Infected (TV Movie 2008) Poster

(2008 TV Movie)

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5/10
V reimagined as a low budget sci-fi flick
Leofwine_draca9 April 2011
For years I've been watching late night trash on the Sky3 channel in the UK, which seems to show the kind of films that the Sci-Fi Channel makes. 99% of what I see there is absolutely awful, but occasionally something decent will come along to enliven things (MANEATER and the so-trashy-it's-great AZTEC REX are two that spring to mind). Over the years, I've been less than impressed with the low budget alien siege movies, of which INFECTED is one, but I was delighted to find that this is far better than the usual fare.

Things kick off in high gear with the kind of intense conspiracy stuff you'd see in one of the early X-FILES episodes. From there we accelerate into the kind of aliens-are-already-here-and-in-disguise schtick that allows producers to bypass special effects in favour of human adversaries. Eventually, it devolves into the usual kind of nonsense with the heroes being hunted by their extraterrestrial foes while various people are shot/blown up/kidnapped en route. The film focuses on gruesome effects shots of alien maggots emerging from their human hosts, while saving up a highly cheesy CGI shot for late on in the proceedings (let's just say I was reminded of the '50s B-movies of old.

Surprisingly, the casting isn't too bad for this outing, with both Gil Bellows and Maxim Roy proving able leads with more talent than most. While the villains are pretty weak and unimposing, a couple of "name" actors are reserved for kooky cameo roles (Judd Nelson and Isabella Rossellini) which ups the ante a little. Hardly a great movie, but if you're a purveyor of this kind of crap you won't be complaining as this is a cut above the rest.
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5/10
Radiation Theatre Strikes Back
ApolloBoy1097 May 2010
Campy goofy sci-fi 'conspiracy' story with actors having a good time, aware of what kind of movie they're in. The extras who were coughing and acting sick were a hoot, and matched the style of this low-budget feature. No doubt direct from the SyFy hack machine.

But hey -- campy goofy PulpFilx can be fun! It's better then most junk going through the air waves these days.

Loved seeing Rossellini. So for just pure pizza fun pop this sci-fi movie and vegg. Good score and decent directing in an old story of aliens trying to breed among us earhlings.

Enjoy!
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3/10
Pretty bad 'Creature Feature'.
poolandrews10 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Infected is set in Boston where the population live in fear, a worldwide plague of unknown origin is widespread. Only one human being left alive know's the horrifying truth, City Hall official Taylor Lambert (Neil Napier) is that man & to prove it to the world he must first assassinate the Mayor & take a sample of his blood which he does in full view of about a hundred people which makes Taylor public enemy number one & every cop in the city is after him. To get the truth out to the masses Taylor contacts newspaper journalist Lisa Wallace (Maxim Roy) for help, knowing he will be shot on sight Taylor hands a vial of the Mayor's blood over to Lisa's ex-boyfriend Ben (Gil Bellows). Together Lisa & Ben have the blood sample analysed & realise that the blood is not of this planet & that they have unwittingly stumbled upon a plan by a bunch of nasty aliens to use Earth as a breeding colony & it's inhabitants as living host's & eventually food for their offspring...

This Canadian production was directed by Adam Weissman & I actually watched Infected by mistake as I thought I was going to watch the mutant killer bug film Infested (2002), with only one letter difference it was an easy mistake to make so shut up. Anyway what could have turned into a pleasant surprise ended up as a disaster as Infected is crap, I'm sorry but that's what it boils down to I'm afraid. The script is most at fault here, the first twenty odd minutes isn't too bad to be honest as there's still some mystery behind the sinister events with an assassination, fights, escapes, murder, alien maggots & bad CGI computer effects but it all goes downhill rather quickly thereafter. The film about aliens disguised as humans planning an invasion from within as it were is lifted straight from genre classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) & The Thing (1982) & was probably made to cash-in on the far more recent not a genre classic at all The Invasion (2007) with Nicole Kidman & Daniel Craig. The plot is full of holes & didn't work for me at all, why did Taylor have to kill the Mayor to get a blood sample? Stick him with a needle & draw some blood while he was still alive, at least that way Taylor wouldn't have had every cop in the City after him & his face plastered all over the news. There's a big difference between murder & sticking a needle in someone. Also why was Lisa so convinced that the vial had the Mayor's blood in it? There could have been anything in there, Taylor would have had plenty of time to switch the blood for something else so why put so much trust in him & the vial? Despite a worldwide plague that is affecting billions of people the authorities don't have a clue what is causing it or what it is yet after half a day of investigating Lisa & Ben discover the truth mostly with the help of an internet search (which just happens to bring up a website that has all the answers) & a school laboratory! Then there's the one in a billion chance that Ben the only person on Earth along with Lisa who know's about the alien invasion has a one of a kind genetic disease that actually kills the aliens, what are the odds on that? Bit of a coincidence wouldn't you say? There are many plot holes in a really poorly thought out script & after the first twenty odd minutes it all falls apart & becomes very dull.

