I want to chime in here. This review was written in 2019 when The Andromeda Strain was released on Blu-ray from Arrow. I mention this because this was almost a year before we went through our own Pandemic with COVID. There isn’t anything here that’s out of date for me. It’s just to give context that when discussing it was without the foresight of having gone through a Pandemic and the aftereffects which we are still feeling five years later. To be honest, this opening statement is still very applicable to me.
What scares you? Masked Serial Killers? A Ghost with vengeance on its mind? Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers? Killer Dolls? Possessed Little Girls? Everyone has their “button” that if even pushed the slightest sends them off into a fear-induced cold sweat. Mine? Quite simple. Viruses. Not your common cold or flu but ELE-style Viruses (ELE for those that have not read a Richard Preston Novel nor watched the greatness that is Deep Impact is Extinction Level Event). Not viruses that turn you into a zombie. No, the ones that make you bleed from all of your orifices before you turn into jelly. Robert Wise’s adaptation of The Andromeda Strain is the perfect example of the cold and calculating nature of science that places this reviewer into a cold fop sweat.
The film deals with the recounting of an outbreak as told by to a Senate Oversite Committee. The clinically told tale of things done right and things done wrong within this delicate situation is as cold as the cold deep storage they keep viruses in. A team of Scientists lead by Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill) are called to Wildfire a secret Government installation. Their charge: to find the cause of the residents of a small Nevada town suddenly dying, all but an infant and a 69-year-old man. The how’s and why’s of Doctors Hall (James Olson), Dutton (David Wayne), and Leavitt (Kate Reid) discoveries about this town’s residents and a government satellite are as much about their characters and the baggage they bring in as it is about what could possibly be an extraterrestrial lifeform.
Robert Wise has always been a director though his style is classic directorial flourishes fitting to each project but never pushing too far outside his comfort. That said the choices made on behalf of any production, especially later in his career, were sometimes bold ballsy choices. Here with his cast, production design, score, and the overall dictum of detached clinical realism helps the endeavor as a whole. The histrionics are at a minimum. Anything approaching a “set piece” or narrative “setups” are done with such realism that they literally hide the fact of what they are until an audience is in the midst of that action. In a word Wise has brilliantly solved how to adapt this piece of pseudo-science narrative that in it of itself is cold and calculating.
The Andromeda Strain isn’t a bombastic thriller ala the ham and cheese Melodrama of Outbreak. Rather its controlled and calculating nature makes it an all-together different type of thriller. One that slowly creeps into your waking dreams. One by its end you will not soon forget.
The Transfer
The 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is as beautiful as one expects from Arrow Films. The native 4K outshines the original Blu-ray transfer from 2019 in all respects. The transfer retains all the beautiful grain and sharp primary colors that Wise and Cinematographer Richard Kline shot the film with an eye for. The color reproduction on this transfer is a standout. All one needs to do is play any of the scenes where the group is on sub-level 1 where the walls are painted a deep red showing off the transfer’s Dolby Vision/HDR10 encoding. The transfer has no problems with bleed through or digital noise through the entire scene. The transfer in 4K is worth the upgrade alone for fans of the film.
The Extras
They include the following;
Audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
A New Strain of Science Fiction, an appreciation by critic Kim Newman
The Andromeda Strain: Making the Film
A Portrait of Michael Crichton
Cinescript Gallery, highlights from the annotated and illustrated shooting script by Nelson Gidding
Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
Image gallery
The archival audio commentary is by critic and author Bryan Reesman opens with the opening sequence inspired by the novel’s opening. Reesman discusses the behind-the-scenes production details; a discussion of the modern virus/contagion films including Soderberg’s Contagion, The Last Man on Earth, Omega Man, Godzilla vs. The Fog Monster, Elia Kazan’s Panic in the Streets; the possibilities of a pandemic and recent incidents like SARS; a critique of the film; history of Crichton becoming a writer (his pseudonyms); and more. The critic/author approach is very entertaining and less scholarly though the content he does give us some great technical and historical anecdotes. NOTE: this was recorded BEFORE COVID so some of Reesman’s postulations seem quaint considering we now know what a global pandemic can do.
