The Andromeda Strain (1971) – Film Review

Director: Robert Wise
Cast: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne
Certificate: PG

By Sarah Morgan

Michael Crichton was a giant. Not just literally (he stood a whopping 6ft 9), but in the worlds of film, TV and books too.

In 1969, he had recently completed an MD at the prestigious Harvard Medical School, but decided not to practice medicine, choosing to focus on writing instead. His first few novels, written while he was still studying, were published under pseudonyms; his debut under his own name was The Andromeda Strain.

Two years later, in 1971, it was turned into a movie with Robert Wise at the helm. The director had such hits to his name as The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles and The Haunting, but he had sci-fi credentials too, thanks to the original version of The Day the Earth Stood Still (he would go on to make Star Trek: The Motion Picture eight years later).

Wise’s sci-fi chops and simple approach are crucial to the success of The Andromeda Strain, which was adapted for the screen by his regular collaborator, Nelson Giddings. Wise handles the technical aspects well, never speaking down to his audience, treating them instead with intelligence.

“Sense of paranoia”

He also adopts a split-screen at times, to signify incidents happening at the same time, and a documentary-style way of shooting, purposely casting little-known actors so that viewers would concentrate on the story rather than the star; it also means we’re never aware of who, if anyone, is the hero.

Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid and David Wayne play a group of elite scientists brought together to investigate who or what may have wiped out the majority of the residents of a small town in New Mexico – the only two survivors, an ageing alcoholic and a baby, could hold the key to unlocking the mystery.

As was so often the case in movies from the late-1960s and early-1970s, there’s tension in the air and an overbearing sense of paranoia – you really do feel as if something like this could happen, even if the cause (I won’t spoilt it by saying what it is) sounds a little implausible.

Crichton did, however, ground most of his tale in real science, so it does seem relatively believable – it’s not quite science fact, but is certainly more than just fiction.

“Enlightening”

The stunning art direction, by Boris Leven, William H Tuntke and Ruby R Levitt, also deserves a mention, as do the special effects from Douglas Trumbull, who was then fresh from his success with 2001: A Space Odyssey.

If I do have one quibble, it’s that it’s a little long – 20 minutes less and we’d be discussing a masterpiece.

The special features on the disc are enlightening, particular interviews with Crichton, Wise and Giddings, who have all passed away during the last 20 years.

For Wise, it was perhaps the last genuinely good film of his career; for Crichton it signalled the start of big things, including Westworld (which it matches in terms of tone and atmosphere), Jurassic Park and ER, all of which came from this extraordinary man’s fevered imagination.

Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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