The Andromeda Strain (1971) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction!

[@kyoshiro13]

Michael Crichton wrote this story while in Medical School ( graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1964 and received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969). Then went on to write (or screenwrite) Jurassic Park, Westworld, 13th Warrior , Twister, Congo and created the TV show ER.

[@Madbandit77]

He was also a journeyman film director. His work includes Westworld, The Great Train Robbery (fun) Coma, Looker (very relevant today), Runaway (also fun) and Physical Evidence.

[@stephenmiller2544]

the man was truly gifted. Sphere is one of my all time favorite books.

[@light9999]

If only he'd tried harder!

[@locustkllr]

Michael Crichton is a mad genius for sure. Lots of great books, some of which were turned into sort of cheesy movies. Im looking at you Timeline. My favorite of his is probably Jurassic Park which is far deeper than the movie, and Prey is a close runner up.

[@johnmoreland6089]

​@@Madbandit77Really enjoyed "Coma."

[@AutoPilate]

When Crichton wrote this novel, he basically invented the technothriller. The book was ingenious; it had footnotes to lend it an air of credibility, some (most) of which Crichton invented out of thin air.

[@RaptorNX01]

I loved the side story of Kalocin. in the novel after the doctor gets infected they suggest he take the drug. This leads into Crichton giving the history of it. IE that it was a drug that tests revealed it had insane curative effects. it could cure any disease, even cancer. He talks about how they gave it to a bunch of test subjects, some with cancer, some without. everyone with it was cured, everyone without didn't even develop so much as a cold. it was a true miracle drug. so with it proving successful they stop the test. and within 36 hours ALL the test subjects were dead. The thing was, it killed all disease, all viruses, all bacteria, basically anything foreign to the body. this included good bacteria, stuff living things had collected into their bodies for millions of years that actually prevented other diseases. so all of the test subjects no longer had immunity to all those ancient diseases. They all died of different diseases, ones no living thing had had to deal with for many millennia. I always loved the story because it provides such a theoretical dilemma. would you take a drug that meant you would never get sick again, but in doing so meant you HAD to keep taking it, and if you missed even one treatment you WOULD die a horrific, and possibly messy, death?

[@johnclawed]

"The Satan Bug" came first, but I never read that.

[@mcliester]

I know. The guy was fucking brilliant. Sorry he's gone now

[@richardb6260]

I think I enjoy your Schmitt Wheel choices the most. It's always something you haven't seen twenty other reactors watch already.

[@brucedillinger9448]

Exactly. 😊

[@RobynHoodeofSherwood]

Yes! It was a great idea.

[@Joe67343]

The wheel is a good random process, movie could be a winner or a turkey. This one was a winner!

[@neonsmoviereviews7969]

⁠@@Joe67343cannot wait for a turkey though, I really hope there’s some Neil Breen on that wheel

[@johnclawed]

Absolutely. One guy can pick a great movie. A committee only picks the lowest common denominator.

[@Shawnzy_Gabonzy]

"The Andromeda Strain" has my vote for the most graphic G-rated movie ever.

[@halcyonlightvibes2023]

Thank you! I watched it a few years ago after not having seen it since I was a kid. I had to check the IMDb for it's rating and was surprised to find a G rating. Ratings sure have changed since the 70s.

[@maingate7672]

Agreed. Although the nudity wasn't meant to titillate.

[@christopherconard2831]

It was made before the PG rating was created. G ment under 18. After PG came PG-13 because the ratings board kept tightening down and making too many movies R, which cut out too many potential viewers.

[@halcyonlightvibes2023]

@@christopherconard2831 Correct. But from 1968-1970 there was G for General Audiences, and M for Mature Audiences. From 1970-1972 (this film was releasaed in 1971), there was G for General Audiences (all ages admitted), and GP - all ages admitted - parental guidance suggested (which would end up being PG later on). I think this film should have been GP.

[@joecarr5412]

And image of topless woman in beginning in G film 🤔🤔😁

[@Patti-sg1fv]

This movie was so ahead of its time back in '71. Saw it many times 👍

[@Unwoken_European]

I have adored the 2001 Space Odyssey, and seen it many times. For some reason this movie was boring to me and I only saw it once.

[@VonLigenstein]

check out the miniseries tv mobie... sure the boook will always be the best and so will the original movie... the just modern izzed it a bit hopefully to / for the new kids to look at it but most people still think that'd never haspprn...

