Review of The Andromeda Strain (1971) by Kevin R — 01 Nov 2009

We see bodies?lots of them.

A satellite comes crashing to the Earth and lands just outside a small village. The military sends a unit to retrieve the satellite, but when the unit arrives in the village, everyone is dead. The military sweeps in and finds two survivors and collects samples from the village. It becomes quickly apparent that the death of the aliens is due to an alien strain from outer space; but, is it a viral, oral, or a parasite alien species causing the infection?

?Don?t encourage the president to think that scientists are wizards. Even you can?t perform miracles.?

Robert Wise, director of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, West Side Story (1961), The Haunting, The Sound of Music, The Hindenburg, The Body Snatcher (1945), and Blood on the Moon, delivers Andromeda Strain. The storyline for this film was clever and well delivered; however, the scientific aspects of the film were a little overblown and monotonous. The acting was superb and the cast included Arthur Hill (The Stone Boy), David Wayne (The Big Gamble), James Olson (Amityville II), and Kate Reid (The Ugly Little Boy).

?The birds eat the infected flesh and then go off and spread the disease.?

Andromeda Strain is a movie I have been meaning to see for some time. I feel that this film had a lot going for it. It had a wonderful plot, well delivered characters, and a wonderful theme; however, the film ran way too long and focused more on technology than it did on the actual alien menace. I do recommend seeing this film but it does not belong in your DVD collection.

?Look at his butt!?

Grade: C+.