A New Strain of Science Fiction (28:02) – is an archival visual essay/interview with critic Kim Newman. Newman discusses the origins of Outbreak/Plague Sub Genre starting with various authors that started the trend beginning with Elia Kazan’s Panic in the Streets moving to The Thing to The Crazies all inform on and to The Andromeda Strain. Newman takes a deep dive into the genre and its troupe and how they tie to the various eras these films were produced in. As always Newman is always acutely aware of the social, political, and cultural impacts these films and also reactions in the film by social, political, and culture. Newman also dissects the Michael Crichton sci-fi novel and its conventions as they relate to The Andromeda Strain.
Making The Film (30:08)– is an archival making-of documentary from the original DVD release. Handsomely produced starring Robert Wise, and the rest of the cast and crew (including comments by Crichton). The featurette covers everything from the book, the docudrama-style that informed on casting, script development, production design, and direction. They do manage to put some great anecdotes like a Crichton cameo, fictional bibliographies, the massive script, the inventive set work, Albert Whitlock’s contribution, the early use of CGI, Douglas Trumbull’s contribution, and even a discussion on how they did the infamous Monkey scene with the SPCA there. (Note: The score from The Thing is the primary score for the making of).
A Portrait of Michael Crichton (12:33) – this is an archival interview from 2001 with the author. Crichton discusses the origins of The Andromeda Strain and how he went from Medical Student to an author with a pseudonym to best-selling author. It’s a great look at the strange road that the author took to his first best seller.
Cinescript Gallery is the ability to read the massive script that was designed and written by screenwriter Nelson Gidding can be viewed as an item on the BD-ROM of the disc or from the submenus in this special feature. It’s an amazing document. Well worth your time, if you’re interested in this particular production and how it was approached.
Theatrical Trailer (3:18)
TV Spots (1:50) – three TV Spots
Radio Spots (1:49) – The two radio spots played over the UK Quad poster.
Image Gallery – two submenu galleries.
Production Stills – a gallery consisting of 118 stills that can be navigated through your remote using your Next and Back Chapter Stop buttons on your remote.
Poster Video Art – a gallery consisting of 55 images of 55 that can be navigated through your remote using your Next and Back Chapter Stop buttons on your remote.
The Final Thought
Arrow continues to upgrade their Blu-ray releases to 4K UHD with the same sort of consideration and care as they bring to all their releases. Recommended!!!
Robert Wise’s film adaptation of The Andromeda Strain proposes a possible alien viral pandemic before COVID. Arrow Video’s upgraded 4K UHD comes special features and a native 4K picture.
The Film
I want to chime in here. This review was written in 2019 when The Andromeda Strain was released on Blu-ray from Arrow. I mention this because this was almost a year before we went through our own Pandemic with COVID. There isn’t anything here that’s out of date for me. It’s just to give context that when discussing it was without the foresight of having gone through a Pandemic and the aftereffects which we are still feeling five years later. To be honest, this opening statement is still very applicable to me.
What scares you? Masked Serial Killers? A Ghost with vengeance on its mind? Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers? Killer Dolls? Possessed Little Girls? Everyone has their “button” that if even pushed the slightest sends them off into a fear-induced cold sweat. Mine? Quite simple. Viruses. Not your common cold or flu but ELE-style Viruses (ELE for those that have not read a Richard Preston Novel nor watched the greatness that is Deep Impact is Extinction Level Event). Not viruses that turn you into a zombie. No, the ones that make you bleed from all of your orifices before you turn into jelly. Robert Wise’s adaptation of The Andromeda Strain is the perfect example of the cold and calculating nature of science that places this reviewer into a cold fop sweat.
The film deals with the recounting of an outbreak as told by to a Senate Oversite Committee. The clinically told tale of things done right and things done wrong within this delicate situation is as cold as the cold deep storage they keep viruses in. A team of Scientists lead by Dr. Jeremy Stone (Arthur Hill) are called to Wildfire a secret Government installation. Their charge: to find the cause of the residents of a small Nevada town suddenly dying, all but an infant and a 69-year-old man. The how’s and why’s of Doctors Hall (James Olson), Dutton (David Wayne), and Leavitt (Kate Reid) discoveries about this town’s residents and a government satellite are as much about their characters and the baggage they bring in as it is about what could possibly be an extraterrestrial lifeform.
