Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray Movie Review

Survivor: New Mexico.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 6, 2019

Michael Crichton had one of the more fascinating careers imaginable, with an emphasis on careers (as in more than one). As many fans of Crichton no doubt know, a bit of a detour led to what was kind of an interstitial life in medicine, sandwiched in between an earlier, more literary, field of study, which then of course led to him becoming one of the most widely read authors of his generation, courtesy of a host of fantastic best sellers like Jurassic Park, and Congo. The fact that those links all point to film adaptations, probably indicates as well as anything that Crichton was able to matriculate into that vaunted “multi-hyphenate” role in Hollywood with relative ease. Crichton’s imprimatur as either a writer or director, or both, extended to a number of still well remembered films like Westworld and The Great Train Robbery. But it all began in a very real way when Crichton exploded into national, and then international, consciousness with his first best seller, The Andromeda Strain. The book was an almost instant sensation when it came out in 1969, and in a way it presaged a lot of themes that Crichton would return to again and again over the course of the subsequent decades, including the fallibility of supposed infallible technology and another kind of seemingly unavoidable fallibility, namely a certain hubris that some folks, not so coincidentally some of whom are scientists, can exhibit.

The Andromeda Strain was such a big deal as a book that a film adaptation was pretty much assured, and the fact that the project was ultimately under the helmsmanship of Robert Wise gave the project a kind instant feeling of quality, if perhaps also just the slightest whiff of “old Hollywood” that was then, in 1971 when the film came out, becoming distinctly out of fashion. That may be at least one reason why The Andromeda Strain didn’t really take off at the box office, as is discussed in some of the supplements Arrow has assembled for this Blu-ray release. Another reason may be the feeling of bloat which arguably attends the film, as if Wise were attempting to inject a certain Kubrickian stasis into his presentation (and in this regard, there are certainly those who feel that Wise’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture was similarly bloated and maybe even lethargic). All of this said, The Andromeda Strain holds up surprisingly well to modern, jaded eyes used to seeing the horrors of biological agents and other contaminants regularly dot the daily newsfeed. The film has a certain quaint factor due to its then “modern” production design, but as with many Crichton properties, there are philosophical aspects to the story which are inherently interesting and certainly worth debating.

The Andromeda Strain received a previous release on Blu-ray from Universal Studios around four years ago, and for those wanting a more thorough discussion of the film’s kind of labyrinthine plot, I refer you to my colleague Michael Reuben’s The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray review of that version. Michael’s review is also a good source for screenshot comparisons between the two versions.

The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Andromeda Strain is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information about the restoration:

The Andromeda Strain has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono audio.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director at EFilm, Burbank. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London.

The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negatives at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood.

All materials for this restoration were made available by NBC Universal.

Michael was pretty underwhelmed with the video component of the previous Universal Blu-ray release, though kind of interestingly, palette and color reproduction wasn't a significant area of concern, and as can perhaps be made out by doing a side by side comparison of screenshots from the two versions, the overall grading looks similar if not identical between the two releases, though the Universal release strikes me as looking a bit darker than the Arrow. Two areas which were of significant concern to Michael were damage and wobble, both of which have been either totally eliminated or largely ameliorated due to Arrow's restoration gauntlet. Detail levels and overall density levels also look more consistent and pleasing in this release. There are still some rough spots, and a somewhat wide variability in grain structure in particular (part of which is due to the surplus of opticals like split screen effects). These rough patches seem to just kind of show up without much rhyme or reason. There are a couple of brief moments, including a relatively late scene with David Wayne as documented by screenshot 14, where the entire image takes a brief turndown in quality. For these reasons, some fans may feel that my score of 4.5 is too generous, but one way or the other, I can't imagine that these same fans wouldn't feel this Arrow version is a significant upgrade over the previous Universal Blu-ray release.

The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Andromeda Strain is offered with an LPCM Mono track which is for all intents and purposes largely similar to the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track on the Universal release. In the "different reviewers, different scores" category, I probably would have given the Universal release's audio a 4.0, and I'm doing so with regard to this release. The sound effects do tend to date the film, as Michael mentions in his review, but like Michael, I'm actually fond of them and enjoy them for their inherently "quaint" qualities. Both dialogue and the electronic score by Gil Melle are rendered with excellent fidelity and no problems in terms of damage, distortion or other problems.

The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Bryan Reesman is an interesting tour through both biographical and production data.


• A New Strain of Science Fiction (1080p; 28:02) is an engaging newly done appreciation of The Andromeda Strain by the always preternaturally cheerful Kim Newman.


• Making the Film (720p; 30:08) is an archival featurette by Laurent Beauzereau which Arrow states is ported over from the 2001 DVD release, but which was also included on the previously released Blu-ray linked to above. This offers some interesting interviews with Robert Wise, Nelson Gidding and Michael Crichton.


• A Portrait of Michael Crichton (720p; 12:33) is similarly listed as a 2001 production for DVD, but it also was included as a supplement on the old Universal Blu-ray release of the film.


• Cinescript Gallery contains the original shooting script by Nelson Gidding, along with related illustrations and production designs to make a "cinescript", divided into three sections as per below. The full 192 page document is also available as a PDF file, accessible through Blu-ray drives on your computer.

  Title Page and Preface (1080p)

  
  

  Shooting Script (1080p)

  
  

  Appendix (1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:18)


• TV Spots (1080p; 1:50)


• Radio Spots (1:49)


• Image Gallery requires manual advancing:

  Production Stills (1080p)

  
  

  Poster and Video Art (1080p)

As usual, Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet, with a new essay by Peter Tonguette called Secret Spine-Chiller: The Other Side of Robert Wise, and a kind of fun archival piece from 1971 by Tom Andrews called A Discussion Guide for Teachers and Students, which was (kind of hilariously) evidently part of Universal's marketing outreach to high school students at the time of the film's original release.

The Andromeda Strain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a fan of some of Michael Crichton's later work as either an author or director, and have yet to see The Andromeda Strain, you might be surprised by how many themes and/or ideas Crichton continued to explore are featured in his first major "at bat". I have personally felt like the ghost of 2001: A Space Odyssey kind of haunted this exercise, for better or worse, and with an understanding that in a very real way the two films couldn't be more different. But some of Wise's framings certainly seem to evoke Kubrick, and there's a certain feeling of inertia that occasionally attends the proceedings. That said, the underlying "mystery" of what kept only two survivors alive in an otherwise devastating biological "attack" (those who have seen the film will know why that word is in quotes) is often very exciting. This Arrow version trumps the Universal in the video department, while providing a similar audio experience. Supplements on this version are also more bounteous. Recommended.