Rating: 
Summary: Effortless Strain
Review: Based on the best selling novel by Michael Crichton, the 1971 film version of The Andromeda Strain, stands as a solid adaptation and one of the decade's top sci-fi films. Since, the 70's saw a surge for the genre, that's quite a feat.When a small space probe falls to earth in a remote village of New Mexico, all but two of the town's population meet their death, as their blood turns to a powder. After two reconnaissance pilots are called on to investigate the tragedy, they also perish, a national state of emergency is declared. The survivors and the recovered space probe are transported to a five-story underground laboratory, and a team of scientists--biologist Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill), microbiologist Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid), blood chemistry authority Mark Hall (James Olson), and pathologist Charles Dutton (David Wayne)--is quickly brought to the lab to discover the nature of the deadly organism transported by the space probe. The special team learns that the small bioagent nicknamed the Adromeda Strain, has an alien origin, and the scientists must somehow find a cure before all of the human race becomes extinct. As with many of Crichton's works, there is clearly a battle between man and science, as its basis here. Adapted by Nelson Gidding, who also worked with Wise on the first film version of The Haunting, captures that aspect perfectly. Wise makes the film with lots great touches. Even though, it was made for a fraction of what it costs to make today's "blockbusters", thanks to a strong cast and winning production values--it hasn't lost any of its drama or excitement. Sadly, the DVD doesn't have an audio commentary from Wise, and after enjoying his tracks on The Day The Earth Stood Still and The Haunting, given the film's history--I was a bit disappointed. To compensate for that loss, there is a fairly decent "Making of The Andromeda Strain" feature. The "Portrait of Michael Crichton" outlines what makes him tick and where the movie fits in. The theatrical trailer tops off the bonus material. The Andromeda Strain was made at a time when man was still making regular trips to the moon and their was a glutt of genre films at theaters. Fortunately, with Wise directing and a Gidding screenplay, the movie holds up. The effects were also pretty cool for that time. Recommended
Rating: 
Summary: Decent adaptation from the book
Review: Good absorbing story of a government project gone wrong. Quick overview ... A capsule (code named 'scoop') returns to earth with a leathal new germ aboard which kills by soldifying the blood in the body. After the inital recovery disaster, a prearranged team of scientists are called together at a special underground laboratory to isolate and determine capabilities of the new germ. The ending I'll leave to you ... see the movie. Fast paced story with a believable script. Well acted out although the lead was a little wooden. Basically, one could see this scenario as actually having happened at one time or another due to germ warfare research. No music in this. Rather like "Forbidden Planet" the sound effects make up for that. Good blend of fact and fiction. This flim should keep you glued to the TV set. This is a good movie for those that like science fiction. Too bad it's priced so high. I would hope for a re-release at a modern price. I have the VHS version and will wait until the DVD drops some to buy it. *Highly Recommended* ~P~
Rating:
Summary: ROBERT WISE IN CONTROL
Review: People should know that despite the comparable lack of name recognition director Robert Wise in responsible for landmark films like WEST SIDE STORY, THE HAUNTING,THE SOUND OF MUSIC,THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN as well as many popular movies most people count among their favorites. An aspect common to all of the above is the the palpable presence of a serious, absorbed and controling presenter. Wise films are serious business. There is nothing gratuitous or trivial in his work. One gets the feeling he is watching over we who watch him as he guides us through a story and his fatherly fingerprints are all over ANDROMEDA STRAIN. The science is believable and the effects frighteningly blunt. Entombed with the films desperate characters as they struggle blindly to solve the the impending disaster we are subjected to sterile matter of fact views and emotionless cuts to their unraveling efforts that will wipe us all out - or not. It's as if Wise were saying, "Things like this could happen and they could happen like this and all you could do about it would be to sit and watch." Rarely are science fiction themes supported by such restraint. Young viewers may be lost without the action factor but anyone who likes intelegent thrillers will not be disapointed. Robert Wise's movies are for mature audiences of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi classic blends techno and high-drama
Review: The US gov't, eager to discover new forms of bio-weapons in the form of microscopic lifeforms floating dormant in space, launches a series of "scoop" satellites into orbit. When one lands in a small southwestern town, and is opened by the local doctor, one of these newly discovered bacteria escapes and annihilates the town. Completely unprepared for what they've unleashed, and with no guarantee they can deal with (let alone identify) what they've discovered before it spreads out of the desert, the government activates its top secret lab, "Wildfire". This would probably be the basic plot of half of Crichton's novels, but the resulting film excels over them. The scientists, professional at first, slowly come apart, subtley teasing us with the possibility that they have already become infected. Director Robert Wise (in what may have been an audition for his later role directing the first Star Trek film) brilliantly weaves the techno-babble through the story. After 18 hour days just trying to identify what they're dealing with, the scientists at Wildfire are about as receptive to techo-bable as we are. The technology which weighs down most stories actually smoothes over the plot rather than dragging it down. This is probably the film that taught Hollywood that thinking charachters can still be human. Now if only the film could give hollywood a refresher.....
Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Sci-Fi Suspense from Michael Crichton
Review: "The Andromeda Strain" was the first of many films produced from novels written by the author Michael Crichton, whose novels-turned-film include "Westworld" (1973), "Coma" (1978), "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Twister" (1996). Filmed in 1971, "The Andromeda Strain" may seem dated to some, but sci-fi aficionados have long enjoyed the film for its suspense and questions that it raised that may be more valid today than they were three decades ago. The story begins in a small, isolated town in the desert where a satellite that re-entered earth's atmosphere crashed. Shortly after the crash, most of the town's residents mysteriously die. The government calls in four scientists to determine what killed the townsfolk. The scientists are Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill), Dr. Charles Dutton (David Wayne, known for his portrayal of inspector Ellery Queen in 1975 TV series of the same name), Dr. Mark Hall (James Olsen) and Dr. Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid, known also for her role in the 1977 film "Equus"). They are taken to a top-secret government facility code-named Wildfire, an underground laboratory, to search for the cause of death and why two townspeople remained unaffected. Their quest leads to a very exciting discovery, but also several grave questions. Special effects used in "The Andromeda Strain" were very good for the early 1970's. The design of the Wildfire facility, which earned "The Andromeda Strain" an Oscar nomination for Best Set Decoration, is somewhat reminiscent of interior designs used in "2001: A Space Odyssey". Director Robert Wise (who also directed "The Day The Earth Stood Still" (1951), "West Side Story" (1961) and "The Sound of Music" in 1965) did a brilliant job escalating the suspense and fear throughout the film. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Editing. Other notable characters include Nurse Karen Anson (Paula Kelly, who also starred in "Sweet Charity" in 1969 and "Soylent Green" in 1973) and Peter 'Gramps' Jackson (George Mitchell). Overall, I rate "The Andromeda Strain" with 4.5 stars out of 5, rounded up to 5 stars. If you choose not to purchase the film, you might want to consider renting it so that you can see it at least once.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed plot, outdated effects, and utterly boring
Review: I bought this DVD based on Amazon recommendations and was very disappointed. What struck me first is this obvious plothole: The story revolves about an alien virus brought to Earth. This virus mutates after some days. So far so good. BUT! As anyone who has paid attention in science class should know, mutation means that *one* individual organism changes into a new form. Thus, this one individuum and its offspring have properties that differ from those of their ancestor. However, when one organism mutates, this does *not* mean that other representatives of the same species automatically mutate too! In other words, while one virus in a petri dish may change into a different form, those viruses which aren't descended from this mutated dude will *not* change! They'll just continue to exist the way they were. But not in this movie! When all of a sudden one single virus mutates, BANG all the other viruses which are stored in different (sealed) lab rooms, and even miles away in the desert, within seconds are miraculously converted into this new form. Something like this would be tolerable in an avarage B-movie, but in a hardcore sci-fi flick like this one which revolves all around science in the first place, such a fundamental and obvious error should not have been overlooked. What's worse is that there is not enough plot here to fill even a third of the movie. To work around this problem, the director takes us on a series of lengthy tours around the monumental set (a futuristic underground laboratory) which is, as producer Robert Wise states in an interview, the "true star" of the film. But while clearly inspired by "2001: A Space Oddyssey", the production design featured here is by far not as original, innovative or interesting as that of Kubrik's classic film. Likewise, the mock-up computer effects are laughable, and much better effects have been seen in movies that were made years earlier. On the plus side, Crichton's concept of an alien virus is interesting. But that alone is by far not enough to rectify a full-length feature film.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Story, boring film.
Review: The story is a good one but the film presented here comes off as lackluster and dated. It was supposed to be a "thriller" but lost the 'thrill' early on in the film. The actors aren't bad but the pace of the film is too slow and nail biting boring. Too bad...some films don't transfer well onto film.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, Okay But Why Is This Movie Good ?
Review: 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. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: They actually use Science in this movie....
Review: There have actually been very few science fiction movies that used any kind of science in their stories. But here they did, and it's a refreashing change from the useual sci-fi pictures that have little or nothing to do with science. The DVD Universal prepared for this movie is pretty exceptional. Full of still photos and behind the scenes footage, the interviews with Robert Wise, Doug Trumbull, Michael Crichton, and screenwriter Nelson Gidding are both informative and interesting to watch. They worked very hard on the movie and it still is a good picture today.
Rating:
Summary: Stands the Test of Time
Review: "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!
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