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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Andromeda Strain -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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Robert Wise's The Andromeda Strain, based upon the novel by Michael Crichton is a fence-sitter.

Neither an actual documentary, it plays more akin to a docu-drama, but isn't really that, either. It's pure sci-fi, blending the genres.

Without getting into specifics, for fear of spoiling what fun there still might be, Andromeda doesn't quite work, as it's difficult to take it seriously. Possibly more so going on almost half a century after its release. What the uninitiated might notice is lots of signage, which may have been a tip of the hat to 2001.

As a Blu-ray, Arrow's new edition, that comes with their normal pot of extras, is quite lovely, as it's been harvested from the original camera negative. Audio works equally as well.

Image - 5

Audio - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Upgrade from DVD - Definitely

RAH
 
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Angelo Colombus

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Like this film along with Colossus: The Forbin Project both released by Universal around the same time. Have the 2015 Blu-ray release which did not have a good transfer of the film so this will be a easy upgrade for me.
 
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Colin Jacobson

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I find myself continually fascinated by how much older people looked for their ages back in the 60s/70s, and Kate Reid is Exhibit A here.

To look at her, you'd guess she was at least 55, but she was only 40! :huh:
 

Worth

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I find myself continually fascinated by how much older people looked for their ages back in the 60s/70s, and Kate Reid is Exhibit A here.

To look at her, you'd guess she was at least 55, but she was only 40! :huh:
I would beg to differ. Look at some of her contemporaries at 40...

-Angie Dickinson
-Barbara Eden
-Carroll Baker
-Dyan Cannon
-Elizabeth Montgomery
-Jane Fonda
-Julie Newmar
-Tina Louise

Angie Dickinson.jpg

Barbara Eden.jpg
Carroll Baker.jpg
Dyan Cannon.jpg
Elizabeth Montgomery.jpg
Jane Fonda.jpg
Julie Newmar.jpg
Tina Louise.jpg
 
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Josh Steinberg

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How many Blu-rays ARE there of this film? I know I have a horrid one from overseas that's all brown and I believe there was one released here that wasn't much better?

There was that German disc that leaned brown, and then Universal released that same transfer here (maybe in 2015 or 2016?). And now there's this new Arrow release from 2019 that's from a different source.

So prior to this one, you had an international disc and a domestic disc that were both sourced from the same master. This new Arrow release is the first release of this particular transfer.
 

Joel Fontenot

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Time to upgrade my Universal widescreen laserdisc.

I remember seeing this in the theater. My dad took me to see this, and I was just 5 at the time. Made an impression on me. Caught it maybe a few times on TV before I got the laserdisc around '93. I did read the book in the early 80s.
 

Dick

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It does, indeed, look pretty freakin' awesome. However, I have discovered that, in the case of this film and therefore probably dozens more, memory has not served me well. I have been harping for years about how previous video incarnations of TAS had crumby color, as especially evidenced by the color of level one of the underground lab. I have always contended (and been quite sure) that it was a deep, solid red when I saw it theatrically, not the dull-ish orange that has shown up on VHS, laser, DVD and the previous Blu-ray(s). Now that I see this edition, in which colors (including flesh tones) are generally superb, proves me wrong. The corridors on level one really are orange. A richer, red-leaning orange than before, but still not deep red. My apologies to all who have had to suffer my complaints in the past. I will just accept that level one (plus the color of the paper uniforms worn on that level) are not really pure red.

I am delighted with this release -- the image is razor-sharp, the contrast and shadow detail film-like, and the grain so fine it resembles a print directly from a 70mm negative. Great job, Arrow!
 

JoeStemme

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This is an acid test movie for die hard fans of the sci-fi genre. It separates the space opera/fantasy lite-weights from the hard SCIENCE ones. Certainly, the film's lack of action and the 'ordinary' looking actors (no Raquel Welch in a skin-tight suit) as scientists isn't for every taste. The cast is excellent. They LOOK like technicians, not movie stars. The late great James Olson, Kate Reid, Arthur Hill etc. all turn in believable performances.
Nelson Gidding's screenplay based on Michael Crichton's novel is detail heavy and lacking in traditional 'excitement'; but, if you can get on its wavelength, it's an engrossing and suspenseful ride (maybe a little 'squeeze' might help you out!). And, hell, with what is going on right now, it's even more relevant now than ever, sadly.
James Olson was always a sturdy, reliable character actor. It was his very 'ordinary man' quality that made him perfect for ANDROMEDA STRAIN. He only did just over a dozen features, but, was a welcome presence on 70s and 80s TV.
In the late-80s, I was at the (now closed) Beverly Center Cinema in L.A. to see Errol Morris' classic Documentary, THE THIN BLUE LINE, and lo and behold, James Olson ended up sitting right next to me! It's a pretty intense movie, so I waited until it was over before I said hello and thanked him for his work. He just nodded and smiled. You could tell he wasn't used to getting spotted all that often.
A humble, but, superb, character actor.
RIP.
 

sbjork

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This is an acid test movie for die hard fans of the sci-fi genre. It separates the space opera/fantasy lite-weights from the hard SCIENCE ones. Certainly, the film's lack of action and the 'ordinary' looking actors (no Raquel Welch in a skin-tight suit) as scientists isn't for every taste. The cast is excellent. They LOOK like technicians, not movie stars. The late great James Olson, Kate Reid, Arthur Hill etc. all turn in believable performances.
Nelson Gidding's screenplay based on Michael Crichton's novel is detail heavy and lacking in traditional 'excitement'; but, if you can get on its wavelength, it's an engrossing and suspenseful ride (maybe a little 'squeeze' might help you out!). And, hell, with what is going on right now, it's even more relevant now than ever, sadly.
James Olson was always a sturdy, reliable character actor. It was his very 'ordinary man' quality that made him perfect for ANDROMEDA STRAIN. He only did just over a dozen features, but, was a welcome presence on 70s and 80s TV.
In the late-80s, I was at the (now closed) Beverly Center Cinema in L.A. to see Errol Morris' classic Documentary, THE THIN BLUE LINE, and lo and behold, James Olson ended up sitting right next to me! It's a pretty intense movie, so I waited until it was over before I said hello and thanked him for his work. He just nodded and smiled. You could tell he wasn't used to getting spotted all that often.
A humble, but, superb, character actor.
RIP.
In honor of the movie and the late Mr. Olson, I'll just leave this here. One of my most prized toys in my collection. Those are machined aluminum, too, not just some 3D printed cheapies.

20211211_142635.jpg
 

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