The Andromeda Strain

Fans of Michael Crichton’s 1969 novel or the intriguing 1971 film will be disappointed with this remake, recently broadcast on A&E and available in a two-disc DVD set with special features. Despite improved special effects, the story has been shot to hell—a tragedy for a great story. Instead of a group of strong, smart characters shining a bright light on ethics in both government and research, we get a typical “fight the clock to beat the alien threat” movie. And we don’t even get to see the aliens. It’s a mishmash of time travel, personal trauma, terrorism, X-Files-style government conspiracy and gore (yep, it’s a lot bloodier than the original). Even Rick Schroder and Andre Braugher can’t save it. Read Crichton’s book. It’s one of three he wrote that’s worth a damn.