"The Andromeda Strain" - review

A little too cool, but wonderfully calculated

Michael Crichton is a name well-known in literary and film circles these days, but back in 1971, the adaptation into film of his first novel "The Andromeda Strain" attracted little fanfare.  It wasn't until the box office juggernaut of Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" in 1993 that Crichton truly became a household name.  However, despite the absence of modern visual effects, I prefer director Robert Wise's more measured approach to Crichton's work, and "The Andromeda Strain" is still a frighteningly relevant and prescient story.

The United States has secretly sent out a satellite to literally scoop something extraterrestrial from the vacuum of space and return it to the Earth for examination.  Naturally, the trouble starts when they are successful and the organism, upon accidental release from its capsule in a small desert town, threatens to destroy all human life.  However, such contingencies have been anticipated, and the procedures for dealing with such a deadly threat within a massive underground laboratory comprise the bulk of the story.

From the opening credits, the pacing is tense.  Director Robert Wise succinctly sets the stage, introduces the characters and constantly reminds us that the clock is loudly ticking.  When the scientists are gathered to deal with the organism, there is barely time for goodbyes.  They are called and must go immediately.  Time is critical to solving what could be an extinction level event and the assembled team is starting from scratch as they know absolutely nothing about their subject.

While the character development isn't the strongest, the film is still quite gripping via the detailed and layered scientific protocols that are deployed to try and determine what the Andromeda Strain is and how humankind can possibly survive it.  While the rigorous processes employed sometimes outweigh the emotional and psychological components, this is a part of what is demanded of the people who must calmly persevere if they are to prevent a potential apocalypse.

As with many films from several decades ago, "The Andromeda Strain" may feel dated in some ways, but it stands as a unique science fiction story because it relies mainly upon science for its drama instead of fiction.  Some may find the story tepid or the pacing too slow, but because it's a more realistic approach to a crisis situation, I find the film to be a very credible and enthralling story compared to the usual callow and CGI-splattered spectacles that the cinema usually offers.