[@Patti-sg1fv]

@@Unwoken_European yeah my brothers didn't care much for it either but I was riveted to it especially the intense "self destruct" sequence.

[@kevinbailey8827]

I was six when the movie came out. But I saw it in a theater with my father when I was nine. After seeing it I read the book. If you asked my my favorite book or movie when I was nine or ten, I would tell you it was The Andromeda Strain. I watched it with friends in the late 80s. Though the buttons and switches seemed dated (and of course the hairstyles), we thought the films effects and its presentation of technology held up very well for such an old film. We were still young and thought that a film that was 18 years old was an old film. Now I think of films from the late 90s as recent films.

[@kinokind293]

Sure, Chrichton was great, but let's not forget it was directed by Robert Wise, the man who gave us "West Side Story", "The Sound of Music", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "The Haunting", and so on. He worked with Orson Welles on "Citizen Kane", for god's sake!

[@clarencewalker3925]

Spoken like a true cinephile.

[@aimmethod]

So versatile.

[@cleekmaker00]

Robert Wise also directed a little deal called "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".

[@thomasfahey8763]

Oh, that guy!

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Thank you for pointing these vital facts out.

[@rickardroach9075]

16:06 “And due to a miscalculation of scale, the entire battlefleet was accidentally swallowed by a small dog.” - _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_

[@blairhaffly1777]

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[@BobCrabtree-ev4rz]

Funny,funny book.

[@tomstanziola1982]

​@@blairhaffly1777The dolphins last message to the humans.

[@colormedubious4747]

You seem like a froody dude who knows where his towel is.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

When the book first came out, I was the supervisor of a microbiology laboratory. As I read it, I kept asking myself, "Is this real?", as it seemed very possible. Then I found out that Michael Crichton had gone to medical school and it all made sense.

[@Stogie2112]

This film was praised for its scientific accuracy. One criticism was its slow pace and length. A fantastic film for audiences who like scientific and intellectual thrillers. GREAT reaction! 👍👍

[@alwayswrite2011]

26:12 - Hi there. Insulin dependent diabetic here. Been doing it for almost 50 years. "If he missed his insulin, he'd go..." He'd go a little loopy. Most people don't realize that the brain needs sugar just as much as it needs oxygen to function. Insulin helps to process sugar. Without glucose to fuel the body, it'll start trying to convert fat for energy. The result, however, is that the blood becomes acidic with acetone. Yes, the same stuff that's used in nail polish remover and industrial solvents can wind up in your blood if you can't process sugar. Hope that helps.

[@VonLigenstein]

I lodt s bother bsck near end of 2018 to an "UNKNOWN PNEUMONIA like virus, and complications with type 1 diabetes.... he couldn't keep liquids, let alone solid foods in him for 3 dys ( wguch sucks when u r a diaberic ) 4th day he was abble o kep a cup of milk down... he took an insulin reading... extremly low * DUHHH) so he than grabbed a can of pepsi... when his gf found hom next morning on bathroom floor she said mabe a sip was taken from the can... when corner finshed his autopsy over 2 weeks later he said his blood sugar was extremly high... he also recommend that his body be cremated. When viewing his body ( Before cremationn) Funeradl director and his assistant made sure NO ONE stood within 2' let alone touched hiss body... remember this is befor covid.... So scertain measure are implimented but we learned alot I HOPE from covid... 2' mmm no ... 2 meters... that sounds more reasonale

[@MrTuubster]

I am a police officer and when I come across a very drunk or seemingly crazy person that cannot control his limbs, I always ask if the are diabetic or look for an insulinpen.

[@alwayswrite2011]

@@MrTuubster Also smell their breath. If they're so far gone that they can't think or act appropriately, they may be trying to expel that acetone through their lungs. It'll be what's been described as a "fruity" scent. If you can smell that, get them an ambulance ASAP.

[@anorthosite]

@@MrTuubster Good For You, Sir ! Around 1990, when I lived in Rochester NY, one night a guy stopped his car blocking my apt driveway. I knocked on his window and asked if he was OK. He seemed not all there, so I called the police to check if he was OK . Two units and at least three (white) officers, apparently assuming he was DUI, loudly verbally "grilled" him (a black man) for several minutes (including demanding to know if he was armed) before eventually calling in EMTs. Sure enough, he was having a diabetic episode. The RPD didn't have a stellar rep for race relations at that time, so maybe I should just have called EMTs instead ?

