The Andromeda Strain (1971)

	Directed by: Robert Wise	COUNTRY USA GENRE Science Fiction/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Andromeda-trusselen RUNNING TIME 130 minutes
	Produced by: Robert Wise
	Written by (based on the novel by Michael Crichton): Nelson Gidding

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Dr. Jeremy Stone	Arthur Hill	½
Dr. Charles Dutton	David Wayne
Dr. Mark Hall	James Olson
Dr. Ruth Leavitt	Kate Reid
Karen Anson	Paula Kelly
Jackson	George Mitchell	½
Major Arthur Manchek	Ramon Bieri	-
Dr. Robertson	Kermit Murdock	-
Grimes	Richard O'Brien	-

Review

Michael Crichton's first best-selling novel was turned into this now classic apocalyptic sci-fi movie by director and producer Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, West Side Story, The Sound of Music). His directorial and editing style draws inspiration from 20th century newsreels, which turns out to be a rather neat and effective trick. Once the concept is established – about a deadly extraterrestrial organism found in rural New Mexico, and the scientists who subsequently try to control and analyse it – The Andromeda Strain turns into a rare breed of big-budget visuals and low-budget actors doing solid work. More than half the film is set in a high-tech lab environment, in which Wise has no qualms with expecting you to be his attentive student. There is little action, but lots of tension and scientific talk. And along with the lavish futuristic sets this tricks you into believing – or at least feeling – the peril. The four principal scientists are played by a solid quartet of relatively unknown actors, the most convincing of which may well be James Olson as the surgeon Dr. Mark Hall. Remade as a negatively received TV miniseries in 2008, starring Benjamin Bratt.