User reviews

A satellite from the SCOOP project has crashed into the desert town of Piedmont, the SCOOP project basically entails that the satellite scoops outer space for any alien micro-organisms. After the crash all the residents of Piedmont are killed with the exception of a baby and an old gentleman booze hound. Mankind is on the verge of being destroyed by a leaked alien virus, so a crack team of scientists are gathered in the hope of containing and understanding the virus before the world gets devoid of human life!

Taken from the novel by Michael Crichton, this film is a wonderful lesson in tension building as we follow the scientists through a carefully structured sci-fi plot that will eventually become a race against time thriller. What makes The Andromeda Strain stand out against other genre pieces is the astute and believable approach to the subject matter, we are (in the main) in the presence of proper scientists. There's no super hero tricks forthcoming from these people, these are sensible honest intelligent folk using their combined knowledge to hopefully save the planet? A masterstroke from the makers is that they used largely unknown actors for the film, this gives the story an added grounded believable factor, thus a very useful way of drawing the audience into the drama unfolding. The direction from Robert Wise is very clued in for serio narrative drive, the set design for the underground research facility is top notch, and the actors all give stoic and intelligent performances.

However, it's not without a niggle, for after the excellence of the films first two thirds, it's disappointing to find that the final act reverts to type, which somehow seems misplaced given what the viewer has just been through. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine sequence of events that fuels the dramatic slant, but it comes off as just a bit too glossy in light of the preceding structure. Still, The Andromeda Strain is an intelligent, smart, mature, and knowing film that is standing the test of time for being a great piece of science fiction cinema. 8/10

OK. I'm reading these reviews and I keep seeing the same things. Its shows its age. What ? That's like saying the aircraft in a WWII movie show their age. Of course it shows its age - this was the 1970s. Did you expect to see Pentium 4s with DVD Drives? If thats you main criticism then the movie must be good.

It is good. Probably one of the most realistic and suspenseful movies of its kind ever made. Though PURSUIT was pretty good as well. Robert Wise does a very good job of building the story in a leisurely pace that keep you rivetted. I've seen the movie now about a dozen times and it still keeps me interested. Its not one of those movies where you can stop it and watch the remainder the next day. It has to watched in one sitting. I think the casting of ordinary Joes in the leads was very telling. This is a story about science not about characters.

It will be interesting to see what they will do with the remake. Obviously the story is still relevant today - maybe even more so then in the late 60s.

These "old" science fiction movies always have a certain special tension and atmosphere like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Capricorn One". Something I sometimes miss in todays movies.

Sure the pace is slow, especially the beginning but that's what helps to build up the tension. It certainly makes the race against time ending even more suspenseful.

The style of the movie can be called unique. Especially the camera work and editing. It's very experimental, almost Brain De Palma like and I like it a lot. It makes the movie's style special and unique and it adds to the atmosphere.

The story is good and is told in such a way that it actually becomes to some extend believable. With the exception of some clichéd moments and the ending. The movie begins slow and mysterious and builds up the tension extremely well, while the ending itself is quite spectacular and fast. This also makes the movie special and worth remembering. Some of the scene's you will never forget. The virus itself (the adromeda strain) is pretty scary and disturbing, mainly because you don't know what it is or what it does and how it can be stopped.

There are also some nice character played by not so well known actors. What's great about the characters is that they all feel very human and not perfect. I like the fact that they don't all like each other and don't always agree.

A classic science fiction/thriller that deserves to be better known.

8/10

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If you are a science fiction fan, have a brain and more than six years old (well ok maybe seven), see this movie. It is as simple as that! One of my classics. As a scientist, it's one of the most belivable movie I have ever seen.

I agree with my other science fiction buddies, this is a very good movie. The story is very believable, but the acting needed tweaked just a little bit. The process in which they hunt for the little bugger is interesting, and probably true to form, at least it looks like they know what their doing. All the while, you can't keep from asking yourself "What are they gonna do if this thing gets loose"? When the old crow first went into duh mode, you knew bad things were gonna happen. While the movie is over 40 years old, and it shows in the cars and aircraft they use, it is still a movie you have to pause to go potty, cause you don't want to miss a minute. In fact, enjoy the old mans attitude, the snips between P.H.D.'s, the secrecy of Wildfire, and don't forget, N.A.S.A. just brought back a probe that did this very thing.

Science fiction is, by definition, fiction based on science. Most movie/TV science fiction usually plays loose with scientific accuracy. Michael Crichton, a Harvard Medical School graduate, does a much better job. There may not be enough "action" for modern audiences but that's because the action is intellectual, not physical. And yes, the personality conflicts and foibles displayed actually are normal among scientific teams.