Robert Wise has always been a director though his style is classic directorial flourishes fitting to each project but never pushing too far outside his comfort. That said the choices made on behalf of any production, especially later in his career, were sometimes bold ballsy choices. Here with his cast, production design, score, and the overall dictum of detached clinical realism helps the endeavor as a whole. The histrionics are at a minimum. Anything approaching a “set piece” or narrative “setups” are done with such realism that they literally hide the fact of what they are until an audience is in the midst of that action. In a word Wise has brilliantly solved how to adapt this piece of pseudo-science narrative that in it of itself is cold and calculating.
The Andromeda Strain isn’t a bombastic thriller ala the ham and cheese Melodrama of Outbreak. Rather its controlled and calculating nature makes it an all-together different type of thriller. One that slowly creeps into your waking dreams. One by its end you will not soon forget.
The Transfer
The 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is as beautiful as one expects from Arrow Films. The native 4K outshines the original Blu-ray transfer from 2019 in all respects. The transfer retains all the beautiful grain and sharp primary colors that Wise and Cinematographer Richard Kline shot the film with an eye for. The color reproduction on this transfer is a standout. All one needs to do is play any of the scenes where the group is on sub-level 1 where the walls are painted a deep red showing off the transfer’s Dolby Vision/HDR10 encoding. The transfer has no problems with bleed through or digital noise through the entire scene. The transfer in 4K is worth the upgrade alone for fans of the film.
The Extras
They include the following;
The archival audio commentary is by critic and author Bryan Reesman opens with the opening sequence inspired by the novel’s opening. Reesman discusses the behind-the-scenes production details; a discussion of the modern virus/contagion films including Soderberg’s Contagion, The Last Man on Earth, Omega Man, Godzilla vs. The Fog Monster, Elia Kazan’s Panic in the Streets; the possibilities of a pandemic and recent incidents like SARS; a critique of the film; history of Crichton becoming a writer (his pseudonyms); and more. The critic/author approach is very entertaining and less scholarly though the content he does give us some great technical and historical anecdotes. NOTE: this was recorded BEFORE COVID so some of Reesman’s postulations seem quaint considering we now know what a global pandemic can do.
A New Strain of Science Fiction (28:02) – is an archival visual essay/interview with critic Kim Newman. Newman discusses the origins of Outbreak/Plague Sub Genre starting with various authors that started the trend beginning with Elia Kazan’s Panic in the Streets moving to The Thing to The Crazies all inform on and to The Andromeda Strain. Newman takes a deep dive into the genre and its troupe and how they tie to the various eras these films were produced in. As always Newman is always acutely aware of the social, political, and cultural impacts these films and also reactions in the film by social, political, and culture. Newman also dissects the Michael Crichton sci-fi novel and its conventions as they relate to The Andromeda Strain.
Making The Film (30:08)– is an archival making-of documentary from the original DVD release. Handsomely produced starring Robert Wise, and the rest of the cast and crew (including comments by Crichton). The featurette covers everything from the book, the docudrama-style that informed on casting, script development, production design, and direction. They do manage to put some great anecdotes like a Crichton cameo, fictional bibliographies, the massive script, the inventive set work, Albert Whitlock’s contribution, the early use of CGI, Douglas Trumbull’s contribution, and even a discussion on how they did the infamous Monkey scene with the SPCA there. (Note: The score from The Thing is the primary score for the making of).
A Portrait of Michael Crichton (12:33) – this is an archival interview from 2001 with the author. Crichton discusses the origins of The Andromeda Strain and how he went from Medical Student to an author with a pseudonym to best-selling author. It’s a great look at the strange road that the author took to his first best seller.
Cinescript Gallery is the ability to read the massive script that was designed and written by screenwriter Nelson Gidding can be viewed as an item on the BD-ROM of the disc or from the submenus in this special feature. It’s an amazing document. Well worth your time, if you’re interested in this particular production and how it was approached.
Theatrical Trailer (3:18)
TV Spots (1:50) – three TV Spots
Radio Spots (1:49) – The two radio spots played over the UK Quad poster.
Image Gallery – two submenu galleries.
The Final Thought
Arrow continues to upgrade their Blu-ray releases to 4K UHD with the same sort of consideration and care as they bring to all their releases. Recommended!!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of The Andromeda Strain is out May 13th
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