Notable Cast: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate
Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Kermit Murdock, Richard O’Brien,
Peter Hobbs
The Andromeda Strain has always held a special place
for me as a film. Growing up I was obsessed with the author Michael Crichton.
After seeing Jurassic Park and I went back and read all of his books.
His ability to be completely scientific within the realms of fiction writing
was a style of writing and thoughtfulness I had never experienced before. The
Andromeda Strain was one of my favorite novels. It was intense and
detailed. Even though the book was well over 30 years old at the time I read
it, it shook me with its realistic approach to apocalyptic procedures and space
contagions. When I first saw the film, I couldn’t finish it. I wanted to, but
ten-year-old me just wasn’t able to do so because I would fall asleep every
time. I wanted to love the film, but the translation from the book to the
silver screen was not necessarily the most exciting thing in the world.
Now it’s 2019 and Arrow Video has decided to tackle the
infamous 1970s science fiction “thriller” with the usual gusto that they
approach all of their titles with. It was a prime moment for me to revisit the
film that defied me so long ago and see if, as an adult, I could at least
finish it in one sitting.
I did but 10-year-old me wasn’t too off the mark on this
one.
The Andromeda Strain, like its source material, is a
fascinating examination of concepts, technology, and science fiction from a
bygone era. It tells the tale of a team crafted of hand-picked scientists who
are meant to tackle a secret and very expansive underground testing facility in
the case that a virus or some sort of life form was brought back from outer
space. Well, it happens. A small town in New Mexico is eradicated by an unknown
contagion and they are sent to investigate the matter and address the potential
worldwide threat. Made only 2 years
after the release of the novel, director Robert Wise and Universal Pictures must
have loved what Crichton did with the story so much that they aimed to try and
keep the tone and focus of the novel as much as they could as they translated
it to the big screen. This is both a blessing and a curse for the final
cinematic product. It allows the film to document the scientific concerns of
the time period in a weirdly pristine snapshot of where things were, but it
also creates a film that is bogged down by its attention to detail and focus on the science behind the thrills.
The dedication to the amount of detail and the real science
behind the fiction astounds even to this day. While technology and science
bound forward at an astounding rate, The Andromeda Strain attempts to
showcase the cutting edge of what technology and science were in 1971 and it
spends a substantial time dedicated to it. The film begins in a rather chilling
way, as all of these scientists are practically forced with little explanation
from their daily lives to investigate the event, and the initial portion of the
film where two of them must gather evidence from the site of the decimated town
feels a bit too real at times. This sequence is slathered in a sense of dread
and atmospheric horror that sets up the scale of what these scientists are
meant to deal with. It’s one of the better openings for a contagion outbreak for
cinema just because of its sense of suffocating openness and how the scientists
react to things. It’s nuanced and yet the scope of what is at stake is made
apparent all the while it lays the groundwork for the mystery to be explored
later. Naturally, it’s the best part of the film and the details make it more
horrifying.
As The Andromeda Strain plays out, it only further
and further distances itself from those real-world applications. There is
certainly an intriguing mystery at the core of the plot, one that has some bold
twists as it goes, but the film becomes so infatuated by its own realism to its
world building that it fails to maximize on the thrills of its concept. Even by
the end, where things, like they always do, go completely haywire, the film has
trouble walking the audience through it because it has been so bogged down in
the details that the broad character work and thrills of the concept have gone
with it. This is the aim of the film certainly, but it’s one that undercuts the
thrills. The character arcs feel flat unless they are tied to something
scientific (seizures, the single-man protocol, etc.) and even though there are
some fantastic performances on display the film struggles to maintain the humanity behind its science.
As always, this release is brimming with features courtesy
of the Arrow Video team and their continued focus on delivering the best
release of a film that they can for fans and new-finders alike. The new 4K scan
of the original camera negative is sharp and clean (most certainly a massive
upgrade from my memories of watching this film on VHS) and archived featurettes
partnered with the new commentaries from film critics like Bryan Reesman and
Kim Newman give the film a lot of context for the time period, its place in the
apocalyptic genre, and more. I think Kim Newman’s recorded discussion is the
highlight of the release for me even though the 4K restoration is rather
breathtaking.
Despite my continued love for Crichton’s book, the film
adaption of The Andromeda Strain remains a rather mixed cinematic
experience. Although the design of the research base is sharp and leans towards
science fiction in its own realistic way and Robert Wise does some interesting things
with the way that the narrative plays out to help with the performances, the
intention of the film ultimately bogs down its own thrills as a film. Too much
of the second act is dedicated to procedural plotting and the finale lacks the impact
because the characters are not given quite enough time to be the human part of
the story. After such an astonishing opening of horrific imagery and realistic
shock, it’s no wonder that 10-year-old me always struggled to make it through
to the credits. For all of the interesting things that The Andromeda Strain
does accomplish, it doesn’t necessarily pack on the thrills one might want.
ARROW VIDEO FEATURES:
New restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original camera negative
High Definition (1080p) Blu-Ray presentation
Original uncompressed mono audio, newly remastered for this release
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
A New Strain of Science Fiction, a newly-filmed appreciation by critic Kim Newman
The Andromeda Strain: Making The Film, an archive featurette from 2001 directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring interviews with director Robert Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding
A Portrait of Michael Crichton, an archive featurette from 2001 directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring an interview with author Michael Crichton
Cinescript Gallery, highlights from the annotated and illustrated shooting script by Nelson Gidding
Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
Image gallery
BD-ROM: PDF of the 192-page ''cinescript'' with diagrams and production designs
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Peter Tonguette and archive publicity materials
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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