Pandemic organisms from space are much scarier than COVID-19. From physician Michael Crichton's novel of the same name, it got 2 Oscar nominations in 1971. Liked it a lot. Much of my fondness for the film comes from watching the computer simulations devised by Cal Tech and the Jet Propulsion Lab. Really neat to see the kind of medical systems I was dreaming of as a fledgling IT guy back then. Quite a thriller too. Recommended.

The science behind "The Andromeda Strain" may be a big crock of hooey, but the people who made it do a good job of at least making it seem credible, which goes a long way toward making the film much more effective as a sci-fi thriller than others of its type.

Robert Wise was a good, solid director. He had a distinctly mainstream sensibility as a filmmaker, but his mainstream films were always especially assured and intelligent. He does a great job keeping this talky sci-fi film moving, and it's really creepy, especially in this age when the media is just waiting to pounce on the THE BIG ONE, the deadly virus that's going to emerge and wipe out humanity. The ending to "The Andromeda Strain" is a bit easy -- the virus just evolves to become harmless and floats away in a big cloud -- and comes as a bit of a let down after all of the work the film does to create just an atmosphere of tense dread up to that point. But the rest of the movie is good enough that the limp ending doesn't make the rest of the film feel like a waste of time.

"The Andromeda Strain" was nominated for two Oscars, one for Best Art Direction (long-time Wise collaborator Boris Leven and William Tuntke) and Best Film Editing (Stuart Gilmore and John W. Holmes), both of which were strongly deserved.

Grade: A-

From the mind of Michael Crichton comes a movie with a horrifying scenario. Not man-eating dinosaurs or killer robots, but a terribly deadly alien micro-organism dubbed "Andromeda."

"Andromeda Strain" is a frighteningly brilliant concept that has similarities with "War of the Worlds." The idea of an alien micro-organism that swiftly dispatches of its host is beyond scary. "Andromeda Strain" is a very detailed film on how such a problem would be dealt with by the U.S. government.

As a total production, this movie was amazing. Very little, if anything, was missed. It was so detail oriented the movie seemed to cover every step that would be taken in a biological warfare or viral outbreak scenario. It is truly impressive, especially for 1971. This movie covers the extreme measures taken by military, government, and scientists alike to identify and limit the spread and impact of a deadly micro-organism.

I say get your sci-fi fright fix and watch "Andromeda Strain."

One of the most rigorously complex books by Michael Crichton has managed to withstand the sands of time to remain a taught and gripping thriller. Instead of big special effects, this film relies on situations and dialogue, letting the intensity of the characters tell the story. All of the actors involved were excellent, exhibiting the complexity of their various roles and the scientific savvy they had to possess. While some will put down the film for its strange colors and lack of a bombshell actress (oh boo-frickety hoo!), the strength lies in the people's eyes. This technique is now being reused in films like Signs, and let's hope this method of fear and paranoia reasserts itself in the modern world.

Don't go into this expecting a popcorn 'Contagion' or 'Outbreak' type film, it's far more cerebral than either of those. First time I started to watch it I was a bit tired, and must admit fell asleep about three quarters of an hour in. Refreshed, I started again and appreciated it much more. You'll have to have an interest in science to really get something out of it, but if you do I highly recommend it

I first heard of and read the work of Michael Crichton by chance in my early teens, and found him to be one of the most engaging writers I'd come across. That position still holds; his novels are beautifully paced and expertly crafted, with character driven narratives and well constructed dialogue. As a result, I was sceptical as to how well this would come across in film. I'd seen Jurassic Park before I'd read it and found it very entertaining, though reading the novel highlighted how much of the original story had been 're-made for Hollywood'. Thankfully, The Andromeda Strain does not suffer from the obligatory 'magic touch' of Hollywood.

It is paced excellently, steadily building tension whilst thoroughly and accurately exploring how science might discover and potentially exploit extraterrestrial life. The characters are realistic, both in appearance and behaviour, each with their own unavoidable faults that add significantly to the story. As a result, there is an unnerving undertone of man's authority, the right of humanity to conquer the unknown, best described by Dr. Stone - "we will understand it and destroy it". By the end, you will not root for mankind.

Suffice to say, this is one of the best films I've ever seen, easily the best science fiction film. Thoroughly recommended.