[@lawrencewestby9229]

In this story Chekhov's gun took the shape of flashing red lights outside the agricultural station. Dr. Ruth Leavitt looked away and shielded her eyes when she was entering the building, saying she didn't like red lights. It was a seemingly unimportant scene at the time but it presaged her epileptic fit in the lab when the zero growth result flashed in red and later in the hallway with the flashing red alert lights. Flashing lights can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.

[@toomanyaccounts]

it is why you will get fired or court martialed in several jobs if you do not disclose epilepsy.

[@mattw65]

I'm glad someone pointed this out.

[@atariboy9084]

FUN FACT: Michael Crichton wrote the book and you could also see his cameo in the background as one of the doctor with out his mask as they pickup Dr. Mark Hall right before the operation - 6:20

[@gishgali8354]

Andromeda Strain was first a bestselling novel by a young Harvard student named Michael Crichton. He would repeat this formula of a group of scientists investigating fantastic phenomena in books and movies like The Terminal Man, Congo, Sphere and eventually Jurassic Park.

[@aaronbourque5494]

In fact, the formula predated this novel in the form of the 50's British series The Quatermass Experiment, and its sequels.

[@stevetheduck1425]

Jurassic Park is essentially a remake of his Westworld. Congo is Tarzan without Tarzan, and so on. The Andromeda Strain is somewhat similar not very, of A For Andromeda.

[@ArlanKels]

Sphere's setup is very similar to this setup too. I'm still sad they did such underwhelming adaptations of Crichton's books, except for jurassic park...which is still nowhere close to what his book was.

[@bfdidc6604]

@@ArlanKels I would suggest The Great Train Robbery if you haven’t seen it, starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland.

[@MartinBeerbom]

It's not the red, it's the fast blinking that triggered Leavitt's epilepsy. Though they made the blinking very slow to not trigger epileptic seizures in the audience.

[@emilysmith259]

I was really excited the first time I saw this! As a kid, I had epilepsy and I was thrilled to see a character in a movie - a woman scientist no less - with the same condition as me! Luckily, i grew out of it (I had the minor variety called petit mal the woman in the movie had. The 'staring spells' with the blinking lights are minor seizures) and never suffered a massive seizure like she did. But blinking lights bother me and I still instinctively look away.

[@cajunsushi]

Wow, thank you for reviewing this great Sci-fi. I went to the theater at night by myself when I was about 17 and it felt like almost a documentary that night. Scared me half to death.

[@Lightningrod75]

As soon as we got sent home for Covid, I did a double feature of Outbreak and Contagion. I did not feel great after that.

[@twoheart7813]

Finally made it on a reaction channel, one of my fave " yes, it could happen" sci-fi flicks! "Dude, do not drop this, I will turn this movie off" 🤣 Very enjoyable reaction & commentary.

[@Cbcw76]

I think this "Yes, it could happen-!" genre is why I enjoy this film's premise. I remember those NASA missions where 'quarantines' were imposed afterwards. Perhaps the 1966 publication of this novel was using that event as a core element.

[@MartinBeerbom]

In the OR scene, you see a tall guy with a reddish beard sitting down in the prep room, behind the glass, at the right edge of the frame. That's novel author Michael Crichton's cameo. He's sitting down because he was freakishly tall (6'9''), and Wise couldn't keep him in frame if he had been standing.

[@paulaswanson13]

My son is 6’9”. Very tall-yes. Freakishly??? NO!!!

[@mcliester]

I found that out and went back to watch that scene just to see the author's movie debut

[@brom00]

Excellent choice. This was adapted from a book by Michael Crichton, who also wrote Jurassic Park and several others that became movies. For the animal 'deaths'. they weren't harmed. They filled that room with CO₂. The animals were knocked out for a few minutes. The 70's had several great science fiction films. Among my favorites include 'Soylent Green' and 'Silent Running'.

[@NoelleMar]

That is definitely harming them, it’s just not offing them. I think there were fewer “protections” for animals on set at that point than there had been before that and then later. (Unless I’m getting the years wrong, which is entirely possible.) Anyway, glad they took care of them all things considered, but still rather grim!

[@KublaVeruca]

You done get more 70's then Silent Running... Bruce Dern, Huey, Duey and Louie...

[@larrybremer4930]

I remember this movie being shown in science class in high school as a lesson in the scientific method.

