nannite This movie does one thing well, but it does it very very very well. It is masterful in its cold, sterile depiction of technology as well as metaphorically depicting the different worlds in which scientists and non-scientists exist.Other than that its just an OK movie. Worth watching, 6.5/10 if IMDb had half stars.There is no suspense until the climatic action sequence. It is a good sequence though.The special effects are outdated. Although there are some really good bits involving animals dying suddenly. Apparently they actually suffocated the animals until they passed out, then brought them back around.The ending scene of this movie is laughably bad. It involves the main character testifying with ominous music and ends on a goofy line, followed by goofy special effects.I think my favorite part of this movie was the random PA announcements that were taking place. The general ambiance and sets used in this movie is great.

dougdoepke Too bad that a white-knuckle premise is undercut by laborious execution. Seems an experimental space scoop has brought back an alien life form from outside Earth's orbit that has killed a small New Mexico town. The exceptions are an old man and a baby who somehow survived. Now a high-security laboratory set up for investigating such possibilities must determine the nature of the life form before it spreads. A small specialized group of scientists are assigned the earth-shaking task.The first 10-minutes or so are excitingly compelling. However the movie's remainder turns relentlessly inward into a self-enclosed laboratory space that soon stifles the promising beginning. Now I have nothing against technical argot, but 90-minutes or so of mainly analytic biology soon had me looking around my room. Compounding that esoteric dialog is the self-enclosed space of the multi-level lab itself. In short, the dialog seldom strays from scientific jargon while the camera seldom strays from small spaces. Too bad, because the dimension of an outside world is soon lost. And, after all, it's an outside world in all its diversity that is presumably in peril. Had the screenplay given the researchers more personal context, then the visuals could have relieved some of the monotony by cutting away to family or community. Some such would have humanized the race against time. At the same time, the cast conveys little of the crisis's intensity, and that includes the wise-cracking Reid who I guess is supposed to be comedy relief.That's not to say that the movie fails altogether in suspense or involvement. As indicated, the premise itself is loaded with potential and some manages to surface even amid an over-extended run-time and a stifling context. However, the general treatment appears to get carried away in the process.

jvance-566-20403 This is a movie where reading the book will enhance the experience.The book contains a considerable amount of background explanation on the nature of the scientific process and the scientists who spend their lives on it. There are some philosophical discussions on the nature of crises and how we respond to them. These help to piece together a movie that on first glance seems to spend a lot of time doing nothing when in reality a lot is going on.Though dated, the movie is a reasonably accurate portrayal of how such a problem would have been handled in the era. The computational weaknesses are glaring but few would have imagined the smart phones we all carry around today. It's quite forgivable.This is not any everyman's sci-fi work, you have to understand the sci to enjoy the fi.

wrx-3 I have known "Andromeda Strain" my whole life but I can't believe I have never seen the film until now, thank you Roku. Without interruption, I watched this film in HQ with all its glorious technocolor splendor. To me, a film HAS to have great cinematography or I'll not like it - perhaps hate it. Any time a scene is closer that 3 feet it is unnatural (wrong perspective). And, let us get rid of shaky cam forever. Why do I wan to see a film shot on a Iphone. With that said, I loved this movie. It had great sound, camera work, acting and I honestly had no idea how it would end. I found myself trying to figure out the chemistry to save the lives too. Take a trip back to 1971 to enjoy this classic and some popcorn. Long live film.Bonanza