Dustin Hoffman Movie:

Editorial Review:
When Warner Brothers was unable to secure the rights to Richard Preston's terrifying nonfiction book The Hot Zone (purchased by a rival studio), they took the basic idea of a fatal virus on the loose in the U.S., added Dustin Hoffman and director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot), and produced an unusual thriller--a surprise hit--called Outbreak. The other picture, slated to star Robert Redford and Jodie Foster, fell through. The premise of Outbreak, which owes something to Elia Kazan's 1950 plague-scare movie, Panic in the Streets, is as terrifying as it is timely. As developers slash their way deeper into the previously unexplored tropical rainforests, they are exposed to radically new forms of life, including diseases, that in these days of commonplace international travel could turn into deadly epidemics almost before we know it. Hoffman's character and his estranged wife (Rene Russo) are disease experts called in to identify the unknown killer, which was carried into the country by an illegally smuggled monkey. The best sequence shows the disease spreading--through recycled air on a passenger jet, or a sneeze in a crowded movie theater. The final chase is pretty conventional, but the cast is terrific, including Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., J.T. Walsh, and Zakes Mokae. --Jim Emerson

Outbreak [Region 2] Reviews:
"Virus-scare" of our time!!!!
2009-07-02 - This is one fantastic movie!!! I belive that everyone should take the time to watch this film, cuz' it illustates what could "really" happen, if a virus infection had an outbreak-hence, the title.
The director: Wolfgang Peterson, has also had some other great films as well-such as: TROY, POSEIDEN, Das BOOTE (I've never seen das boote; been meaning to check it out-i heard it's such a great German-made film!!).
The movie, "OUTBREAK" is also filled with a good amount of action and suspense, thus also making it high on my list of good flix!!!
So, check out OUTBREAK ASAP-you won't be disappointed!!!!!

Very entertaining and informative
2009-05-27 - As great as the first time I watched it! This is a classic power gone bad film! Can this really happen? Bet your bottom dollar it can... and has! Watch it, love it, and watch it again!

Seems silly now.
2009-02-04 - Outbreak was a huge hit when it was released over a decade ago and this is a good movie but the subject matter feels dated now. Dustin Hoffman is great in this and so is Renee Russo, I just felt I have seen better films that deal with hysteria and panic. Outbreak is manufactured, plain and simple.

Shaky, but in the end manages to hold strong
2008-12-11 - Outbreak is about a violent pathogen, clearly modeled after the Ebola virus (they even use pictures of the Ebola virus when they show images on the microscope) and a group of individuals who are on a race to find the cure before the government torches an entire town full of infested American citizens. The U.S. government is not monkey-ing around (pardon the pun) with this disease, saying that the only procedure for containment is destruction. Let's try and forget this concept has been in the movies for decades.

Like your typical sci-fi/virus related film the government wants to keep the virus as a biological weapon, while our good guys race to find the host species to create a cure, and keep it from spreading the disease even further. It's the classic tale of government against freedom, which really has been done to death, but don't expect this formula to leave Hollywood anytime soon. The material is a bit too geared towards action and fun, when real Level-4 hot zone viruses, such as Ebola, are nothing to be cheering over. Those things are incredibly scary.

This movie naturally ends with a chase scene involving helicopters, with no real point, other than to say their budget allowed for a helicopter chase scene. This is unnecessary, and somewhat ridiculous, but entertaining nonetheless. I mean, come on, what's a blockbuster without an adrenaline filled, drawn out chase scene involving guns and explosions?

Outbreak really wasn't the best popcorn feature I've ever seen. I found it, tacky, and unoriginal, but I also found it quite entertaining. This was the first R-rated feature I was screened in a High School Biology class, so I guess that may be one reason it seemed special, but overall I do think it made it as good popcorn entertainment, if not a good movie telling of the dangers of Level-4 viruses.

Outbreak undoubtedly draws inspiration from the cases of Ebola and Marburg viruses in Richard Preston's nonfiction novel `The Hot Zone' (a GREAT read by the way). It takes this very serious issue and in the end manages to make it in to a decently entertaining action-thriller. I would have much preferred a movie-adaptation of the true events listed in `The Hot Zone'. It wouldn't have made for a popcorn film, but it would've certainly made for a good, honest movie that didn't hold any punches.

For the most part the acting cast was good. As usual Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman provide entertaining performances, making you focus on them WHENEVER they're on screen, but I still feel a bit iffy about the casting of Dustin Hoffman; he was good but I'm not sure if he was the best choice for the role. I think Hoffman should've seemed a bit more dedicated to his studies around the virus than he apparently is in this movie. He just didn't seem concentrated enough on the virus, considering his character supposedly had dedicated his life to it.

The movie wasn't the best blockbuster, but it managed to entertain and for that, and some wonderful imagery I liked Outbreak for what it was. Disposable fun, that keeps you in your seat.


Bluray Review
2008-12-01 - I havent seen this movie since i was a kid. (born in 85) but all i know is this movie creeped me out. I recently picked up the bluray version on black friday, and just finished watching it earlier tonight. I must say the film itself looks very good. I cant say much about audio since im currently without a home theater system, but i will have my new one tomorrow. Here are my thoughts:

Video: 4/5
Overall video is very clear and crisp. Gets grainy during some night scenes, but thats actually common with most HD films imo. Id say a solid transfer to bluray. especially for a film made in 1995. I hope "Heat" looks this good if bluray ever remasters it.

Audio: n/a
Cant say much since i currently dont have a home theater system. But it sounded good on my televsion.

Movie: 5/5
I think its a great thriller to show how deadly viruses can be, and the performances of actors/actresses make this a good satisfying purchase.