The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain (1971) was adapted from Michael Crichton's groundbreaking first novel of the same name, inspired by a conversation between Crichton and a professor about the possibility of a crytalline lifeform. The novel and the film have served as a model for numerous films and novels since, ranging from Outbreak (1995) to Stephen King's The Stand to 12 Monkeys (1995). Given Crichton's educational background and attention to detail, Andromeda is undoubtedly among the most realistic and scientifically accurate of these epidemic movies. But far from being a boring scientific exploration, Andromeda is in turns thrilling, chilling, and harrowing.

The action follows the Wildfire team, an infection-containment group assembled at a remote government installation in Nevada. Up until a government sattelite crash-landed in a New Mexico town and an unidentified pathogen decimated the population, the Wildfire team's existence and protocol were purely theoretical. Now, the team must assemble for the first time and race against the clock to discover the nature of the alien pathogen, dubbed the Andromeda Strain. Their only clues are a delirious old man and a baby who miraculously survived the initial outbreak. Can the team solve the mystery before a nuclear blast obliterates the Wildfire facility and potentially spreads the Andromeda Strain across the globe?

The Andromeda Strain comes from the screenwriter/director team that also gave life to The Haunting (1963), arguably one of the eeriest, most frightening movies ever committed to film. Additionally, director Robert Wise had quite a resume under his belt at this point, ranging from horror (The Haunting) to scifi (The Day the Earth Stood Still) to musicals (West Side Story). The film is a seamless blending: one part space scifi, one part technological thriller, one part procedural (including a lengthy decontamination sequence at the Wildfire facility). The acting in the film is not outstanding, but quite sufficient in a film where the true stars are technology and the Andromeda Strain itself. The film's score is quite subdued, with many stretches going completely without music. When sounds do come into play, it's often in the form of a technological hybrid, incorporating the boops and beeps of 70s-era computer technology.

The worth of this subdued techno-thriller is even greater, considering that today's filmmakers would be hard pressed to make such a film without the aid of gratuitous explosions, car chases, and probably some sort of romantic tension/sex scene. Sometimes, they just don't make 'em like they used to.

Plot & storyline: 8/10

Cinematography & effects: 7/10

Music & mood: 7/10

Performances: 6/10

The Reverend says: 7/10