[@GenXCellent1970]

Wow same here, Biology teacher had us watch it. Fell in love with it then!!

[@arthurerickson5162]

Same here, but I showed it to my chemistry classes. Had read the book before seeing the film, which became one of my favorites!

[@frankgesuele6298]

"What did we learn today, Ken?" "Get your ass up to the sub station & deactivate the nuke!"

[@micpar2]

Check out Westworld (1973). Written & directed by Michael Crichton. He also wrote Jurassic Park. Westworld is very much like Jurassic Park premise wise. Yul Brynner the gunslinger robot is actually. The original Terminator.

[@pollynicklas5220]

So many of these movies are rather slow paced - not like today's that feed you everything at a frantic pace! Ithers from that time period that are worth watching - The Omega Man, Soylent Green (relevant today), Logan's Run, also relevant today, Rollerball (1975 version)!! Jonathan - Jonathan - Jonathan - Jonathan! Lol

[@Madbandit77]

The sci-fi films of the late 60s/mid 70s are interesting gems.

[@vlr78]

Logan's Run is fantastic

[@hobbievk5119]

Fantastic Voyage is another great film from this period.

[@bodine57]

Rollerball, YES!! Corporate dystopian.

[@toomanyaccounts]

Soylent Green had a new york that at 30 mill was overcrowded. give you a hint Soylent Green was dead wrong about everything

[@haraldputensen7955]

Danke!

[@TBRSchmitt]

Thank you!

[@llamallama1509]

Oh my god, I've been hoping for so long that someone would react to this! I saw the thumbnail in the corner of my eye and clicked immediately! Watching now, can't wait to see what you thought

[@johnclawed]

At 34:32 Hall opens the door and you can see the gasket around the door crumbles to dust. That's a nice touch.

[@misterkite]

There's a lot of really good 70s scifi. Logan's Run, Silent Running, Dark Star, Solaris, Westworld, Soylent Green, Boy and his Dog.

[@jayconant3816]

Yeah they definitely need to watch Logans run!!

[@conureron3792]

A Boy and his Dog was like a cult film even back in the 70’s. It was pretty wild

[@aimmethod]

They might enjoy ' _Cassandra Crossing_ ' too.

[@toomanyaccounts]

Soylent green is dumb. the original story didn't have them turning dead bodies into food.

[@kevinstull8552]

And then there's a little film that nobody probably has ever heard of that didn't do much of anything that went by the title Star Wars. It must be one of those hard to find films nowadays.

[@socalpaul487]

"The Andromeda Strain" was an incredibly popular book/movie in the early '70's, pre "Star Wars"

[@MartinBeerbom]

In the novel, Michael Crichton added a full scientific literature bibliography. It looked frighteningly real and included some of the principal characters as authors. Robert Wise, the director, actually tried to look some of them up and found out that all the references were made up.

[@robertadams998]

They should definitely check out The Day The Earth Stood Still.

[@Kromark]

Out of all the reactors i have watched ( quite a few ) you two are the best. To put in perspective i am a grumpy old man who gets irritated easily by people , but i watch reactors so i can self monologue at how annoying they are. But you two are a the only ones that make me smile and your commentary is wonderful , you also react to films that no one else can be bothered to. Thank you. From a less grumpy old man.

[@ilionreactor1079]

Not only a good movie, it's an IMPORTANT movie. These issues and lessons should be contemplated by us all.

[@buffstraw2969]

As another person has already commented below, this film was directed by Robert Wise: "West Side Story," "The Sound Of Music," "The Haunting," "Star Trek: The Movie," "The Day The Earth Stood Still," and many others. You mentioned how well the Piedmont sequence was edited, with the split-screen effects. Wise got his start as an editor, and edited Orson Welles' masterpiece "Citizen Kane." So, quite an impressive resume. A very versatile director, working in many genres. I'm so glad you guys reacted to this!!! "The Andromeda Strain" is one of my favorite films. I saw it when it came out in 1971 (I was in junior high school, or "middle school" as it's known today) and it blew me away. I especially liked the score by Gil Melle, a jazzman who also experimented with electronic music. According to Melle, Wise wanted a unique sound. When Melle would play a track he'd just proudly completed, Wise would tell him: "Sounds too much like music. Go back and re-do it." I bought the soundtrack album, and loved it. The vinyl LP wasn't circular, but hexagonal: the same shape as the Andromeda crystal.

