Virtual Obsession
Virtual Obsession
| 01 February 1998 (USA)
Virtual Obsession Trailers

If you were a brilliant young scientist diagnosed with only months to live, what choices would you make? To have faith that you were taken early for a reason and go quietly, or to use cryogenics to hope you could be cured someday in the future, or to download your consciousness into computer memory where you could still continue to interact with the ones you love?

Reviews
MuggySphere

remember seeing this movie on TV a long time ago. I thought it was a good movie, based on the novel "Host" which is about a scientist working on AI (artificial intelligence) and making a conscious life form inside a computer.Anyway I have never read the novel so can only go by the movie and what happens in that. The movie stars Peter Gallagher, as the scientist and Mimi Rogers as his long suffering wife Karen. Their marriage though stable isn't the best as he is a workaholic and spends more time at his work then with her and looking to her needs. While this strains their relationship they manage to stay together, until one day another person enters their life. The lovely Juliet played by Bridgette Wilson.Juliet is dying of cancer and sees Joe Messenger's (Gallagher) work as a means to end her suffering. She worms her way into his lab and to find out how much progress they have made with creating life inside the computer. They get close while working and he has a brief fling with her but realizes that he would rather be with his wife after and tries to end the affair. Juliet in desperation breaks into the lab and downloads herself into the computer and then slowly starts to wreak havoc with the lives of Joe and his family.OK this sounds really stupid, and for the most part it is but a lot of the movie deals with the characters and how they feel towards each other as the story moves on. How on Earth Ms Roger's character Karen puts up with this guy is beyond me. Juliet's one last wish was to have her body frozen in the hope she might be brought back to life one day.This muddies the plot a bit because right in the middle of the movie her father makes an appearance played by Robert Vaughn and demands that she be given a burial instead, and a proper autopsy to see why she died. The coroner suspected it was more then just an aneurysm that she had collapsed from. So again to honor her wish they wangle their way past the legal needs of the coroner and he gets her head frozen.The doofus takes her head home in a small freezing container and when that breaks down stuffs it into the freezer which is in the basement (where else) and later on while getting a replacement freezer machine for the head the wife finds the frozen head. The husband returns home to find her sitting with the head on the dining table. He argues with her and then she runs out into the front yard. They tussle over the head and then the wife flings it up into the air where the plastic sheet around it falls off the hair swirls around it and in slow motion it falls to the ground and then shatters into a million pieces as it hits the road outside of their house....Meanwhile all this is going on the disembodied Juliet terrorizes both his family and the city while inside the computer. This doesn't last too long as the movie is near the end but not realizing it cyber Julie also dies because when she copied her brain into the computer she had also copied the aneurysm and that kills her off again, but this time for good..And that's about it...... This movie good, certainly not Oscar material but it is interesting and deals with things I am fascinated in such as the nature and state of consciousness and other things related to that. It had actors I know and like and that too went a long way to me enjoying it. But it was more focused on the characters then the scifi nature of the story and that is why I think it worked. ==========================

... View More
connellc10

This movie aired on Sky One the other night as "Virtual Obsession". After having read "Host" first, this cheap-o production did not merit creating. The book had far more possibilities than was shown. Always liked Mim Rogers, so I do not see her as a housewife to be with, and this doesn't convince me that Peter G. would leave Mimi as the wife. Mimi is just to beautiful. I just wish this movie had had more funding and backing than being merely a MOTW.

... View More
AnneBonnesen

This is probably the worst movie I've ever seen. It's so predictable and you know from the first time you see Juliet what's going to happen. Besides Joe's actions in the movie are so stupid that they could never have happened in real life. Not even the ending could save this movie. Plus it is so long!!!! it's really bad.

... View More
AncientLegends

This film's first and only advantage is Jake Lloyd. I think he has a lot of promise for many acting roles in the near future - it's especially evident in Unhook The Stars. Also look for Bridgette Wilson who is featured in "Unhook The Stars" as well. This movie is based on the best selling novel "Host" and it's a very excellent adaptation. There are some very tense moments that I will not ruin for you such as some people would love to do...but there is a certain scene with Jake and Bridgette that is pretty intense - you'll know it when you see it. Of course I will do nothing but praise Jake Lloyd's acting because I think he is extremely talented - for those of you who have seen "Unhook The Stars", you will understand where I'm coming from. I am just so impressed and incredibly amazed at the talent he has possessed at such a young age. He gives an excellent performance as the character "Jack". Bridgette Wilson also gave a good performance as "Julie" - I have no complaints about her at all. I don't see how anyone possibly could either. It's pretty unlikely that anyone who hasn't seen this movie will actually get to view it. Since the movie had a low budget, it will more than likely result in it not being aired again. Great film. ~Despite the fact that any links, associations and contributions to this movie regarding her are non-existent...Rock On ALANiS!!!(ALANiS is always too hot, never too cold, she makes her best shot, too hot to hold, she's never too young, never too old, ALANiS has gotta go for GOLD!!)1991~ ALANiS Will Always "ROCK YA"!!!

... View More