FLYING VIRUS

Dr. North, by modifying the genetic code of some aggressive Brazilian bees, succeeded in synthesizing a serum capable of curing serious human diseases. A crate containing the genetically modified bees is strapped onto an airplane to be transported to a pharmaceutical company in New York, but in reality, the bees are also healthy carriers of a deadly virus. Obviously, the insects will manage to escape from the crate in which they are contained and sow panic among the passengers of the airplane. It is enough to read the unlikely plot to realize the poor quality of the product in question. Although the Italian title would suggest it, this "Swarm – Threat in the Jungle" is not a remake of the film directed in 1978 by Irwin Allen, nor is it a sequel, but it is a poor TV product with the original title "Flying virus". The reason why so many films about the threat of killer bees have been emerging in recent years remains a mystery, given the poor success and low quality of practically all the exponents of this genre. So does it remain a mystery to see involved in this absurd project illustrious names like Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), now in an increasingly evident decline, and the good Craig Sheffer (« Cabal »; « Hellraiser: Inferno »). Beyond the unfortunate choice of the aforementioned actors to take part in such an abomination, it is curious to note how "Flying virus" anticipated the recent "Snakes on a plane" in the idea of combining the beast movie with the high-altitude thriller, although with clearly inferior results, starting with the excessive seriousness with which "Flying virus" approaches a plot as unlikely as ridiculous (whereas "Snakes on a plane" does not take itself seriously at all). One can notice, then, a series of banalities and blunders that would make even the most daring cultist of the Z series blush: first of all, the film is sprinkled with glaring errors that could absolutely not go unnoticed during the screenplay stage, to the point of thinking that they were intentionally inserted (see the ending outside the airplane); then, seeing the bees acting silently sneaking everywhere (the music headphones, the Coca-Cola can, the bathroom drain...) is ridiculous and absolutely unthreatening. Some passages and subplots, moreover, appear entirely useless and thrown in there to stretch the broth, such as the insertion of the mercenaries in the jungle who want the serum against the bees, to which much space is dedicated. The characters are built with a disarming banality and in some cases irritating: for example, seeing the nerdy glasses-wearing guy who tries to hit on the girl who is acting cool, who promptly rejects him, only to kiss him at the end because he contributed to saving the situation, is seriously a symptom of mental illness on the part of the screenwriter. Direction and screenplay are entrusted to the unknown and incapable Jeff Hare who carries forward a useless and boring little product like few others. It would be curious to see the face of such Hare when he first watched the final edit of his film... I doubt that even he could appreciate such a hodgepodge of nonsense. Simply embarrassing!