[@Johnny_Socko]

Thank you very much, those are some details that I've never heard before. That LP sounds awesome, it would be amazing to find a copy today.

[@RaptorNX01]

I had never noticed just how many split-diopter shots were in this film until i watched this reaction.

[@susanliltz3875]

This movie is so old you guys don’t know any of the actors, but it’s nice for me to see some of these old familiar faces!!!!

[@Friend_Of_The_Muse]

Yes. Many were top TV actors of the day. They were everrywhere.

[@mattw65]

Same, but by heck does that date a lot of us.

[@Divamarja_CA]

@@Friend_Of_The_MuseI almost thought it was a made-for-TV movie!

[@ZakhadWOW]

53 years old now sheesh.. Only other one I generally remember from this era is Lost Horizon...

[@YoureMrLebowski]

4:51 "geez. scoop him right out of there... oh, get it, scoop." -Sam "good job babe." -TBR 😊

[@harnois75]

I would recommend the Sean Connery/Donald Sutherland heist movie written and directed by Michael Crichton - The (First) Great Train Robbery (1978) A great witty exciting period film.

[@ZakhadWOW]

RIP Donald Sutherland.. left a great film legacy

[@gunsort3242]

Douglas Trumbull created the visual effects for this film. The "computer graphics" which seem so normal to us these days couldn't be created with computers then and were visual effects themselves. The microscopic and electron microscope scenes were painstakingly created as well. It was all so understated that it fit perfectly in the film's sense of realism. The man was a genius.

[@guscarlson7021]

Nothing is a great place to start. Awesome film. In 1971, we were on the edge of our seats for the last 5 minutes.

[@tonymayren9776]

I read the book then saw the film in the early Seventies, they were both great! Very good reaction.

[@YoureMrLebowski]

2:39 "I don't believe this. thanks Coen Brothers." -TBR scarred for life. hope you got a good chuckle out of it Coen Brothers. 🤨

[@emilysmith259]

That style of split screen editing is unique to the 70's. it is very stylistic. I personally really enjoy and as you mentioned, it can really add tension in a horror or sci-fi movie when done correctly. I wish more movies would revitalize it again.

[@clayjohanson]

Great reaction! Hope you will take a look at “Silent Running”, “THX 1138”, “Phase IV”, and other early 1970s SF classics. PS: The director of this movie, Robert Wise, went on to direct “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in 1979. Truly a great director with an impressive résumé.

[@Madbandit77]

Wise also directed the original "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

[@dragon-ed1hz]

And the original "West Side Story."

[@johnlocke9437]

Was about to recommend Phase IV myself

[@TheFireMonkey]

the equipment in the movie was cutting edge in 1970 - not what was in use, but what was under development at the time. Of course, also some was the latest stuff at the time.

[@tillasmax]

If you like this type of sci-fi you should watch Colosus: The Forbin Project (1970), Logan's Run (1976) and Silent Running (1972).

[@decepticonsretreat]

I was hoping someone would mention Colossus: The Forbin Project, seconding this one for sure

[@tillasmax]

@@decepticonsretreat this movie is more timely now than it was 50 years ago. very good movie.

[@thegodlessvulcan]

The remote arms are Waldoes and were real world equipment. Saw some on a tour at a government facility when I was a kid back in the day few years after the movie's after release.

[@tomfowler381]

Thank you for watching this! One of my favorite movies.

[@cnault3244]

Excellent film that followed the book very closely. There was a sequel in 2019, The Andromeda Evolution, written by Daniel H. Wilson. Worth a read.

[@snorpenbass4196]

Fun fact: the Pentagon has emergency plans for every situation imaginable - from alien invasions to zombie apocalypses. How accurate they are is...hard to determine (seeing as either is highly unlikely to ever happen), but they do have them, and a whole department dedicated to writing them up.

[@frankgesuele6298]

The beer parties must be awesome😃

[@RaptorNX01]

I think people under-estimate just how weird the government (and esp the military) can get. they always took a "but what if..." view of things. its why i found it hilarious when the "men who stare at goats" thing broke and people would be like, "they would never waste money on that", and i'm like, "oh they sure as hell would. and have". esp during the cold war. It didn't help that it had become known that Hitler had had quite an interest in the occult. So ofcourse they looked into EVERYTHING, from psychic powers, to ghosts and beyond. its kinda why i never batted an eye at the Philadelphia experiment despite it probably never happening. while the whole thing about time traveling warships and people getting melted into bulkheads is pretty sus, the idea they would do some dangerous experiment in an attempt to create cloaking technology is pretty on brand.

