The Andromeda Strain (1971)
March 18, 2024 9:36 AM - Subscribe
[TRAILER] Virtually all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico, are found dead after the return to Earth of a space satellite. A group of eminent scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone scramble to a secure laboratory and try to first isolate the life form while determining why two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived. The scientists methodically study the alien life form unaware that it has already mutated and presents a far greater danger in the lab, which is equipped with a nuclear self-destruct device designed to prevent the escape of dangerous biological agents.
Starring Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Peter Hobbs.
Produced and directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Nelson Gidding, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. A Universal Pictures production.
Cinematography by Richard H. Kline. Edited by Stuart Gilmore, John W. Holmes. Music by Gil Mellé.
67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
JustWatch listing.
Starring Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Peter Hobbs.
Produced and directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Nelson Gidding, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. A Universal Pictures production.
Cinematography by Richard H. Kline. Edited by Stuart Gilmore, John W. Holmes. Music by Gil Mellé.
67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
JustWatch listing.
It's a good movie, and one of my favorite disaster movies. I works because it treats the problem seriously, and it is all focused on the process of solving the puzzle. I laugh now though that the solution ends up sweeping everything into the ocean, there certainly can't be any negative effects from that!
posted by Carillon at 11:36 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
posted by Carillon at 11:36 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]
It's been years but I recall there being a deeply strange fetishization of technology running throughout this movie, with shots lingering over all sorts of cutting edge futuristic inventions like surveillance cameras, and lots of time spent on tedious lab techniques and decontamination procedures and such. For instance, it forces you to go through the various levels of decontamination with the characters as you're introduced to the secret facility in what some might find to be slow, excruciating detail, but I enjoyed the film's commitment to the bit.
It's *very* early 70s and a mostly fascinating watch once you get in sync with its odd pace, with wonderful sets, a fantastically weird electronic score (you can hear some of it with the cool opening credits here) and a pretty suspenseful story, starting from the creepy dead town at the beginning, slowing down to salivate over THE SCIENCE of it all, then ramping up towards the end. That Robert Wise (midway between his direction of The Sound Of Music and Star Trek: The Motion Picture) added a female scientist to Crichton's all-male crew in the book, *and* made her the most intelligent and interesting character, just adds to the fun.
Top-notch 70s scifi. Roger Ebert's original 1971 review has tons of praise for the production design and is also a hoot:
One of the problems with science-fiction movies has always been the hardware. We're asked to believe that our heroes are somewhere beyond Alpha Centuri and picking up steam, but their control panel looks like a 1949 Studebaker that's dropped acid.
"2001" put all that behind, and made it necessary for science-fiction movies (ambitious ones, at least) to create a plausible environment. "The Andromeda Strain" does that absolutely brilliantly.
I think I need a rewatch. Thanks, DOT!
posted by mediareport at 12:16 PM on March 18 [4 favorites]
It's *very* early 70s and a mostly fascinating watch once you get in sync with its odd pace, with wonderful sets, a fantastically weird electronic score (you can hear some of it with the cool opening credits here) and a pretty suspenseful story, starting from the creepy dead town at the beginning, slowing down to salivate over THE SCIENCE of it all, then ramping up towards the end. That Robert Wise (midway between his direction of The Sound Of Music and Star Trek: The Motion Picture) added a female scientist to Crichton's all-male crew in the book, *and* made her the most intelligent and interesting character, just adds to the fun.
Top-notch 70s scifi. Roger Ebert's original 1971 review has tons of praise for the production design and is also a hoot:
One of the problems with science-fiction movies has always been the hardware. We're asked to believe that our heroes are somewhere beyond Alpha Centuri and picking up steam, but their control panel looks like a 1949 Studebaker that's dropped acid.
"2001" put all that behind, and made it necessary for science-fiction movies (ambitious ones, at least) to create a plausible environment. "The Andromeda Strain" does that absolutely brilliantly.
I think I need a rewatch. Thanks, DOT!
posted by mediareport at 12:16 PM on March 18 [4 favorites]
I love this movie. I liked the book as well. I was a little frustrated with the tense movie ending, because in the book Crichton explicitly gave the character more time to abort the explosion, but of course Hollywood needs it to be more sexy.
I used to repeatedly quote the little security passphrase exchange (Howdy, Howdy Doody) to my friends in high school, much to their chagrin.
