1971's THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is a terrific sci-fi thriller that was cutting edge in its day and still delivers some great suspense.
Based on an early Michael Crichton novel, the film depicts scientists race against the clock to discover why a returning satellite that landed near a small town has left nearly every citizen of Piedmont dead, killed within seconds.
They soon discover an alien organism microscopic in size with the ability to reproduce quickly and travel by air.
Isolated in an underground lab, a team of scientists are assembled to battle the organism. Arthur Hill and David Wayne lead the team, with able support from the grumpy Kate Reid and the "odd man out" James Olson.
The computer technology when I saw this in '71 was amazing, now it looks hopelessly dated, but the story still keeps you engaged.
Universal marketed this with a tag line that NO ONE WILL BE SEATED IN THE LAST 10 MINUTES.
It's a great final ten minutes indeed as the worst case scenarios all come true at once and the facility built to keep the bug inside becomes an adversary to our heroes.
Director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, The Day the Earth Stood Still) is in top form and Gil Mille's strange, electronic music score is a great co-star.
Deliberately paced, well shot and well designed, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is a nice dose of seventies sci-fi that still plays well today. We'll give it a B.
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