The Andromeda Strain (1971) 4K UltraHD Review

Stars: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olsen, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Kermit Murdock, Richard O'Brien, Peter Hobbs, Eric Christmas, Mark Jenkins, Peter Helm, Joe Di Reda, Carl Reindel, Ken Swofford, Frances Reid, Richard Bull, Directed by Robert Wise, Produced by Michael Crichton, Screenplay by Nelson Gidding

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.

Six years ago, Arrow Video gave The Andromeda Strain a deluxe Blu-ray release. But as with all things there are upgrades and people are upgrading their favorite movies to Ultra HD! Now it's time for the 70's Sci-Fi cult classic The
 Andromeda Strain to shine in Ultra HD. Let's take a look at this new 4K release from Arrow Video.

Synopsis: A government satellite crashes outside a small town in New Mexico - and within minutes, every inhabitant of the town is dead, except for a crying baby and an elderly derelict. The satellite and the two survivors are sent to Wildfire, a top-secret underground laboratory equipped with a nuclear self-destruct mechanism to prevent the spread of infection in case of an outbreak. Realizing that the satellite brought back a lethal organism from another world, a team of government scientists race against the clock to understand the extraterrestrial virus - codenamed "Andromeda" - before it can wipe out all life on the planet.

Now I must be honest here The Andromeda Strain is not the best film adaption of a Crichton novel. But there is no denying that this is an enjoyable piece of filmmaking masterfully directed by Robert Wise. The film is defiantly a product of its time, and the technology is a bit dated, but that doesn't mean that the film is bad. True drama is timeless, and the acting is very believable.

On this Arrow Video 4k release t
he film uses the 4K scan of the original camera negative used in the previous Blu-ray. Only here you get the true 4K clarity. The film is transferred in 2160p and presented in widescreen format. The audio track is the original lossless mono audio and there is the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The restored picture looks and sounds very extremely impressive in UltraHD. 
But as for Arrow Video releases a beautifully restored film is never enough! They always go above and beyond. They loaded this 4K with bonus features. Here is what is included.

* Audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
* A New Strain of Science Fiction, an 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 archival 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
* Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing by Peter Tonguette and select archive material
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

The bonus features have been ported over from the Blu-ray release to this 4K UltraHD. Bryan Reesman provided a wonderful audio commentary, and I love the 'making of' and Micheal Crichton featurettes. These featurettes are truly must-see bonus features.

If you are a sci-fi movie fan or a fan of Michael Crichton. Or if you are looking to upgrade the Blu-ray release of The Andromeda Strain to UltraHD. Head over to MVDShop.com or Amazon and order your copy today!



Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) the Arrow Video 4K UltraHD of The Andromeda Strain receives.....

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