The opportunity for lots of tension & paranoia that is so brilliantly used in The Thing & Invasion of the Body Snatchers is totally absent here, the opportunity for the makers to really crank the tension up is wasted as there's no major twist's & all the bad guy's are really easy to spot since they wear suits & try to look hard & evil. I am not sure if the version I saw was cut but there's not much blood or gore here, there's a few burrowing alien maggots seen & a headless body but not much else. The aliens when finally revealed look like big Cockroaches & while the CGI computer effects aren't as bad as some films out there I would struggle to call them anything approaching good.

Although set entirely in Boston this was shot in Montréal in Québec in Canada, the production values are alright but it does have the look of a made-for-telly film. The acting is nothing more than average, the two leads are alright while Isabella Rossellini looks terrible & gets decapitated.

Infected is a plot-hole ridden piece of sci-fi junk that is boring & tedious with the only positive aspect the first twenty minutes before all the plot-holes kick in.
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2/10
this infection is worse than gangrene
movieman_kev16 September 2009
Adam Weissman, a director primarily known for kid shows gives us this Syfy original about Ben and Lisa, a duo of newspaper reporters who undercover a massive government conspiracy for an alien invasion.

X-files this definitely is not for one it has the worst CGI 'effects' since.... well the last Made-for- Syfy flick that i've seen. The plot is a bland carbon copy cut & paste job of about a million other films and I didn't give a toss about if our 'heroes' could save the day or not, it was just an ultra- lame attempt at movie making and could barely pass for entertainment much less as watchable.

My Grade: D-

DVD Extras: A trailer for "Backwoods" is all you get for extras
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5/10
Okay, so it isn't 2001, it's also better than 3.9/10
ollyoxenfree199731 July 2014
This movie is not a great movie by any standard.

It is also not a terrible movie, there are some bad parts, aliens are fast sometimes and slow other times being a prime example but it kept me entertained. I knew what I was getting into, and it was not bad for what it was.

I was entertained and it kept me on board for its entire runtime. Unlike some other reviewers, I liked that it through us into the thick of things.

If there was absolutely nothing else on, I wouldn't mind watching it again.
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4/10
Absurd, preposterous, drivel
cdgb31 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I wasn't certain if this movie was supposed to be serious or spoof. The actors were certainly hamming it up alright, but surely there should be some obvious gags for a spoof? Sadly I fear that this is a straight attempt at sci-fi.

SPOILER How can the critters move so quickly when fighting each other, but s-l-o-w-l-y when fighting our hero. Why did the tiny little explosion kill everything but; the hero, his gf and all the very poorly human hosts? Howcome it took ages for the maggots to hop out of our hero but only a few moments to hop out of all the other hosts and that after he cut his arm to introduce a few drops of blood into the feeding system? Why are all the alien fellas unable to see our large hero "hiding" behind very small things? What did the gf use to crack open the mailbox? Does she carry a wrecking bar in her purse? eyebrow tweezers? The women in my house can't even open a bottle of pop without getting male help.

