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The Andromeda Strain
Stars:
Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, and Kate Reid
Writer:
Nelson Gidding
Based
On The Novel By: Michael Crichton
Director:
Robert Wise
Feature
length: 2 hours and 11 minutes
Extras:
“The Making Of The Andromeda Strain”, “A Portrait Of Michael Crichton”,
Theatrical Trailer
Languages:
English Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 20
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1971/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: G
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
A
satellite returns to Earth and crashes at the site of a remote New Mexico
village, where the armed forces officers sent to pick it up witness a town
filled with dead bodies before succumbing to the same biological element that
wiped out nearly everybody else except for the strange exceptions of an old
homeless man and a baby. Deep within a secret facility beneath the Earth, the
top Doctors and Scientists are assembled to find out what killed everyone else
in that town and why there were only two survivors. Dubbing the virus
“Andromeda” they race against time and an outbreak of an extraterrestrial
biological microbe in the hopes of finding something to neutralize it before it
spreads across world like a plague. Based on the bestseller by Michael Crichton,
“The Andromeda Strain” is part science fiction and part thriller with a
startling respect for realism as it portrays an account so compelling, that it
almost feels like the dramatization of a true account. It is also to see a cast
of actors with some real character in their faces rather than young pretty stars
not because I dislike pretty faces, but the reality is if “The Andromeda
Strain” was remade today it would probably star George Clooney and Julia
Roberts and be a very glossy, but less realistic film and it is the attention to
detail that gives “The Andromeda Strain” it’s strength.
As
stated in the featurette “A Portrait Of Michael Crichton” (12:34) Crichton
drew largely upon his background studies in medical school while moonlighting
under the pseudonyms “John Lange” and “Jeffrey Hudson” on previous
published novels because he feared it would hurt his standing in medical school.
He went to medical school because he did not think he could make a living as a
Writer alone. Now having a friend who has an older brother that is a doctor and
having this friend attended graduate school with me, but as a different majors,
I have no doubt that Crichton did the right thing because in Graduate School and
I suppose more so when one goes for their Doctorate of philosophy, law, or
medicine the reality is that your professors have you by the balls and the
grading system he describes in the interview startled me because it was not
unlike how my thesis advisor and professor who headed the program I was in
judged the classes I had to take for my specialty and I was just going for my
MFA. I can only imagine the anxiety Michael Crichton must have felt in medical
school. I sure know my friends
brother suffered from what he told me and my friend and I each had our moments
of anxiety while we were finishing school, so Mr. Crichton I can’t blame you
one bit and more power to you. Thank you for sharing that story. I found it very
comforting to know that other people experience what you mentioned eloquently in
your interview and it just was not my friend and I.
While
there is no commentary track on this DVD, Robert Wise does participate in a new
documentary regarding “The Making Of The Andromeda Strain” (30:07) which I
found quite interesting, especially with how close of a reproduction of the
books scientific materials were duplicated and used visually to tell the story
without boring the viewer and at the same time the movie was diminished to make
it more accessible for any viewer because I think the film already is very
accessible as is. The (1.85:1) theatrical trailer (3:18) and some box cover art
of other titles available on DVD from Universal that include “12 Monkeys,”
“Legend,” and “Silent Running” wrap up the extra features on this
upcoming DVD release. The main menu is animated while the subsequent menus are
standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate.
Originally
licensed by Universal to Image Entertainment as a letterboxed featureless DVD
release, this soon to be re-released title directly from Universal features an
anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio with English Two-Channel Monaural
Sound and English Captions for the hearing impaired along with French and
Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded on to the dual layered as options. I had
the Image Entertainment DVD release, but like is the case which much of the DVD
titles I buy for myself, they tend to take a backseat to the discs I am provided
to review so it is not uncommon for me to buy something and then not watch it
for more than a year later because I’m busy watching and reviewing other
movies and stuff. In the case of the Image Entertainment release of “The
Andromeda Strain,” I bought it on sale for seven dollars a few years ago and
then never watched it and ended up selling it to someone else who wanted it. So
I cannot comment on whether or not this a transfer that appears to have been
struck from a new print source or the same print used again, but overall I found
the DVD transfer to be pleasing with solid colors that never bleed and only a
few blemishes that are from the source print used itself. So as a whole I think
the quality of the transfer is pretty good in general though not great. The
two-channel monaural soundtrack is clear and free of any analogue hissing or
crackling.
For
the anamorphic transfer and nice extra materials, which were produced and
directed by Laurent Bouzereau, I think Universal Home Entertainment’s upcoming
DVD release of “The Andromeda Strain” is definitely worth a look for those
who are admirers of the film, Michael Crichton fans, and as a possible upgrade
for those who were unhappy with the Image release and want a DVD with extra
features and an anamorphic widescreen transfer. “The Andromeda Strain” will
arrive on DVD-Video from Universal Home Entertainment on Tuesday, April 1, 2003.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy The DVD Now By Clicking On The Text Link Below!
The Andromeda Strain