If anyone knows me properly, then they know that I absolutely love post-apocalyptic fiction and it’s a wonder why I’ve never read Michael Crichton’s novel before. I guess I just never crossed paths with it. Although a bit gaudy at times, this new television mini series is packed with heavyweights both behind the camera and in front of them, and not a single person goes without serving some sort of memorable moment in the spotlight. Everyone is here, even Andre Braugher, the character actor who hardly ever appears in an ensemble without biting it before everyone. “The Andromeda Strain” is a bit familiar, but then Crichton only serves to explore our fear of space travel and the potential repercussions of discovering something alien. And unstoppable. What if we discovered alien bacteria that ravaged Earth? Would we even be able to stop it?
After a space satellite crash lands on Earth, there’s a sudden emergence of a mysterious infection that kills its victims in mere seconds. The US Government assembles a team of brilliant professionals to discover how to stop this bacteria codenamed “Andromeda,” and the suspense begins. The respective performances of the group of scientists make for some of the most compelling material as they struggle to find out why this infection varies from person to person and why the only two survivors of a town have survived in unique conditions. For people completely unaware of the novel and potential reveal, “The Andromeda Strain” is a constantly fascinating and suspenseful bit of apocalyptic science fiction with the disease making for an interesting Maguffin for the first part. Is it alien? Is it engineered from another country? What’s the purpose of this weapon? Why are some people simply keeling over while others are having psychotic murderous meltdowns? Is this infection supernatural? And why does it keep evolving? For folks so devout to the novel, they likely will not enjoy the political commentary that ensues between the individuals assigned to discover the origin of the disease.
Frequent mentions of the incompetence of the government, Homeland security, and our shabby inspection methods are made in example of the inefficiency of America to a foreign threat of biological proportions, but writer Schenkkan uses the opportunity to apply a timely deliberate commentary that more than makes its mark on our inability to cope with an ensuing doomsday. The cast of character actors from Christa Miller, Daniel Dae Kim, and Benjamin Bratt are all rather great, and they add a depth to their characters that are more than welcome. Mikael Salomon’s direction is utterly immaculate with an epic twist on the tale that really provides a sense that we’re watching an event. Of course, Part One ends on a brutal cliffhanger, and I look forward to seeing how it inevitably ends. I haven’t read the novel, you see, so no spoilers… Perhaps fans of the original novel will not respond too well to the attempted cultural and political relevance writer Shenkkan injects into the story, but as an outside observer “The Andromeda Strain” is an interesting and well directed adaptation of Crichton’s novel. I look forward to part two.