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Movies / On DVD / The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain

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The Andromeda Strain (1971)

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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Andromeda Strain

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Director Wise takes few liberties with Michael Crichton's breakthrough best-seller and the film is all the stronger for it.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/05/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Wise does rather plod through the plot.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Wise (and Crichton) concoct the most absorbing, riveting take on science fiction tempered with science fact.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/05/08
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
11/05/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

A great book, but a mind-boggling boring movie.

comment 1 Comment
09/02/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

An intriguing, suspenseful story is somewhat hampered by a dull cast. The last sequence will have you on the edge of your seat.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
11/05/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/23/03
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

comment Comment
11/17/03
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

No review available.

comment Comment
05/07/07
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

The paranoid thriller unfolds at a tedious pace and seems to take forever to develop.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/12/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
07/17/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Disquieting

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

This is probably the most pure science fiction work that author Michael Crichton have ever done.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
10/17/02
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

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.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/18/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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.

comment Comment
11/15/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
08/07/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
02/25/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Splendid entertainment that will get you worried about whether they'll be able to contain that strange blob of alien green crystal.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nothing very exciting goes on.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Roger Greenspun
Roger Greenspun
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

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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