Friday, March 12, 2021

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

 ... you can learn from:

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Dr. Mark Hall: Most of them died instantly, 
but a few had time to go quietly nuts.

Tell me that doesn't sound like Right Here Right Now to you, haha. A happy 50th to Robert Wise's The Andromeda Strain, an adaptation of Michael Critchton's sci-fi thriller about a killer virus, released in theaters on this day in 1971 -- and you wanna hear something crazy? Until I started looking up images for this movie I could have sworn that I'd seen this movie, I would have told you that I had seen this movie, but I don't think I have seen this movie, you guys. 

I feel like I would remember what is happening in these images if I had seen it before. What is it about 70s conspiracy thrillers that makes me mash them all up in my head? This, The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, Marathon Man, The China Syndrome... I know I read those titles to you and you have images from different movies appearing in your heads but it's all one big mush to me. I have 70s Conspiracy Theory Blindness! Is there a pill for that? Preferably one made from a mysterious substance that ends up being radioactive and/or people.





9 comments:

Pierce said...

I saw this in the theater 50 years ago. I was still in High School. I was so impressed that it featured Kate Reid. I'd read the book and really thought she was well cast for the role she played. I'm going to have to see this again. Thanks.

joel65913 said...

I have the same problem of the pieces of different movies running together with many 80's teen comedies.

This is one of my favorite genres and I LOVE The Andromeda Strain. Definitely worth the time to watch. I love how Robert Wise manages to slip in a tiny bit of beefcake (even a quick butt flash) via James Olson's prep for descent into the lab. It's a nice bonus but the rest of the movie is lean, tight entertaining thriller.

By the way you mentioned some of my favorites-Three Days of the Condor, The China Syndrome and Marathon Man. I like the other two but those three I find endlessly rewatchable.

Matt said...

Andromeda Strain is the more famous movie, but IMO his best one is Parallax View, and I don’t even care for Warren Beaty No one I’ve ever talked to about it who’s seen it has gotten the real twist of what the Parallax Corporation does.

John said...

Is that, a chest wig?

Shawny said...

Matt, the Corporation seeks out sociopaths, and then trains/brainwashes them to fulfill hit/assassination contracts, right? Was there more than that?

Matt said...

Shawny--yes, there's more than that. The corporation isn't recruiting assassins, or brainwashing anyone. The assassins are professionals. The corporation recruits patsies that take the fall, leaving the conspirators untouched and invisible.

Anonymous said...

Strangely, I've been on a 70s kick. I came across this old Night Gallery episode with Sandra Dee getting lost and ends up stopping at her future son's house to use the phone. It put me in a mood. Last weekend, I watched The Power with George Hamilton (not that powerful), Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor. I also watched The Andromeda Strain last month; I revisit it almost yearly.

Shawny said...

Matt, you are right. I didn’t get it. I even read your comment and didn’t get it until I read it to my husband and he explained it to me. Haha. The film kind of left me cold, so I didn’t really think it through and moved on. But that changes my view of the film significantly. Thank you.

Pierce said...

I got the movie from Netflix and James Olson is mighty sexy, but I didn't realize how slow the movie is. It's nice to see Paula Kelly in it. She was dazzling in Sweet Charity, but I'm having trouble staying with the movie this time. I don't like how movies that were so memorable don't hold up, like The Graduate, Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider. The social issues raised are terribly dated and that's sad. Last time I saw The Graduate, which I liked in high school, all I saw were arrogant and mean people doing terrible things to one another! Sad, isn't it?