THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is a sci-fi movie with a difference: there are no light sabres here, no outer space travel, instead this is a thinking man's thriller. That's no surprise given that the source material came from a Michael Crichton novel; viewers will note plenty of similarities between this and the likes of WESTWORLD, for instance. In any case, this is a thoughtful, slow-paced sci-fi mystery in which a team of experts try to work out the nature of a killer virus that may have come from space. Of course, the tension soon ramps up when it becomes apparent that they're working against the clock. Almost the entire film takes place in a remote installation and the claustrophobic setting becomes a character in itself. I have to admit that this wasn't one of my favourite movies; some of the middle section seems a little stodgy with not much happening to further the plot. Still, it definitely picks up for the race-against-the-clock climax, and it's not often these days that you see something genuinely fresh and original in the sci-fi genre, so I can see why it holds the status of a minor classic.
NB. I watched this again on blu-ray and found it a lot better this time around. It's a mystery but a different kind of one - a fresh-feeling scientific mystery. Sure, it's a real slow burner, but it does wonders for the intellect and the ending is as exciting as they come.
NB. I watched this again on blu-ray and found it a lot better this time around. It's a mystery but a different kind of one - a fresh-feeling scientific mystery. Sure, it's a real slow burner, but it does wonders for the intellect and the ending is as exciting as they come.