I fell asleep three times watching this movie. Why do I insist on watching movies to the end? Don't bother with this. Even if it is free. Dross = FACT.
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1/10
infected by the a bad idea and terrible script
barry-hughes-11 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This drivel is just plain bad. The guy/girl team (ex lovers) running around trying to save the world from aliens are painful to listen to and do not even make out!They talk about their dull past relationship throughout and boy no one cares, no one wants to know ...I think the director was wanting Scully and Mulder but gets ...? Isabella rosellini fortunately for her has her head lopped off in the first Act or so and thus mercifully can take her paycheck and go home early. Former Breakfast clubber Judd (its a dud )Nelson has a role as a bearded guru / nerd that appears suddenly from nowhere and assists the drab couple to fight and prevent the alien invasion , he turns out to be one (no not just another bad actor ) but an alien ( I think?) yep , still with me sounds great doesn't it? Admittedly I fast forwarded thru most of this crud and even that was too slow !!!!! Do not waste your life viewing this rubbish . Go flush a toilet or something.
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6/10
Not So Bad for Fans of B-Movies
claudio_carvalho6 July 2010
In Boston, there is an unknown epidemic and the population is consuming the Hydropure water and vegetables from Whitefield Corporation. The City Hall Secretary Taylor Lambert (Neil Napier) contacts the newspaper journalist Lisa Wallace (Maxim Roy) expecting to give evidences of a conspiracy that his partner Connie (Glenda Braganza) is collecting in the plant of Whitefield. However, Glenda is captured and murdered by the guards, and Lambert shots the Mayor and takes a sample of his blood to give to Lisa. Lambert is hunted and wounded by the police and he meets the third class journalist Ben Mosher (Gil Bellows) that writes the sensationalist column Mystery Science in the same newspaper. He gives a vial with he Major's blood to Ben before he dies and Ben gives the sample to his friend Knutt Jourgensen (Jesse Todd) for analysis. Sooner Ben and Lisa disclose an alien conspiracy to breed using the Earthling bodies as hosts and nourishment for their offspring.

"Infected" is another sub product of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "X-Files" and "V", but is also entertaining considering that it is a TV movie and not so bad for fans like me of B-movies. The screenplay has many plot holes and a bizarre beginning without much explanation. For example, Connie breaks in the dangerous plant of the aliens to collect evidences alone. Or Lambert unnecessarily shots the Major to collect his blood. Or the lack of explanation how the aliens reached the important positions in the Bostonian society, like Mayor, editor of a newspaper or supplier of water, food and vaccine for the whole population in a country that has governmental agency like the Food and Drug Administration, responsible for protecting and promoting public health through supervision of the products supplied by Whitefield Corporation. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Infectados" ("Infected")
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10/10
A Fun Ride
tailsofthewind23 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a fan of Gil Bellows' B-movies. Life doesn't have to be so serious! Calm down, people.

Then he picked up that giant syringe and... I wince every time I even THINK about that scene.

Great creatures in this feature. A fun cast with whom I would not mind having a drink or two.

But the syringe! Come ON! It was like in Stephen King's 'The Dead Zone' when the bad guy kills himself right before getting caught by bracing open a pair of scissors then opens his mouth with an audible pop...and then laced his hands behind his head... and then BAM! Skewers himself!

But 'Infected' has aliens!!!

Please, please, please release it on iTunes!
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6/10
As recent scifi TV movies go this one is pretty good
dbborroughs17 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Reporter investigates clues left behind the assassin of the mayor of Boston. The clues lead him to the latest drink craze which he soon finds out is being used as the spear head for an alien invasion.

Good scifi thriller thats undemanding and familiar. Its the sort of thing that many made for SCIFI (now SYFY) movies aspire to be. Graced with good performances and neat bug-like aliens (though I'm getting tired of everyone using CGI for their effects)this is the sort of thing to curl up with when there isn't anything good on TV. No it will not win any awards and you have seen it before but its well done for what it is.

6 out of 10
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6/10
A Pretty Good Creature Feature
gray1937-122 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Here we have a reasonable alien invasion/creature feature plot, with amusing allusions to super market tabloids, replete with accomplished players. The CGI is pretty hokey and the science a little outré -- well, can't really complain about that; it is *science* fiction (emphasis on the fiction). There is an acceptable love story; a massive conspiracy; really bad, bad guys -- well, the BEM (that's Bug-Eyed-Monster for you newbies) is, as I said, pretty hokey.

I liked the movie. I liked the cast; Bellows is an old acquaintance from "The Agency" as is Miss Rossellini from "Alias." Mr. Schaap makes a consummate villain and Maxim Roy is another of those ubiquitous, lovely Canadians. Judd Nelson again plays like he's stoned. Has he been spending too much time with Robert Downey, Jr.? Is that why they look so much alike?
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