The Andromeda Strain
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Movie Reviews of The Andromeda Strain
Movie Review: Science Fiction for Grown-ups
Summary: 5 Stars
I will not go into detail about the plot and the seventies look and style of the film (which I think hold up pretty well). Those points are well-covered in other reviews.Among the things I find interesting about the film is its place in cinema history. This was one of the last science fiction films made before Steven Spielberg (with Jaws) inadvertently showed Hollywood that astonishing amounts of money could be made from a motion picture and George Lucas demonstrated the best way to do it was to cater to the tastes and sensibilities of fifteen-year-old boys.
The Andromeda Strain is remarkable in a couple of ways. First, it is one of the very few films ever made with a plot driven by the scientific approach to problem solving. The approach of the Wildfire team is meticulous and logical; most of the "action" is at the microscopic level. This probably would account for the fact, according to some of the other reviews here, that the film is still shown in school science classes.
The other remarkable this is how the producers made every effort to remain loyal to the book, even in casting. If a team of today's producers were transported back to 1971 to make the film they would: cast Flip Wilson as a microbiologist (to provide comic relief); put Donna Douglas (fresh off "Beverly Hillbillies" and looking for an image change) in the role of the woman scientist (and potential sex partner for one or all of the male cast members); and somehow shoehorn one or more of the Brady Bunch kids into the plot no matter how convoluted or inane the explanation for his or her presence at the Wildfire lab.
The Andromeda Strain harks back to a time when mainstream science fiction films were aimed at general audiences rather than at a narrow demographic that, having nothing more important to do, will pay the see the same movie over and over and over again.
Movie Review: The original outdoes the new version
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw Robert Wise's version of "The Andromeda Strain" when it first came out and I was immediately impressed by it. I hadn't read the book (for comparison purposes), but the movie had a continual level of subdued suspense that made it fascinating to watch. The use of so-called "non-stars," a conscious choice on the part of the director, turned out to be a good choice. The solid acting from the cast gave the feel of "real" people dealing with an unthinkably unreal situation.
I was prompted by the showing of A&E's new version to finally read the book, as well as to purchase this DVD of the original and I must say that I still stand by the original. Though minor detail changes were made by Robert Wise in this version, they were unobtrusive and didn't detract from the original storyline of the novel. In fact, he was really very faithful to the book and the author, Michael Crichton, was pleased overall with the result (according to one of the DVD extras).
The new version was the book filtered through Star Trek and the X-Files, changing the plot of the book to include wormholes, messages from the future and a terrorized investigative reporter. Whereas the original movie relied on the subtler tensions of the characters' step-by-step discoveries of the Andromeda Strain's nature and threat, the new version often devolved into "action" sequences and overdone dramatics, especially at the end. The finale of the original version is less involved, yet every bit as exciting.
Modern audiences tend to be rather jaded and unimaginative, but if you have the ability to put yourself into the cinematic situation, then you should enjoy the restrained acting and suspenseful pace of this version of "The Andromeda Strain."
Movie Review: Okay, Okay But Why Is This Movie Good ?
Summary: 5 Stars
From the other reviewers you already know it is about some foreign piece of bio-hazard that lands in this small town in New Mexico killing everyone but two people. But the question is... why is this old move based on a story by Michael Crichton so good? There are many sci-fi movies.
We know why Jurassic Park was a hit. It was the first time someone thought of taking DNA and then re-created pre-historic dinosaurs - and then it was all done in fabulous beautiful color with special effects and helicopter shots and scenes in the rain. But this movie does not have that.
Andromeda Strain is in black and white about a small group of people and dominated mainly by Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill) and Dr. Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid) locked underground in this small laboratory trying to figure out what is this biohazard (exactly) and how can they control it. They use various gadgets including scanning electron microscopes etc. all dressed in white lab coats - the stereotypical scientists, never entertaininng people!!
My take on it is that it has a certain feel like the "Twilight Zone" where you really do not know if this investigation will succeed or suddenly go terribly wrong. It leaves you glued to the movie (TV). In fact it turns out that the "thing" is not from our world. It grows when it is radiated and they almost have a disaster blow up in their face. It is all just very suspenseful and well executed, i.e.: good acting and directing, with enough technical stuff to make it seem credible.
5 Stars.
Movie Review: Stands the Test of Time
Summary: 5 Stars
"Andromeda Strain" is one of my favorite movies because it stands the test of time. Although made in the early 1970's, the technology shown,including the computers still looks up-to-date, with the main difference being that today, the graphical displays of the data would be much more colorful. However, the techniques used to analyze the "Andromeda" organism would be the same ones used today. Of course, much of the suspense of the movie is created by a stuck sliver of paper, and that would not occur today, but 99% of what is shown (including the threat to mankind for terrestrial biological warfare or extra-terrestrial organisms) is still very relevant. In fact, the society in which the film takes place is more "future-oriented" than our current one because reference is made to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston which processed the samples returned from the Moon by the Apollo astronauts, and which has since been idled by the loss of the spirit of exploration in our current society, so the makers of the film were able to do more futuristic thinking and make a story and laboratory that looks contemporary even decades later. Finally, the actors, led by Arthur Hill (one of my favorites) are all "cool, intellectual" types, and although there are differences of opinion between them, they all submerge their egos to get their vital work done. It is sad that films of this type are not made any more. Get it and see what I mean!
Movie Review: Animal loose in the vents
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a double premise that pays off in aces. It is about the arrival of an intergalactic alien species that threatens mankind and how our own technology can turn against us. It remains absolutely convincing in its apocalyptic scenario and its scientific presentation, especially in terms of life form structures and abiogensis, is decades ahead of its time.
A satellite crashes to earth containing a biological life form that wipes out a town. A team of scientists react by picking up the life form and transferring it to a special underground facility called wildfire that is designed to process the life form and develop a cure. Suddenly the facility security turns on the scientists who are running out of time to find a cure.
While the slow build-up of introducing a facility with a 20 minutes walkthrough of technology that looks extremely outdated may bore many, do put up with it because it all plays a part in how the building turns against them. After the crack finale has you on the edge of your seat you will be left wondering what is the bigger threat... space invaders or our own engineering?
It is not often we come across intelligent films like this one. If you want a film with brains then Robert Wise does brilliant science-fiction that almost feels like science-faction.