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Infected

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Infected (Adam Weissman, 2008)

Please explain to me why on earth someone tabbed Adam Weissman, whose directorial efforts previous to this were centered on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel (iCarly, Drake and Josh, All That, etc.), to direct a Sci-Fi Original Movie. Was Tibor Takacs not free? Was Uwe Boll not answering his calls? Had Timo Rose gone out to lunch with his wife? Because judging by the cast list here, either the producers weren't hurting for funds or a surprising number of otherwise decent actors were. I get the feeling this is one of those movies that didn't start life as a Sci-Fi Channel Original, but got picked up on the cheap when no other studio would distribute. (Or maybe I think that just because I actually rented it, instead of watching it on what is now Syfy. Don't know.)

In any case, the painful plot has to do with aliens who want to use Earth's population as a food source, and a couple of intrepid journalists, Ben (Gil Bellows, probably best-remembered for the TV series Ally McBeal) and Lisa (Canadian actress Maxim Roy, currently appearing in Defying Gravity), who of course happen to be exes, because that's an integral part of any B-movie on Syfy. They're lorded over by Carla Plume (Isabella Rossellini, showing how far the mighty can fall), an editor with a heart of gold. Ben handles the crank page ("The Mystery of Science", oh yeah), while Lisa has gone on to bigger and better things. One of those bigger and better things hits her doorstep when an eco-terrorist calls her and sends her to the local Fed building, where he shoots the mayor and then grabs a blood sample that turns out to be jet black. Lisa and Ben have to figure out how to get the sample analyzed and get the word out before they're hunted down by the many humans in town who are already converts to the bugs' way of life. Etc.

How many times have you seen this movie before? I won't say it's been better every time, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a worse example. Oh, and did I mention Judd Nelson's in here, too? Granted, it's been twenty years since he made a good movie, but still. This? This is terrible. You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. I would, but then I have no morals. * ½

What I remember about this movie, which I watched a couple months ago, is that it is not a "formula" thriller. In particular, just when you think the Good Guy has a plan, the plot leaves the well-worn Hollywood rails when, basically, his plan doesn't work.

Another piece of artistic flair is the name of the movie itself. It doesn't refer to the obvious "bodysnatchers" central theme, but rather, the Bad Guy claims that *knowledge* is an infection that could spread and must be contained at all costs -- knowledge of his plot, that is. Shades of "the pen is mightier than the sword" and all that.

The science behind the sci-fi had its corny and disbelievable points, but is not as bad in that regard and many movies, and not to the point of detracting from the action.

Scy fy has released many bad sci fi flicks over the years. And some great tv series and some great movies and mini series that are just excellent. This b movie is a average one that is filled with good actors and a average plot.
The efffects here and far better than many scy fy channel movies too. In fact I would grade this as very good cgi effects wise for 2008. It holds it's own with some bigger budget flicks in that regard completely. The worms eating their way out of victims is impressive usually. The alien creatures are effectively cgi'd as well. NOone has anything to be ashamed of working in this flick. Isabella Rosalinni is in a small role and does a great job as usual. Gil bellows is a decent leading man too, Judd nelson is excellent in his small role too. The man's career is now in the smallest of roles I guess, which is a shame, in spite of the terrible long hair style here he's deserving of making tv movies where he's at least the main sidekick. THis is one of the scy fy channels better movies , in fact I think they make way to many movies at the expense of the excellent tv series. I mean 'whatehouse 13' only gets 13 eps, if they would make less movies they could afford more tv eps and wouldn't have cancelled all the 'stargate' shows. Oh well, this is a b movie in which aliens want to do no good and the plot is DIFFERENT than many aliens on the loose movies so that's another plus. I would say that no sci fi fan of the last decades made for tv (scy fy) b movies should be unhappy with this movie. the picture is good as it's a new movie as well. SO that's a bonus.

This movie might have been good if it weren't for the abysmal acting. Seriously, I've seen better acting on soap operas and made for T.V. movies. It's hard to even get past the first five minutes of this movie without wanting to turn it off.

Infected is one of those movies that rely on paranoia and distrust of Big Brother. In this case it's the Whitefield Corporation, a private contractor who produces a cheap, popular drink called Hydropure. Thing is, Hydropure actually carries a virus. But it's worse than that...

Hydropure is actually run by insectoid aliens in human guise trying to take over Earth through a selective breeding program. But it's worse than that...

The virus makes you a prime host for alien grubs! The Whitefield Corporation has also infiltrated the healthcare system, so when a sick person comes in to be treated they get the "ovipositor" treatment in which they are injected with up to fifty fat maggot-like things. It's nasty stuff, and Infected plays the ick factor for all its worth.

If this plot sounds familiar, you've already seen it in movies like V and They Live. They follow the usual formula: average Joe (Gil Bellows) and former lover-with-a-history (Maxim Roy) get pulled into a conspiracy of epic proportions. The alien terrorists are embedded everywhere: editors (Isabella Rossellini), cops (Carlo Mestroni), and just about everyone else. There's also a traitor in the ranks who is a friend of humanity, in this case Malcolm Burgess (Judd Nelson), who has a plan: reverse engineer the virus from our hero to counter the infection. He will create a rhinovirus (the common cold!) to counter the alien invasion, shades of War of the Worlds.

Of course, the easiest way to spot the aliens is their failure to use contractions. And their gigantic black pupils. And the extra pair of insectoid limbs that occasionally explode out of their chests.

The plot ping pongs all over the place. The acting ranges from "good try" to "please stop." The science is sketchy. But the special effects aren't bad, the plot has some genuine surprises, and there was enough money in the budget to show the aliens in all their awful glory. Infected may rip off of every alien conspiracy movie that's gone before, but then V and They Live weren't particularly good movies to begin with. Considering the source material, Infected's not that bad.