And 2nding mediareport, I need to watch this again.
posted by Gorgik at 12:19 PM on March 18
I used to repeatedly quote the little security passphrase exchange (Howdy, Howdy Doody) to my friends in high school, much to their chagrin.
And 2nding mediareport, I need to watch this again.
posted by Gorgik at 12:19 PM on March 18
If anyone ends up chasing down a physical copy, that Arrow Blu Ray I mentioned is just about a perfect edition, even without being 4K.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:21 PM on March 18
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:21 PM on March 18
Wow, the extras on that look great, including a half-hour appreciation by horror/scifi writer Kim Newman (Anno Dracula). Newman also filmed a neat extra for the wonderful 1963 Czech scifi gem Ikarie XB 1, one of my fave "look at their imaginings of future tech!" films.
posted by mediareport at 12:45 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]
posted by mediareport at 12:45 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]
It's been years but I recall there being a deeply strange fetishization of technology running throughout this movie, with shots lingering over all sorts of cutting edge futuristic inventions like surveillance cameras, and lots of time spent on tedious lab techniques and decontamination procedures and such. For instance, it forces you to go through the various levels of decontamination with the characters as you're introduced to the secret facility in what some might find to be slow, excruciating detail, but I enjoyed the film's commitment to the bit.
I think the movie being based on a Crichton novel explains the technology fetishization. I also enjoyed the trip through the decon sequence as it tickled a part of my nerd brain that doesn't usually get much attention even from sci-fi movies. And actually I made my girlfriend, who is deeply familiar with biohazards and PPE, watch the whole thing just to critique its accuracy.
That said though one thing I had forgotten which bothered my girlfriend is that there is some depiction of experimentation on lab animals, so tread cautiously if that bothers you.
The high tension of the end sequence is great as is the creepy opening in the town, but even in the slower middle the fear of an invisible airborne pathogen did a number on me anyway. Definitely a film I've gone back to watch several times and would do again!
posted by sigmagalator at 2:22 PM on March 18 [2 favorites]
I think the movie being based on a Crichton novel explains the technology fetishization. I also enjoyed the trip through the decon sequence as it tickled a part of my nerd brain that doesn't usually get much attention even from sci-fi movies. And actually I made my girlfriend, who is deeply familiar with biohazards and PPE, watch the whole thing just to critique its accuracy.
That said though one thing I had forgotten which bothered my girlfriend is that there is some depiction of experimentation on lab animals, so tread cautiously if that bothers you.
The high tension of the end sequence is great as is the creepy opening in the town, but even in the slower middle the fear of an invisible airborne pathogen did a number on me anyway. Definitely a film I've gone back to watch several times and would do again!
posted by sigmagalator at 2:22 PM on March 18 [2 favorites]
This movie was on afternoon TV a lot when I was kid, I grew to love the hi-tech stuff in there. I guess I always wanted a secret underground lair filled with computers. I read the book years later and it proved the movie was pretty true to the book.
Fun fact: they only had one "underground scientific building donut hallway" set so they repainted it over and over in different colors and shot all the scenes for that floor at the same time.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:27 PM on March 18 [6 favorites]
Fun fact: they only had one "underground scientific building donut hallway" set so they repainted it over and over in different colors and shot all the scenes for that floor at the same time.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:27 PM on March 18 [6 favorites]
I really like this movie. Originally saw it when it came out, and was mesmerized by it. Even then, though, I thought it hilarious that one of the key plot points was a mechanical bell being muted by a scrap of paper. All that high-tech being kneecapped by mundane low-tech.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:00 AM on March 19
posted by Thorzdad at 5:00 AM on March 19
Yeah, I was always a sucker for the "secret base" school of SciFi - Thunderbirds and all the other Gerry Anderson shows, Man From UNCLE, James Bond supervillain lairs, etc - so the book was totally my jam when I was 12-13 years old. I didn't actually see the movie until sometime in the 1990s, by which point the technology in the film was already woefully behind the times. They were trying to be more "plausible" than "futuristic" with their vision of an actual clandestine scientific research station, but that stuff just does not age well. I might appreciate it more now just for the retro feel.
posted by briank at 7:29 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
posted by briank at 7:29 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
the technology in the film was already woefully behind the times
Whatever happened to light pens, anyway? I never got to use one in the wild.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:40 AM on March 19
Whatever happened to light pens, anyway? I never got to use one in the wild.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:40 AM on March 19
A fine film from the director of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And Rooftops.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:23 PM on March 19
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:23 PM on March 19
I really liked this when I was a teen, it had a great minimalist modern look and feel. It was sort of slow for me, but I thought the same thing about 2001.
