The Andromeda Strain: Critics Doth Protest Too Much
…And Think Too Hard
I am really glad I didn’t pay attention to any of the many, many naysayers when it came to The Andromeda Strain. The four-hour miniseries, an A&E remake of the earlier film of the same name based on Michael Crichton‘s 1969 novel, took off on Memorial Day with the first two-hour installment. Was it brilliant? Heck, no.
Was I expecting it to be, considering it’s just a TV project? Again — heck, no. If you want sophisticated and brilliant and all that other superior stuff, look towards the movie theaters that charge ten dollars or whatever a pop for a ticket.
The Andromeda Strain, the miniseries, is perfectly good TV, and the first part held my interest from beginning to end … probably because I in no way ever imagined it would reinvent the sci-fi wheel or try to outdo the original movie or book.
Sure, certain segments are annoying, such as the decontamination scene with Benjamin Bratt, Ricky Schroder, and Christa Miller‘s characters. I kept waiting for them to start jogging rhythmically in place à la Flashdance during the unnecessarily extensive shower footage, with strains of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac” whipping up in the background for atmosphere.
And, yes, the plot is convoluted and nonsensical in parts — that much I won’t deny. The miniseries would have probably worked better as a typical two-hour made-for-TV movie, but then the network wouldn’t have been able to get as much advertising and promotional mileage out of it to help recoup costs.
All in all, the latest version of The Andromeda Strain gets few complaints from this TV watcher, simply because I take TV for what it is — extremely cheap entertainment, best not thought about too intensely or taken too seriously or watched too closely. Very little on television is ever worth that effort, which is unfortunate but true. As long as I’m not put to sleep, I’m usually satisfied. Anything beyond that is a welcome but chance bonus.
The miniseries is far from the worse offender when it comes to wastes of time (check out some of these reality shows for that), and it’s actually very nicely made and acted. If someone finds it unbearable to endure, all they have to do is get a copy of the 1971 movie or the book. Me? I can’t wait until the conclusion tonight.
The Verdict: B
Related Post: The Andromeda Strain: Grand Premiere Giveaway
The Andromeda Strain concludes tonight on A&E at 9pm EST
Viola Davis, Ricky Schroder, Daniel Dae Kim, and Christa Miller/The Andromeda Strain photo courtesy of Diyah Pera/A&E
