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The Andromeda Strain | Description: An extraterrestrial virus threatens life on earth and must be destroyed Year: 1971 Classification: Science Fiction Country: USA Language: English Directed: - Robert Wise Actors/Actresses: - Arthur Hill - David Wayne - James Olson - Kate Reid - Paula Kelly A Thrilling Sci-Fi Suspense from Michael Crichton "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. Effortless Strain 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 Potent Strain of Realism When a man-made satellite crash-lands on Earth near a small desert town, the town residents are unaware that it carries a deadly virus from space and therefore take no precautions when handling the device. Within a frighteningly short period of time, all of the town's inhabitants are dead. All, that is, except for a crying baby and the town drunk. After being alerted to the situation, the U.S. government fears that the world's entire population may be in danger of extinction, so a crackerjack team of the nations top medical scientists is dispatched to a secret underground laboratory so that they can study the survivors and discover a cure or treatment for the alien virus before it's too late. 1971's THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is one of the few science-fiction movies released in the immediate wake of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) that has successfully retained high status in the SF genre, and that's because it is also one of the few SF films from that era that actually takes the genre seriously and challenges the viewer's intellect. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton--one of the first movies based on a work by this now highly sought writer /R absolutely peerless: her delight over her "genuine foxine" tippet near the movie's end, and her subsequent bickering over its beauty with Morgan, are indescribably charming. 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