Director Wise takes few liberties with Michael Crichton's breakthrough best-seller and the film is all the stronger for it.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:15
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.3/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: When a small space probe falls to earth in a remote village of New Mexico, all but two of the town's inhabitants--an infant and an old alcoholic--meet death as their blood turns to powder. After... When a small space probe falls to earth in a remote village of New Mexico, all but two of the town's inhabitants--an infant and an old alcoholic--meet death as their blood turns to powder. After two reconnaissance pilots have also perished, a national state of emergency is declared. The two survivors and the recovered space probe are transported to a mammoth 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 swiftly brought to the lab to discover the nature of the deadly organism brought by the space probe. The team is subjected to grueling hours of precautionary decontamination measures--which are filmed with extraordinary art direction in stunning monochromatic sequences--and informed that the laboratory complex is equipped with an automatic self-destruct device that will be triggered should infection spread. Through exhaustive tests, the team learns that the minute organism, dubbed the ANDROMEDA STRAIN, is alien in nature, and the scientists must quickly find a cure before all of humanity is wiped out. Quietly thrilling, with superb pacing from director Robert Wise, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, based on the novel by Michael Crichton, is one of the most stylistically beautiful science fiction films ever made. [More]
Starring: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne, Kate Reid
Starring: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly
Director: Robert Wise
Director: Robert Wise
Producer: Robert Wise
Composer: Gil Melle
Reviews for The Andromeda Strain
Wise (and Crichton) concoct the most absorbing, riveting take on science fiction tempered with science fact.
Robert Wise brings his Academy Award-winning sobriety and meticulousness to a pulp tale that cries out for the slapdash vigor of a Roger Corman.
An intriguing, suspenseful story is somewhat hampered by a dull cast. The last sequence will have you on the edge of your seat.
The paranoid thriller unfolds at a tedious pace and seems to take forever to develop.
This is probably the most pure science fiction work that author Michael Crichton have ever done.
Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding focus on the details and the science of the story, giving it a natural suspense that nearly holds up for the entire 131 minutes.
Uma ficção-científica inteligente, para adultos, que usa a "ficção" como trampolim para sua fascinante "ciência". E a direção de arte é um espetáculo à parte, mesmo que datada.
Splendid entertainment that will get you worried about whether they'll be able to contain that strange blob of alien green crystal.
Latest News for The Andromeda Strain
November 05, 2008:
Michael Crichton Passes Away (1942-2008)
Best-selling author, screenwriter, and director Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66. The medical doctor-turned-filmmaker was best known for writing... More...
September 15, 2005:
Hollywood Giant Robert Wise Passes Away at 91
Master filmmaker and 4-time Oscar winner Robert Wise has died at the age of 91. Probably best known as the director of films like "The Sound of Music," "West Side... More...
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