The Andromeda Strain (1971) {Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed By Jason Lockard

Michael Crichton was a prolific writer. His stories were thrilling exciting pieces of literature. No wonder many were adapted into feature films. Most notably Jurassic Park, West World and The Andromeda Strain.

Arrow Video is known for giving cult classic films the loaded blu-ray treatment. Now it's time for the 70's Sci-Fi cult classic The Andromeda Strain it's chance to shine in HD. Let's take a look.

The film follows a group of scientists as they investigate a crashed US research satellite in a small town of Arizona. But there is more to the story as the satellite just happens to be carrying a deadly extraterrestrial microscopic organism. It's up to the top scientists to identify and contain the lethal stowaway before it becomes an all out outbreak.

While arguably not the best adaption of a Crichton novel, it still is an enjoyable piece of filmmaking masterfully directed by Robert Wise. The film is a product of it's time, and the technology is a bit dated, that doesn't mean that the film is bad. True drama is timeless and this film uses human drama to amp up the intrigue.

On this Arrow Video blu-ray release the film has been restored from a 4K scan of the original camera negative and is presented in High Definition widescreen format. The original mono audio is uncompressed and newly remastered for this release. Finally there is English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The restored picture looks and sounds very impressive. The only time that the picture shows signs of grain is in the dark scenes. But other than that Arrow Video did a remarkable job with the restoration of this release.

But as for Arrow Video releases a beautifully restored film is never enough! They always go above and beyond. They loaded this blu-ray with bonus features. Here is what is included;


SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• Audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
• A New Strain of Science Fiction, a newly-filmed appreciation by critic Kim Newman
• The Andromeda Strain: Making The Film, an archive featurette from 2001 directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring interviews with director Robert Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding
• A Portrait of Michael Crichton, an archive featurette from 2001 directed by Laurent Bouzereau and featuring an interview with author Michael Crichton
• Cinescript Gallery, highlights from the annotated and illustrated shooting script by Nelson Gidding
• Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
• Image gallery
• BD-ROM: PDF of the 192-page “cinescript” with diagrams and production designs
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

If you hurry and purchase the blu-ray now for the first pressing only you get a  Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Peter Tonguette and archive publicity materials. That is a truly cool little bonus for horror fans.

So if your a scifi movies fan or a fan of Michael Crichton Head over to MVDShop.com and order your copy today!


Audiences: Teens and Adults
Objectionable Material: Scary images
Length: 2 hour 11 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Movie Rating: B
Blu-ray Value Rating: A