Menace Andromède

Having recently re-watched the 1971-version of "The Andromeda Strain" taught me one thing: the original is still a near-perfect Sci-Fi landmark and never will a remake, whether in the form of a film or a mini-series, be any better.

But okay, I'm not here to elaborate on the superiority of the Robert Wise classic. The mini-series has reason to exist as well, although it never really surpasses the quality-level of "average". Literally everything about "The Andromeda Strain" 2008 is average;- whether it comes to the added storylines versus the original film, the acting performances, the action/horror sequences, or the special effects. The foundations of Michael Crichton's genius novel are luckily kept intact, give or take a few minor details. When a satellite crashes back onto earth, almost the entire population of the nearby little town Piedmont, Utah, literally drops dead. In the original film, Piedmont was located in New Mexico, but I guess that's one of the few minor details. A handful of eminent scientists are escorted from all corners of the US of A to a top-secret governmental underground facility in the desert to examine the unearthly substance attached to the satellite. What's different or additional compared to the '71 version is that there's a sub-plot with a research journalist, bigger political involvement (including a role for the US-President), nastier intentions by the military and a couple of utterly grotesque theories with wormholes.

People like Benjamin Bratt and Christa Miller are decent performers, but they fail to be very plausible as brilliant scientists. Still, they are not as implausible as - say - the numerous mutations of the virus, or the insane explanations of where it supposedly comes from. The mini-series was released in the same year as the original author, the mighty Michael Crichton, passed away. I sincerely hope this wasn't the last adaptation of his work that he had to see.

I have not read Crichton's novel, and have no intention of ever doing so, so I cannot compare either version to it, only the two to each other. This aired as four one-hour episodes, with commercials, so without, the running time was probably around 180 minutes. That gives it more time to explore the concept, and though some of it is used on action(!) and pushing PC(not computer, the other kind) messages, it is utilized. This very much tries to "update" the story. Where the original had a masterfully established atmosphere of isolation, claustrophobia and sterility, in the design of the lab, this one has it be high-tech and futuristic(because they can), and has plenty of scenes taking place outside of it as well as contact between inside and out. The subtle, skillful and careful cinematography and editing of the film are discarded for stylizing the crap out of a lot of what we see, and at least a little of it is frankly silly. This has excellent special effects, and it does tend to be well-shot. Dialog and acting are good, if Miller is so similar to her recurring role on Scrubs that it is a constant distraction. The plot is reasonable, and develops nicely. This has a couple of interesting science fiction ideas gone over. I recommend this to fans of virus flicks. 7/10

This starts off well, and if you're hoping for Crichton's complex/tense gem of a novel you'll soon be disappointed. They throw every sci fi cliché into this one. The evil govt. conspiracy (to get the master weapon); the plucky reporter; a nuke; a master monster; plenty of sci fi babble; and in the end a 10-9-8 countdown-will our hero be able to save himself and his team-followed by a "it's not over yet" fade out. Just when you think they've run out of clichés they pull another one out and throw it at you.

Ridley Scott you should be ashamed of yourself!This blots your copy book big time! LUDICROUS!!!! For teens only; they'll think it's cool!

During the late sixties, Michael Crichton wrote a novel about contamination with an alien microorganism. At that time, science was hailed as the pinnacle of human achievement and it was thought that anything is possible. Therefore it is normal for the book and the subsequent film from 1971 to focus on the science, on the formalism, on the way people think their way out of a situation.

Fast forward to 2008. People are dumber, science is a joke, people need to look good and the design must be perfect. Some horrible deaths and some fear of government conspiracy or terrorism is the only way tension can be achieved.

The problem is that I have anticipated this. My own theory says that if you expect it to happen, there won't be a negative response, yet I am terribly angry at this mini series BECAUSE it was exactly what I expected. Things have been added to the original story that make no sense and make no sense to add: government black ops, wormholes, message from the future, ecological controversy over ocean vent mining, etc, etc. As expected the effects were really good, the people looked good, the computer interface design was flawless. And it all fell completely empty.

If you are familiar to The Andromeda Strain book or 1971 movie, you might find it interesting to see how it can go horribly wrong. Otherwise, just watch the 1971 version. It is slow paced, faithful to the book and a lot more interesting.

There is a certain type of movie. It's usually a made-for-TV movie, and it's usually an "updated" remake of an older movie.

The cast and story elements are painfully politically correct.

The writers appear to labor under the mistaken assumption that the viewer really doesn't need to be told a coherent story as long as there are a few visual elements from the original and some handsome-looking people emoting at each other. And things blowing up.

If there was a punchline to the original, the film will either ignore, misinterpret, or completely blow it.

The remake of Lathe of Heaven (2002)was such a film.

The remake of The Andromeda Strain (2008) is also such a film. It takes the tight script and edge-of-seat stress and paranoia of the original and substitutes digital effects, things blowing up, and absolutely nonsensical plot. When the time comes for the big reveal (which I won't reveal here), instead of the insightful political message of the original, we get a sophomoric, pasted-on ending that doesn't relate to what's gone before and basically contains no message whatsoever, but does allow one last digital effect.

It's not even bad enough to be good in a campy way. It's just dreary and indecipherable. See the original instead.