The Andromeda Strain

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The Andromeda Strain

G

1971

2h 10m

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Chilling tale about a US research satellite carrying a deadly extraterrestrial microscopic organism that crashes into a small town in Arizona. A group of top scientists are hurriedly assembled in a bid to identify and contain the lethal stowaway. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

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Critics Consensus

Although its urgent subject matter warrants less a deliberate pace, The Andromeda Strain brings Michael Crichton's techno-thriller to the big screen with striking intelligence and an engrossing sense of paranoia.

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Daniel Stoffman

Toronto Star

Feb 21

The Andromeda Strain gets bogged down in a morass of cryptic computer read-outs.

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Stephen Handzo

Village Voice

Jan 15

In a humanist blast at NASA, the film clinically details the obsessive compulsive decontamination of the human body, ironically to meet a crisis caused by the search for bigger and dirtier germ cultures.

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Clayton Dillard

Slant Magazine

05/10/2025

Robert Wise’s The Andromeda Strain, a hard-sci-fi procedural slash disaster thriller, is a fascinating early example of large-scale blockbuster filmmaking with a brain.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jun 7

3/5

…science wins out over entertainment in The Andromeda Strain, which keeps faith with credible scientific action at the expense of the disaster movie format which was just around the corner…probably plays better for scientists than anyone else….

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

06/18/2024

3.5/5

Over 50 years later, The Andromeda Strain remains one of the best films in the killer virus genre in terms of accuracy and attention to detail.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

09/25/2020

7/10

It remains well worth watching, but the magical 'classic' status afforded to Wise's other famous films is not quite earned.

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Brian M

@Bmizzle Jun 27

A great sci-fi movie from the 70s. A good book as well!

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Edward R

@Edward186 Jun 25

Excellent science told properly. Fine acting.

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Luiz A

@AdamLuiz69XD Jun 2

The ending is very tense and it is a very good film. But it is a little bit slow

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G L.

@RT09869090 Apr 27

The best word to describe this movie is..boring!

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Koi P

@hopepink Mar 9

I imagine the book is a fantastic read.

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Axel Z

@Axelz Mar 5

Der Film hat mich als Kind sehr fasziniert. Er ist sehr technisch und wenig emotional. Er Spiegelt sehr pragmatisch, bestimmte Denkweisen und den Zeitgeist der frühen Siebziger wieder. Es ist Science-Fiction vom feinsten. Viel Computer Blabla, so wie man sich die Zukunft damals vorgestellt hat. Er ist sehr langatmig, enthält so gut wie keine Action Szenen , man sollte also durchaus ausgeschlafen und fit sein. Die meisten inhaltlichen Sachen fühlen sich plausibel an, bis kurz vor Ende. Das allerdings wirkt ehr als müsste der Film jetzt fertig werden und passt nicht ganz zu dem Rest. Ich denke auch, dass ein remake diesen Film nicht besser machen würde.

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Robert Wise

Director

Arthur Hill

Dr. Jeremy Stone

David Wayne

Dr. Charles Dutton

James Olson

Dr. Mark Hall

Kate Reid

Dr. Ruth Leavitt

Paula Kelly

Karen Anson

The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - An Alien Vessel

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - It's a Crystal

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - A Town of the Dead

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - Containment Breach

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - A Deadly Discovery

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - Laser Turrets

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - Laser Decontamination

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The Andromeda Strain: Official Clip - Disinfecting the Human Body

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Synopsis

Chilling tale about a US research satellite carrying a deadly extraterrestrial microscopic organism that crashes into a small town in Arizona. A group of top scientists are hurriedly assembled in a bid to identify and contain the lethal stowaway. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

Director: Robert Wise
Producer: Robert Wise
Screenwriter: Nelson Gidding
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 12, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 2h 10m

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