'Antiviral' follows Syd March, basically a virus dealer.
When celebrities are sick his company ''The Lucas Clinic'' take blood samples from them. They then run it through a machine and manipulate the virus to make it not contagious.
Syd also does a little bit of illegal trafficking on the side. He injects himself and with his own machine at home manipulates the virus himself then sells it on to a butchers. (It makes no sense now but it will when you watch).
But when Syd injects himself with a virus that kills the original host, he must find out if it was an assassination or something else entirely so he can save his own life.
Straight away that plot sounds like something a Cronenberg would do and the answer to the one question you want an answer to. No, it isn't like David Cronenberg's early films. It has parts reminiscent but Brandon Cronenberg has his own new indescribable style. Obviously it is similar to his father's and some of the imagery could come straight out of 'Videodrome' but you can tell there's difference there.
Even with the syringe scenes they actually stuck real syringes into skin to get the true look.
Either way it had some beautiful imagery albeit most of the time black, white and red. (That seemed to be the colour scheme).
Caleb Landry Jones was great as Syd running and stumbling through life as the virus dealer. I don't know if it was meant to come across but the way he played the part made Syd look like a struggling addict. It felt as if depicting both sides of the spectrum.
Sarah Gadon who played Hannah Geist. One of the many celebrities they harvest from. Her and Caleb also didn't meet up until their first scene together to make it more believable.
Then when I heard Malcolm McDowell's voice I was pleasantly surprised. It was only a bit part really but it's always nice to see him in things.
The rest of the actors were quite wooden and bland but I have the feeling that they were meant to be so you could focus more on what was going on.
For a film born from a viral infection and an interview with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' where she said she could infect the whole audience due to her being ill and them all cheering it's a bloody good, strange and quite random film.
I was looking forward to watching it for a long time and I definitely wasn't disappointed. There was a couple of unfinished plots in there but they were minor. But then Brandon did cut out about an hour of the finished cut so hopefully they will be included in a DVD & Blu-Ray release.
I think the main problem is it's definitely a love or hate film. I loved it.
I have to give it 9/10 Injections.
Adie.