I have been putting off watching 1995’s Outbreak for quite some time. I saw this as a teenager back when it was first released, and I remember liking it a lot. I also got a kick out of the episode of Friends when they were making a fake sequel to Outbreak, and it had Jean-Claude Van Damme in it! After watching this again, I have to say, it holds up pretty well and is a fun thriller that had way more action in it than I remember.
Where to Watch Outbreak
Outbreak was released on March 10, 1995. You can stream the film from a digital platform such as Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.
The Movie Review: Outbreak’s Resurgence in the Streaming Era
During the whole COVID-19 pandemic, Outbreak became a hit again and was one of the most popular movies on streaming during the pandemic. This put me off watching it. I hated how some TV shows during this era would incorporate the pandemic. I was already living it, why did my entertainment need to focus on it??? I get how the whole pandemic may have made some people want to watch a movie like Outbreak, but for me, it had the opposite effect.
Outbreak Movie Plot: A Virus Unleashed
The plot of the movie is about a virus. Many years ago, a virus decimated a village in Africa, and the US military ordered the village to be destroyed and all the people in it killed. We fast forward, and in Africa, Colonel Sam Daniels is in a small African village and comes across a virus that is once again causing havoc. Very concerned with his findings, he contacts the military back home, but they pretty much decide to ignore it and tell him that it is not an issue.
The Monkey That Changed Everything
On one hand, this is a super dumb decision, but there is a good reason why this high-ranking military official does not want to draw attention to this. Well, a small white monkey is captured and transported to the USA, and this monkey just so happens to be infected with the virus! This causes absolute chaos, and once the virus is loose in this small Californian town, the severity of the virus is revealed, and the country has a major incident that could occur.
Military Cover-Up and Biological Warfare Themes
I had forgotten just how much stuff was going on in Outbreak. You have one part of the military trying to find the monkey and a cure for the disease. However, you also have another part of the military that wants to use the virus as a weapon, as well as cover up the bombing of that African village many years ago. There was a lot more excitement here than I remembered there being.
Stellar Cast Performance in Outbreak
A huge part of what makes this movie so entertaining is the cast. Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Rene Russo, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr, and Patrick Dempsey are all great, and actually, the entire cast does a great job. My only issue is that some of the characters are very good, and others are just super dumb! The way that some of the people get infected is nearly laughable with how dumb the decision-making is.
Final Thoughts on Watching Outbreak Today
Outbreak is a fun time, and I am glad that I got around to watching it again after all these years, and I am super glad I did not watch it during the pandemic! I would not say that it is one of the best movies of the 90s, and to be honest, I am not sure if I will ever watch it again. However, you can do a lot worse than this if you are looking for an entertaining thriller.
