The Andromeda Strain (miniseries)
It's a bad day to be human.
The Andromeda Strain is a 2008 science fiction miniseries broadcast on A&E Network. Based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, it follows scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial disease. The miniseries is a reimagining of the original novel, updating the setting to the early 21st century and making many plot and character changes.
Quick Facts
- Based on
- The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton
- Writer
- Robert Schenkkan
- Director
- Mikael Salomon
- Language
- English
- Producer
- Ridley Scott
- Tony Scott
- David W. Zucker
- Tom Thayer
- Mikael Salomon
- Editor
- Scott Vickrey
- Cinematography
- Jon Joffin
- Runtime
- 169 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
A U.S. government satellite crash-lands near Piedmont, Utah, and two teenagers bring it to town. When the satellite is opened, a deadly microorganism codenamed Andromeda is released. An Army retrieval team sent to collect the satellite dies from the disease, and their video footage prompts General George Mancheck to activate Wildfire, a team of five scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone. The team investigates Piedmont, retrieves the satellite, and rescues a hysterical 60-year-old man and a colicky baby who survived the outbreak. In an underground laboratory powered by a water-cooled nuclear reactor, the Wildfire team examines the satellite and the survivors. A 15-minute self-destruct sequence would activate in a contamination breach, and Major Bill Keane, designated by the odd-man hypothesis, is the only one who can deactivate it with his passkey and right thumbprint. Analysis reveals the microorganism contains buckyballs and has no DNA or amino acids, suggesting an extraterrestrial origin. Andromeda kills by entering the bloodstream through the lungs and coagulating blood, causing death within 10 seconds via a brain clot; survivors become violent and suicidal. The two survivors were unaffected due to acidic blood, and the strain resists all known antibiotics.
Development
In September 2004, the Sci Fi Channel greenlit a miniseries adaptation of The Andromeda Strain, with Ridley and Tony Scott and Frank Darabont serving as executive producers. The SciFi Wire reported on May 2, 2007, that the program would be broadcast on the A&E Network. It debuted as a four-hour, two-part event, first airing in the UK on May 11, 2008, and in the U.S. on May 26 and 27, 2008. Australia received it as a single three-hour film on September 21, 2009. Principal photography occurred on August 16, 2007, at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey, B.C. campus, with additional filming at the Kamloops Brewery in Kamloops, British Columbia. Exterior shots were captured in Hedley, Ashcroft, and Savona, British Columbia. Though no Utah filming took place, the satellite image used in the nuclear strike sequence depicts Emery, Utah. A&E launched an alternate reality game built around a fictional blog called “What Happened in Piedmont?” The blog, written by a UC Berkeley journalism student, details his attempts to reach contacts in his hometown after receiving a disturbing voicemail from his sister. Starting in April 2008, the blog revealed plot details and linked to other fictional sites where players could enter passwords for extra content. The miniseries’ tagline: “It’s a bad day to be human.”
Reception
The Andromeda Strain miniseries received mostly negative reviews. The Hartford Courant called it an entertaining piece of high-velocity intrigue, while The Boston Globe found it unoriginal but sometimes engaging. The Los Angeles Times described it as overwrought and dull, criticizing its divergence from the original story. Entertainment Weekly complained about the slow pace and cluttered remake, and The New York Times stated it never grew quite suspenseful enough. The miniseries was nominated for six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries, but did not win any. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 30% approval rating based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 4.48/10 and a critical consensus calling it a remarkably dull mutation of its source material.
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