The Andromeda Strain (2008)

A crack team of top scientists work feverishly in a secret, state-of-the-art laboratory to discover what has killed the citizens of a small town and learn how this deadly contagion can be stopped.

Stars:

Benjamin Bratt, Christa Miller, Louis Ferreira

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Benjamin Bratt	...	Dr. Jeremy Stone (4 episodes, 2008)
Christa Miller	...	Dr. Angela Noyce (4 episodes, 2008)
Louis Ferreira	...	Colonel James C. Ferrus (4 episodes, 2008)
Ricky Schroder	...	Major Bill Keane MD (4 episodes, 2008)
Michal Suchánek	...	Lance Stone (4 episodes, 2008)
Eric McCormack	...	Jack Nash (4 episodes, 2008)
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Dr. Tsi Chou (4 episodes, 2008)
Barry Flatman	...	Charles 'Chuck' Beeter (4 episodes, 2008)
Ted Whittall	...	President William J. Scott (4 episodes, 2008)
Ted Atherton	...	Edward 'Ed' Dewitt (4 episodes, 2008)
Andre Braugher	...	General George W. Mancheck (4 episodes, 2008)
Roman Podhora	...	General Blair (4 episodes, 2008)
Viola Davis	...	Dr. Charlene Barton (3 episodes, 2008)
Anna Galvin	...	Lisa Stone (3 episodes, 2008)
Jonathan Potts	...	Pat Terrence (3 episodes, 2008)
Ava Salomon	...	Sarah Scott (3 episodes, 2008)
Emily Holmes	...	Joanne Scott (3 episodes, 2008)
Fred Keating	...	Charles Henderson (3 episodes, 2008)
Denise Galik	...	Annie Dillon (3 episodes, 2008)
Kurt Max Runte	...	Sherriff Martin Willis (3 episodes, 2008)
Cory Dagg	...	General Michaelson (3 episodes, 2008)
Juan Carlos Velis	...	Roach Coach Driver (2 episodes, 2008)
Adrian Holmes	...	Sam Barton (2 episodes, 2008)
Nicola Anderson	...	Lt. Amy Deacon (2 episodes, 2008)
Paul Perri	...	Dr. Smithson (2 episodes, 2008)
Eve Harlow	...	Leila (2 episodes, 2008)
Douglas O'Keeffe	...	Blonde Man (2 episodes, 2008)

Storyline

In "The Andromeda Strain," a U.S. military satellite crashes in a small town and unleashes a deadly plague killing all but two survivors. As the military quarantines the area, a team of highly specialized scientists is assembled to find a cure to the pathogen code-named "Andromeda," and a reporter investigates a government conspiracy only to discover what he is chasing wants him silenced.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | satellite | military | soldier | virus | 

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Taglines:

It's A Bad Day To Be Human.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Universal Pictures Japan [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

La amenaza de Andrómeda

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.S. Films, Scott Free Productions, Traveler's Rest Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min 170 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally aired as a two-part miniseries, but has also been edited into 4 different parts intended for airing as hour long episodes with commercials.

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Goofs

Supposedly, the "black stuff" must be artificial because it is made of buckyballs. That is false. Buckminsterfullerenes are commonly found in soot from just about any burnt organic substance.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff Megan: [to Suzie] That's a lion out there. And a triangle.

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Connections

References The Colbert Report (2005)

User Reviews

This is the MTV version

During the late sixties, Michael Crichton wrote a novel about contamination with an alien microorganism. At that time, science was hailed as the pinnacle of human achievement and it was thought that anything is possible. Therefore it is normal for the book and the subsequent film from 1971 to focus on the science, on the formalism, on the way people think their way out of a situation.

Fast forward to 2008. People are dumber, science is a joke, people need to look good and the design must be perfect. Some horrible deaths and some fear of government conspiracy or terrorism is the only way tension can be achieved.

The problem is that I have anticipated this. My own theory says that if you expect it to happen, there won't be a negative response, yet I am terribly angry at this mini series BECAUSE it was exactly what I expected. Things have been added to the original story that make no sense and make no sense to add: government black ops, wormholes, message from the future, ecological controversy over ocean vent mining, etc, etc. As expected the effects were really good, the people looked good, the computer interface design was flawless. And it all fell completely empty.

If you are familiar to The Andromeda Strain book or 1971 movie, you might find it interesting to see how it can go horribly wrong. Otherwise, just watch the 1971 version. It is slow paced, faithful to the book and a lot more interesting.