When the capsule of the Scoop Mission returns to Earth and lands in the small town of Piedmont, it brings a mutant living being and all the population, except a crying baby and an old man with ulcer, dies with clotted blood. A team of five scientists – the leader Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill), Dr. Charles Dutton (David Wayne), Dr. Mark Hall (James Olson), Dr. Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid) and Dr. Kirkie – are summoned and gathered together in the top secret Wildfire facility. Fighting against time, they try to understand the reason why the old man and the baby survived and research an antidote to Andromeda, the ultimate biological weapon.

"The Andromeda Strain" was a successful, believable and scary sci-fi in the beginning of the 70's, in the top of the cold war and the American imperialism in Latin American and Vietnam. The suspenseful story is very well directed and acted, using split screens that were common in the 70's. The technology of robotic and mecatronics shown in the research facility is ahead of time. In 1951, Robert Wise made one of the best sci-fi movies I have ever seen, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", with a message of peace. Twenty years later, he gives another example of the importance of peace on Earth. If the viewer pays attention in the end of the movie to the discussion of the scientists about what might be done in a biological crisis, he or she will see the last word of the computer after analyzing the data: "STOP". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Enigma de Andrômeda" ("The Enigma of Andromeda")

Having watched his previous films, The Curse of the Cat People & The Day the Earth Stood Still, just recently, I went to YouTube to watch this one. It concerns a virus outbreak in the town of Piedmont that leaves virtually all its inhabitants dead with the exceptions of a man named Jackson (George Mitchell) and an infant baby. It's up to four scientists-Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill), Dr. Charles Dutton (David Wayne), Dr. Mark Hall (James Olson), and Dr. Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid) to try to find a cause and probable cure. One of them also works with associate Karen Anson (Paula Kelly) in taking care of Jackson and the infant. I'll stop there and mention how intriguing it was hearing many of the scientific info while they were occasionally getting emotional when the strains of being kept in such claustrophobic quarters wore on. And the final running sequence was such a nail-biter! Kudos to Nelson Gidding for adapting Michael Crichton's novel in fine screen form. Also to Gil Melle for the electronic score. And director Robert Wise shows here how he can adapt to modern movie techniques when he shows more than one scene at a time in certain instances like when we see various dead bodies in the desert. Or when a few experimental animals are breathing their last. So on that note, I highly recommend The Andromeda Strain. P.S. Since I like to cite people who were born in places I lived in, I have to note that Michael Crichton was a native, like me, of Chicago, Ill. and that Paula Kelly was born in Jacksonville, Fla., which I lived in from 1987-2003.

I was 10 years old when this movie hit the theaters. The space program was still quite young, people didn't think along the lines of alien life growing as green dots on a pebble that hit the satellite in space. A test facility like this might be an afterthought in 2022, but 50 years ago it was science fiction. Watch this one before you watch the remake.

The opening scene of this 1971 sci-fi film reveals how its creators have brilliantly updated the classic 1950s sci-films to the modern day era. In the old version, think the Blob, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the classic all-American town becomes the target of some other-worldly visitor. Because it's the 1950s, it's conceivable that the town can be isolated from the rest of the world and its residents have to fight this aliens or virus on their own. In Andromeda Stain, the opening scene has the police being alerted to a horrible incident discovered in the classic all American town. In the next scene, jet fighters are dispatched to investigate, they fly over the town and everyone is dead. So Andromeda takes off where the old movies would have ended. You just couldn't make any more movies set in isolated American towns in the 1970s so the directors didn't try, but instead used it as their starting off point. We soon find out that yes, an other worldly virus of some kind has visited the town killing all but two people. Here's the interesting twist, rather than being afraid of being contaminated, the movie spends a long time showing how the scientists sent to study the virus in the top secret facility have to be completely sanitized before they study it. The rest of the movie brilliant juxtaposes incredibly claustrophobic scenes inside this super duper top secret facility with expansive horizon views taken from aircraft. Although some reviewers have commented on how silly the special effects are I found they held up remarkably well considering the film is 35 years old. A definite watch for any sci-fi film fan.

Based on a science-fiction book by Michael Crighton, this movie shows the potential threat that biological weapons pose. The book was written in the late 1960's and turned into a movie soon after, however the themes are still relevant to the modern world. I was amazed at the technology used and the imagination of the author of this book which was way ahead of its time. The film crew (in particular the special effects team) would have had to work hard and creatively in order to achieve the fantastic results they did. It goes to show that technology is not always best – the way in which buildings and diagrams were filmed using projectors and scaled-down models made for more believable effects than modern computers could probably have done. I will admit that some people may feel that the story lags a little in places, as the movie is definitely Science Fiction and would not appeal to everyone with its highly detailed account and industry lingo. However I was kept intrigued throughout; curious and fascinated by scientific and medical procedures which must have required lengthy research, as well as a 'who dunnit' quality where I kept trying to solve the mystery from all the clues which I had been given. I also highly enjoyed the dialogue between various characters and their attitudes. To bring a sense of irony and sarcastic wit into this serious situation lightened the mood in essential parts and made the characters more approachable to the general public in my eyes.

