Antiviral — Antiviral ( UHD & Blu- Ray)

Here, Severin brings us, for the first time on UHD, Antiviral- the award-winning 2012 debut feature from Brandon Cronenberg  (Possessor and Infinity Pool). Brandon is not only the son of legendary body horror maestro David Cronenberg, but he is his father’s natural successor, creating smart, subversive body horror that harks back to David’s finest work from the 70s and 80s.

Antiviral stars Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men First Class, Get Out and Twin Peaks: The Return) as Syd March, an employee of the Lucas company. The film is set in a not-too-distant future, where Lucas company clients are sold viruses, harvested from celebrities, in order that clients may experience the same illnesses/ health conditions as their idols. However, Syd has been stealing diseases from the lab in order that he can pass them on to black market sellers.  Things start to go awry for Syd when he steals a disease that starlet Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon, Cosmopolis, Dracula Untold and Belle) has become infected with. In order to sneak the disease out of the lab, he injects himself with it. Unfortunately for Syd, Hannah dies from the disease, and he is left searching for a way to stop himself from going the same route.

Antiviral is a slow burn that shows Brandon Cronenberg is the apple that hasn’t fallen far from the tree, however, whilst there are obvious similarities to his father’s work, most notably the fact that they have both worked extensively within the body horror subgenre, he is also a fine film maker in his own right and he has his own visual style. Antiviral features a lot of plain white backgrounds, which provide a very stark and sterile setting for what is essentially a medical horror movie. Visually, the film is always beautifully framed, and Cronenberg is able to show what a fine and talented director he is. The cast is very good, particularly Jones, who is excellent as the film’s protagonist Syd March. As well as Jones, Lisa Berry is solid as the clinic’s receptionist, Sarah Gadon shines as Hannah Gheist, and it’s always a pleasure to see a cameo from living legend  Malcolm McDowell. 

Antiviral is a stark, brutal body horror that features a reasonably interesting plot, but is somewhat flawed in its pacing. That said, this is only a minor gripe, and I enjoyed the film quite a lot. Cronenberg is also not afraid to splash a bit of the red stuff (much like his dad), as well as moments of weirdness, which create something quite surreal, also reminding me of some of his father’s classic movies. 

This new UHD and Blu-ray set from Severin features an excellent 4k scan of the movie and an audio commentary with the director himself and his DoP Karim Hussain. The second disc featuring the Blu-ray edition of the movie also contains a fairly comprehensive selection of bonus materials, including Brandon Cronenberg’s short film Broken Tulips, a making of featurette, an interview where Cronenberg and Hussain discuss the film’s restoration, a documentary short on the design of Antiviral and a look at Cronenberg’s vision as a first time director. On top of this, we get deleted scenes with an optional commentary from Cronenberg and Hussain, First Meeting with the lead actors Jones and Gadon and an EPK with the cast and crew.

Overall, Antiviral is a very solid debut feature that should appeal to fans of body horror and, in particular, the early work of David Cronenberg, and whilst the shadow of his father looms large over the film, Cronenberg Jr. manages to create a vision of his own design.  The set from Severin is loaded with excellent bonus materials, and it’s nice to finally have this film available in 4 K.