Of course, it became one of the movies I had to berate when I went through the "everything sucks" stage of life, where I'd make fun of other sci-fi nerds who loved it.
Now, if it's on I'll watch.
But, whatever you do, avoid the A&E 2008 mini-series as if it was the Strain itself.
posted by Marky at 2:39 PM on March 19
Of course, it became one of the movies I had to berate when I went through the "everything sucks" stage of life, where I'd make fun of other sci-fi nerds who loved it.
Now, if it's on I'll watch.
But, whatever you do, avoid the A&E 2008 mini-series as if it was the Strain itself.
posted by Marky at 2:39 PM on March 19
Whatever happened to light pens, anyway?
We learned about gorilla arm.
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:21 PM on March 19
We learned about gorilla arm.
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:21 PM on March 19
To the film's credit, even in the scenes in which animals seem to die, no animals were actually harmed. Still a bit cruel, but honestly, I was convinced they'd really killed those lab animals. So better than that, anyway.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:02 PM on March 19 [5 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:02 PM on March 19 [5 favorites]
a fantastically weird electronic score
A soundtrack LP was released, which I had for several years. The music didn't send me, however, so I let it go. Quite collectible now, at least the initial release, since the disc was actually a hexagon! (See it in this eBay listing, and its Discogs entry has links to all the tracks on YouTube.) I imagine those hexagonal corners could've knocked the stylus off of certain automatic turntables.
two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived
The alcoholic was apparently fond of drinking Sterno, which has always blown my mind. He called it "squeeze" (at one point suggesting they give some to the baby) which has become my term for anybody's substance, whatever you're addicted to; however, whenever I try using this term in conversation, nobody gets it.
posted by Rash at 6:49 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]
A soundtrack LP was released, which I had for several years. The music didn't send me, however, so I let it go. Quite collectible now, at least the initial release, since the disc was actually a hexagon! (See it in this eBay listing, and its Discogs entry has links to all the tracks on YouTube.) I imagine those hexagonal corners could've knocked the stylus off of certain automatic turntables.
two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived
The alcoholic was apparently fond of drinking Sterno, which has always blown my mind. He called it "squeeze" (at one point suggesting they give some to the baby) which has become my term for anybody's substance, whatever you're addicted to; however, whenever I try using this term in conversation, nobody gets it.
posted by Rash at 6:49 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]
Seth 'Traitor Baru Cormorant' Dickinsons Exordia is a recently released book about a transgalactic incursion that has a lot of decontamination porn in it. Great book, and horrifyingly tense and high stakes.
posted by Sebmojo at 10:44 PM on March 21
posted by Sebmojo at 10:44 PM on March 21
I also remember digging this when I first saw it as an early teen, precisely because of all the tech stuff.
Weirdly, I also liked that the cast was comprised of actors that I didn't recognize. I was better able to pretend that "ooh, this is really happening and I'm watching a documentary" than I would have done if it had starred, say, Al Pacino. I liked Primer for exactly the same reason - a more hands-on, nitty-gritty look at Teh Science as opposed to it being something visually fancy that didn't feel realistic, combined with actors I didn't recognize so I could get suckered into "oh, this is really a thing and those are really the people". (I first saw Primer tuning in halfway through on PBS or something, and I legit thought it was a news piece of some kind at first.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:08 AM on March 22
Weirdly, I also liked that the cast was comprised of actors that I didn't recognize. I was better able to pretend that "ooh, this is really happening and I'm watching a documentary" than I would have done if it had starred, say, Al Pacino. I liked Primer for exactly the same reason - a more hands-on, nitty-gritty look at Teh Science as opposed to it being something visually fancy that didn't feel realistic, combined with actors I didn't recognize so I could get suckered into "oh, this is really a thing and those are really the people". (I first saw Primer tuning in halfway through on PBS or something, and I legit thought it was a news piece of some kind at first.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:08 AM on March 22
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Some laugh out loud day for night shots in the opening (until a character says it's night you'd have never guessed they hoped ot get away with that), but otherwise, it looks great.
The "high tech" production design is like a time capsule of the direction people thought technology was headed fifty years ago. Kate Reid as Dr. Ruth Leavitt--a cranky old broad of a scientist--is a delight and a welcome relief from other depictions of female scientists from the era.
The Arrow disc of this that I watched had a gorgeous transfer.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:40 AM on March 18 [6 favorites]