The final action sequence where everyone is saved in a nick of time bordered on cheesy however. I appreciate the need to increase the suspense before releasing it completely, but the way in which the hero was kept from his mission was unbelievable to the point of irritating and I almost fast forwarded the movie to the end because it was very obvious that he would overcome his obstacles yet these delays were not impressive. The characters were cast very well, using good actors but no large Hollywood names. This made it easier to slip into this fictional world and entertain the possibility that perhaps the situation could manifest itself in reality. My favourite part was the final scene where the scientist is speaking with a senator, giving him news that the virus has been stopped. He then says how without new knowledge there is no guarantee that a "biological crisis" won't occur again. The senator asks "what do we do about that?" The professor replies simply "precisely". It makes the audience stop and think, and hopefully even question what the government gets up to in the name of National Security. This movie is a cleverly written eye-opener and I am surprised that it has been relegated to the back shelf where very few people will ever find it.

Michael Crichton's first best-selling novel was turned into this now classic apocalyptic sci-fi movie by director and producer Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, West Side Story, The Sound of Music). His directorial and editing style draws inspiration from 20th century newsreels, which turns out to be a rather neat and effective trick. Once the concept is established - about a deadly extraterrestrial organism found in rural New Mexico, and the scientists who subsequently try to control and analyse it - The Andromeda Strain turns into a rare breed of big-budget visuals and low-budget actors doing solid work. More than half the film is set in a high-tech lab environment, in which Wise has no qualms with expecting you to be his attentive student. There is little action, but lots of tension and scientific talk. And along with the lavish futuristic sets this tricks you into believing - or at least feeling - the peril. The four principal scientists are played by a solid quartet of relatively unknown actors, the most convincing of which may well be James Olson as the surgeon Dr. Mark Hall. Remade as a negatively received TV miniseries in 2008, starring Benjamin Bratt.

A very interesting science fiction mystery movie. I consider it a "quiet" film because it is not full of action and the thrills, what little there is in the film is subtle. This is good movie to watch for lovers of mystery and sci-fi. I recommend watching the movie.

The Andromeda Strain (1971) is not a cheap b-rated sci-fi with only entertainment given to the viewer. Instead, The Andromeda Strain (1971) has quite a lot to offer the viewer in way of good acting, an interesting story and a mystery to solve. The special effects are not bad for a 1971 movie. It also has a nostalgic look to the movie sets but still right up par with newer science fiction flicks.

8.5/10

I haven't watched this movie in years. Literally. I loved it when I first saw it - which was probably when it first came out and then again in the 80's. Maybe even 90's. Watching it now (in 2013) puts a whole new spin on it. Firstly, the story is captivating. Mutating outer-worldly killer thing gone wild - but not really. The story and plot are predicable and there were some "riskay" butt scenes - but what really got my attention was the technology aspect - the computer system, the stylus and touch screen, all of that. Add the look at a bunch of 70's cars in the town and it was sort of like watching an old movie. Wait! It is an old movie! The warped male/female way things were - totally male dominated society - but they did place the grumpy woman Dr. there (she was a he in the book). Anyway, it was a fun watch.

This movie taught me what the sci-fi genre is about. The atmosphere is already striking from the opening credits and the soundtrack. A different kind of atmosphere that I have not found in other movies of the genre. I would call it "pure sci-fi". Despite being from 1971, it is one of the most exciting "science and technology" experiences I've ever seen in a movie. Yes, old transistors, test tubes, microscopes ... tangible things that you don't struggle to identify as plausible. Scientists look like ... scientists, middle-aged, non-athletic people, each one with his humanity but not particularly concerned with personal matters (what a relief). These assumptions make the fantastical components of the story more engaging. A pleasant discovery.

I watched this film not that long ago, thinking that it would be sadly lacking in special effects because it was made in the early 70's. Yes, true, this was the case, but special effects were not needed in this fascinating tale of a killer virus desperatly trying to be contolled by a group of elite scientists. The story and script are impressive and the climax to the movie are worth the wait.

Great film, 8/10.