performances

All the actors have given their best in the movie. Tovino Thomas and Kunchakko Boban had more screen space in the movie when compared to other stars, and both of them did full justice to their roles. Parvathy Thiruvoth, as usual, was excellent, and Revathy once again delivered a breathtaking performance on screen. However, the surprise package in this movie was the character played by Sreenath Bhasi. The actor shined in the role of a junior doctor and is undoubtedly the show stealer in this film.

Final verdict

'Virus' is a story of survival. Even though there are a few flaws in the second half, this film will make you realize what had happened in those crucial days when fear loomed an entire district in Kerala.