guylyons I loved this superb work, and got such a surprise when i first saw it. I would recommend that the reviews are not studied, in part because the film is best viewed as the story unfolds. I found the actors and dialogue so convincing, that i almost felt i was present during the key scenes. Having seen it at least three times, i cannot recommend it enough. Back in 1971 i found it more than educational, which was a nice bonus.

nannite This movie does one thing well, but it does it very very very well. It is masterful in its cold, sterile depiction of technology as well as metaphorically depicting the different worlds in which scientists and non-scientists exist.Other than that its just an OK movie. Worth watching, 6.5/10 if IMDb had half stars.There is no suspense until the climatic action sequence. It is a good sequence though.The special effects are outdated. Although there are some really good bits involving animals dying suddenly. Apparently they actually suffocated the animals until they passed out, then brought them back around.The ending scene of this movie is laughably bad. It involves the main character testifying with ominous music and ends on a goofy line, followed by goofy special effects.I think my favorite part of this movie was the random PA announcements that were taking place. The general ambiance and sets used in this movie is great.

meritcoba For sure, the Andromeda Strain has an interesting premise! The inhabitants of a village in the middle of nowhere all die where they stand, but for a newborn and an oldster. The suspect? An alien microscopic life form carried to earth by a returning satellite. Thus a group of scientists is put together, more or less under duress, to investigate events. First at ground zero and later in an underground secret lab somewhere in a desert in Nevada. But after this promising start the movie makers forgot something. Shouldn't they put a timer on the whole thing? Granted they do that, but very late into the movie and even at that point they forget to inform group of investigators until even later because they scientists are incommunicado with the rest of the world. So the drama that is for the grab is lost and what conflicts arise never lead to anything serious that you would expect when disparate people have to work under pressure to save the world from extinction. This missed opportunity is born out by little mistakes, such as the fact that the men all are clean shaven even after days of hard work. In fact the whole movie looks crispy and clean. There is even drama fully cooked and ready when some members start to suspect that the alien life form might have something to do with biological warfare. But that moment of tension sizzle out to nothing. Another conflict arises when the scientists advocate to nuke the village, but the politicians hesitate. But it is hardly an issue that impacts the plot. While it should have as it leads up to a twist in the movie. The movie focuses on the scientific investigation using instruments that look hopelessly dated nowadays. A sizable part of the movie has the team go through a sixteen hour decontamination procedure involving a slow descend through five levels of the underground lab that ought to impress the viewers. And I would agree such painstaking thoroughness is impressive and a pain to watch to. And we then see them do the meticulously scientific research for another big part of the movie, which is again an awesome testimonial to the scientific method, but at times feels as exciting as watching paint dry. Blinking computer screens with unintelligible numbers don't do it for me. It is boring.The b rate actors are unable to add to the tension arch which doesn't mean they do a bad job, but they are just not able to amend for the lack of drama like a Henry Fonda can. He can make any dull line of conversation seem interesting but the actors that are billed here aren't up to it. At times the actors looked nailed to the ground, standing up erect and delivering their lines in an almost monotone voice. So now I really saw what wooden acting looks like. All in all the movie is still watchable while you are doing something else as well. For once this might be a movie that actually might do a lot better when remade. I suspect the novel by Crichton is still good material. Just add some more dialog and drama. All ready to go.

SnoopyStyle The military finds most of the population of Piedmont, New Mexico dead. The town's doctor had found a satellite and opened it. Something is leaving everybody's blood clotted. The only survivors are an old alcoholic and a baby. Project Scoop declares an emergency to gather a group of eminent scientists in a facility rigged with a self-destruction nuclear device. Specimens, the satellite and the survivors are sent there. The scientists race to find the cause of the mass death.The movie is a bit dry. It's more in love with the technical aspects of this incident than the personal human aspects. It spends most of its time explaining technical procedures and scientific concepts. It ends up being too sterile but fascinating nevertheless.