[@johnclawed]

They also have emergency plans for dealing with a pandemic, and then ignored the plan and copied the Chinese policy instead.

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

They couldn't even build a floating pier in Gaza in less than a month... and it lasted a few weeks and delivered basically zero aid. Doesn't matter if they have a plan, they won't be able to put it into practice.

[@ingurlund9657]

I enjoy you two. Glad I found you.

[@arifeannor9573]

The monkey was "killed" by being placed in a large set filled with carbon dioxide. When the monkey's cage, which contained oxygen, was opened the animal was rendered unconscious by the CO2. An assistant director was off camera and brought a breathing apparatus to the monkey, who recovered immediately.

[@twoheart7813]

Interesting movie fact, thank you.

[@michaelschwartz8730]

Hadn't seen the film for a long time and looked that info up after a recent rewatch. Gotta be honest, the monkey looked like it was suffering imo, even if it wasn't fatal. :/

[@NoelleMar]

@@michaelschwartz8730 Yeah, I always thought it was a great actor. Until I found out. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@DylansPen]

The reactors also mentioned something that I hadn't thought of before, the birds didn't die in Piedmont.

[@bmw128racer]

Not carbon dioxide... Carbon monoxide, according to the "making of" this movie.

[@chazfreakshow]

The Andromeda Strain is my favorite Michael Crichton book. You may know him as the author of Jurassic Park and the creator of ER.

[@paulkingartwerks7981]

Great, great movie. One you can watch over and over and never get tired of it. On my list of my top ten favorite movies!!!

[@DSR299]

Excellent Commentary. And I'm very glad you got to see it. I mean 1971, right? It is a great movie that most people have not seen or even heard of. Thank you for your wonderful commentary.

[@DylansPen]

As a kid my friends and I went back to the theater three times over a couple months to see this again, it is really good. Crichton had a lot of medical training and he uses the knowledge with great expertise.

[@carltonbakerii8274]

Wow. I’m amazed that someone reacted to this movie! It’s one of my favorites and scared the crap out of me when I saw it on television…at home alone. It’s incredibly well done.

[@YoureMrLebowski]

12:55 "is that a threat?" -Sam 😆

[@emilysmith259]

I love the premise of this movie is to answer the riddle - how is a screaming infant like an old alcoholic?

[@bigneon_glitter]

Wow, very impressed! A Sci-Fi classic. Great pick. You'd also like 1970's _Colossus: The Forbin Project_ - a precursor to _The Terminator_ & another smart Sci-Fi classic.

[@richardb6260]

I just recommended Colossus. Both it and Demon Seed are solid films about Artificial Intelligence. I'd even say that Terminator might owe something to Colossus.

[@floydster23]

I always watch Colossus as a double feature with Andromeda. Colossus also a precursor to Wargames as well as Terminator.

[@richardb6260]

​@@floydster23I'd include War Games as another movie inspired by Colossus.

[@toomanyaccounts]

James Cameron watched Colossus. Colossus as the book predates "I have no mouth and must scream"

[@richardb6260]

@@toomanyaccounts Maybe the author should have sued Harlan Ellison.

[@shgreenberg]

I read the original book. Still one of my favorites. I remember my dad took me to see this movie in the theater. I was only 12 but already a scientist. The writer actually had a cameo in the movie. Was the tech in the operating room. Still one of my favorite movies to this day.

[@2tone753]

This is a film with, as we call it in Germany, “sense and understanding”. A frighteningly timeless theme, a great script and superb actors and, among other things, an outstanding film. The novel, like most of M. Chrichton's, is first rate. Oh, by the way, I was the victim of a cerebral hemorrhage. Before this one, light reflections didn't bother me. Seven years after the hemorrhage, I became an epileptic. Flickering lights like in clubs trigger epileptic seizures in me. Nobody can say why this only occurred seven years after the cerebral hemorrhage. On the other hand, I have needed medication containing the active ingredient carbamazepine for 15 years. What is shown in the film is absolutely correct.

[@spornge]

It is awseome you are watching this , this is one of my all time favorite movies that is even better after you have been in the Army

[@verisimilitudeteller]

Miracle Mile with Anthony Edwards, that's an underrated sci-fi movie from the late 80s. I think you guys would enjoy it.

