Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Andromeda Strain (1971)



          Long before contemporary virus-on-the-loose movies such as Outbreak (1995) and Contagion (2011), writer Michael Crichton explored the terror of a potentially unstoppable blight with his 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, which provided the basis for this intense, Oscar-nominated movie. Built around the idea of a virulent alien entity brought to Earth by a returning space probe that crash lands in a tiny Southwestern town, Crichton’s tale spends very little time depicting the effects of the virus on the outside world. Instead, the bulk of his story takes place inside Wildfire, a massive underground complex designed for responding to viral threats. Accordingly, The Andromeda Strain is one of the most methodical thrillers in sci-fi history, favoring logic and reason over melodrama until the final act, which succumbs to silly ticking-clock story mechanics.
          Drawing on his background as a medical doctor, Crichton painstakingly envisioned the procedures that might be followed in such a facility, so the screen adaptation sometimes feels like a training film as it portrays disinfection baths, specimen analysis, and so forth. In fact, the challenges of adhering to scientific method inform the film’s character conflicts—the mastermind behind Wildfire, bacteria specialist Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill), repeatedly criticizes his people for succumbing to emotionalism. This cold-blooded approach irks Stone’s subordinates, including compassionate medical doctor Dr. Mark Hall (James Olson), avuncular pathologist Dr. Charles Dutton (David Wayne), and irritable microbiologist Dr. Ruth Leavitt (Kate Reid). These characters must overcome interpersonal friction as they unravel mysteries with apocalyptic implications.
          Director Robert Wise, whose previous contribution to the sci-fi genre was the chilling classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), mirrors the clinical subject matter by utilizing a restrained style. Most scenes are detailed and lengthy, revealing minuscule details about procedure and technology. Combined with the film’s spectacular production design—think smooth chrome surfaces hiding ornate infrastructure—Wise’s storytelling surrounds the characters with dehumanizing atmosphere. Composer Gil Melle’s freaky electronic music, comprising all sorts of mechanized beeps and screeches, jacks up tension considerably.
          The movie occasionally cuts outside Wildfire to depict the activities of military men appraising the contagion’s spread, but the real drama stems from watching the scientists expand their knowledge of the alien killer in their midst. Operating within the tight parameters of the movie’s icy style, leading actors infuse their characters with effective colorations. Hill incarnates a pure scientist capable of fully suppressing his emotions, while to varying degrees his costars let loose. Olsen vigorously attacks the thankless task of portraying the story’s bleeding-heart character, and Reid contributes subtly distinctive work as a woman hiding a secretSome might find the picture’s approach too muted (the movie is rated G despite fleeting gore and nudity), but given that it spends 130 minutes dramatizing combat against an antagonist the size of a grain of sand, The Andromeda Strain is memorably smart and suspenseful.

The Andromeda Strain: GROOVY

11 comments:

Raider Duck said...

Good movie, but I've always had two big problems with it (SPOILER WARNING):

1) The characters make a big deal out of discovering Dr. Leavitt's epilepsy and saying it's no big deal and how dare anyone think her less qualified because it. But later in the movie, she has a brief seizure that causes her to miss a crucial piece of information. So maybe her medical condition WAS a problem after all?

2) You build a biological weapons facility that's set to blow up in event of contamination unless a key is inserted into a special console. You then leave these consoles unfinished and build the rest of the station. Shouldn't those consoles (which are there to prevent the incineration of the facility and deaths of everyone in it) be the FIRST things you bring online???

Unknown said...

I happen to love this movie (hey, someone named Hall saves the world -- not even The Day After Tomorrow really manages that), so I will at long last try to take on these objections. They are thoughtful and worthy, but I'm not so sure they're quite so absolute.

1. Leavitt's epilepsy only became an issue due to dopey and insensitive design. While it is to some degree understandable, was it absolutely necessary to have that reading flash red? Left entirely to herself, Leavitt was perfectly capable of seeing "Huh -- no growth!" But no, they had to insist on a flashing red readout. That was design's fault, not hers.

2. In fact, that's the underlying lesson of Strain, the idea that systems, however sophisticated, can still mess up in the dumbest ways. This extends from the scroll of the communique curling back up in such a way as to keep the bell from ringing, to the whole back-forth-back-forth as to whether or not setting off the device is a good or bad idea. The consoles being incomplete unfortunately makes realistic sense when you consider that this is a government project, agreed to very begrudgingly in the first place, and some engineer may have poorly predicted that the option to cancel detonation would be so obvious that surely a scientist would be standing ready with his key in mere seconds. Clearly no one expected anyone to have to climb up floor after floor of the core area while being made severely woozy from laser fire.

Wildfire in practice was a battlefield between Murphy's law and design expectations. This happens everywhere. You would think that British Petroleum would make sure to avert a giant Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and you would be wrong. Before that, what Osama bin Laden probably imagined as mere gouges in the twin towers turned out to be their spectacular obliteration. Strain was Crichton's greatest novel on this theme. By the time he did Jurassic Park, he was getting sloppy.

Brian David Schwartz said...

You had me right up until your comment about unremarkable acting. Wow. The four principle actors (Olsen, Wayne, Reid and especially Hill) all had extensive, stage-acting experience.

While much of the film moves along with great economy, the actors grip the audience with their gradual, meaty descent from calm rationality to almost-restrained anger and terror. Please watch the film again, you may concur on a later viewing - - the actors give layered performances.

Jamal said...

Just saw this a cpl of weeks ago. I thought it was dull AF!!

Joseph Kearny said...

After a terrific start, the film seems to switch gears and focus and becomes rather mediocre and quite disappointing.

robin said...

This is one of the few SF films that actually shows people doing something resembling real science (Contact is another). And it shows a woman scientist too, with quirky personality to boot. For that it's already worth attention. But the tense direction, slow burn suspense, excellent acting, and incredible soundtrack elevates The Andromeda Strain above most every other SF offering. The "must beat a countdown" gimmick is the only weakness to the plot. But then there's the scenes of hazmat suits in a dead village. Wow. Made a huge impression on me as a child.

Barry Miller said...



Delta. Omicron. Andromeda.

Unknown said...

The film did not win an Oscar. It was nominated for excellent art direction and not judicious editing. It's a movie I have affection for, but not a deep love. It's difficult to enjoy the many scenes with a crying baby assaulting our ears.

By Peter Hanson said...

2022 Update... I had an opportunity to rewatch the film and locked into its frequency even more strongly the second time around, so the review has been expanded and revised.

the guy said...

Completely agree with your review, Peter...one of my favorite Crichton films. The restrained style and clinical approach is a plus, and the production design is simply fantastic. Dr. Crichton himself has a small cameo in the film as a technician....

Joseph Kearny said...

I AGREE WITH THIS CAPSULE REVIEW FROM THE NY TIMES

Despite all the drama of the situation (United States threatened with biological destruction from outer space, etc.) nothing very exciting goes on in The Andromeda Strain. Since nobody greatly feels or acts, we are left with the drama of people tensely sitting around in chairs, twisting dials and watching TV monitors. From time to time, somebody gets up and paces the roo