We appear to be looking out for sci- fi movie, somewhat overlooked. This old movie, was first released in 1971, when I was in my early teens. I never saw it at the time. It's directed by Robert Wise who made many hugely successful films during the 60's and 70's. The Andromeda Strain is a slow paced and carefully meticulous film that takes you through the process by which an alien disease strain brought to earth via an exploratory satellite is dealt with.
The film exists in those few years between Kubrick's 2001 in 1968 and the first Star Wars movie in 1977, before high tech CGI began to make anything possible in a sci-fi film. In many ways The Andromeda Strain's aesthetic is indebted primarily to 2001. Its stylish sets and tech are sparingly used and kept intentionally basic. This helps in preventing it now look dated or simply laughable. For the process through which they deal with the potential of this rogue alien virus going AWOL on Earth, is realistically treated. It sets its own time signature and doggedly sticks to it, for how this story will unfold. The Andromeda Strain created the template on which all future films on this subject would be compared., or influenced. And it stands up to comparison well. In style and length Tarkovsky's immense film Solaris released the following year is its nearest progeny. Well worth another view.
CARROT REVIEW - 6/8
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