[@toomanyaccounts]

not sci fi. thriller. also lots of background full frontal female nudity.

[@themotleycollector]

Seeing that real-life satellite come back with samples from space a couple years ago, I couldn't help but think of this movie. One of my all-time favorites. Great reaction vid, too!

[@ladygeekgirl]

I love Samantha's response when asked, "what do you know about this movie?" ...nothing 😂

[@Osprey850]

Almost as funny to me as when she replies "it's a sequel!" 😂

[@bottle1lack743]

Thes reminds me of what happened in the small town of Claridge in Maryland on the 4th of july 2009, some mysterious infection wiped out almost the whole town. There's a movie about it called 'The Bay" (2012).

[@chetstevensq]

My introduction to Crichton as a wee 10 year old. Actually saw this at the local library at a special screening. Ended up reading all of his books, which as translated to movies this is probably the closest to the book source. Here's hoping they do My Favorite Year some day as it is my favorite Peter O'Toole movie.

[@DamagedButManaging]

I checked the book out from my local library after watching it and was blown away by it, too

[@KublaVeruca]

Aw man... That IS a good one... overlooked and underrated....

[@user-jf9vx1cl8k]

I was taken to this movie when I was 11. Scared the heck out of me !

[@markcreemore4915]

IMO one of the greatest films of the 70s is The Man Who Would Be King, with Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer. Directed by the great John Huston. You two would absolutely LOVE this.

[@kimidri]

That is a good movie always watch if comes on tv

[@haverberg]

2nd on that one. One of the best movies from that period I've ever seen, and the 70's had A LOT of them.

[@emilysmith259]

Something else to keep in mind...Hall is looking at the survivors as a doctor. The rest are scientists. Hall is the only one who took the Hippocratic oath to do no harm to his patients.

[@hackerx7329]

Those robotic arms are very real and are commonly used for manipulation of things inside of hot cells while the operator stays safely outside the shielding

[@ibnteos]

The green blobby sample from the satellite reminded me of the movie "The Blob", there's the classic 1958 version with Steve McQueen and a bit more graphic version made in 1988. For other films written by Michael Crichton you can check out "Westworld" (1973), "Coma" (1978), "Looker" (1981), "Runaway" (1984)... these are a few of the oldies I remember :)

[@filmschoolslave3794]

Funny I just watched this a few days ago...I think this is your first Robert Wise movie. He's not talked about as much as some of the other directors you've done - but he's got a hell of a record - including 4 Oscars. This is one of my favorites of his I think. The sets on this are phenomenal, and for a slow, quiet film, it is REALLY INTENSE.

[@Wanda711]

Me too! A few days it just popped into my mind, and I thought it would be nice to see it again. Must be something in the air... gasp!!!

[@Madbandit77]

Wise was the Steven Spielberg of his day.

[@mercurywoodrose]

I met the Director prior to the film being completed. He was talking to the actress that plays the nurse backstage at a musical in Los Angeles. He was a nice guy.

[@MikeHunt90731]

If you know Michael Crichton, you must see his films he directed such as Coma 1978 and Westworld 1973

[@donaldhackler5242]

I saw this in the theater when I was in junior high. We had just recently stopped doing duck and cover drills so this was very convincing.

[@JangTheKim]

Never even heard of this. Thanks Schmitthead for picking it. Always up to learn about a new flick that’s someone’s favorite. If this reaction is good, I’ll go watch the whole thing.

[@NoelleMar]

This is probably the most realistic sci fi film I’ve seen, when I think of it. 🤔

[@JangTheKim]

@@NoelleMar I’m definitely going to watch the full film. I really enjoyed this reaction.

[@toomanyaccounts]

@@JangTheKim its free on the official yt movies channel

[@JangTheKim]

@@toomanyaccounts Fantastic! Thank you for that information. I will be watching it tonight.

[@imdiyu]

One of my favourite Sci-fi films ever. Thank you much.

[@2715bunky]

1971 was a great year for films. This was a childhood favorite!

[@SutraRein-xy4qr]

I bloody loved this film! Elements of it stuck with me for years after. If you liked this then I recommend the film ‘the Satan bug’ made roughly around the same era.

[@agorgedslug]

Just got recommended your channel by KZbin. Nice breakdown and I like your format of the movie full screen behind you. I've loved this movie for years. Well done from Scotland.

[@TRK-up2zw]

Wow, never thought this movie would be on a reaction channel. I love the wheel of doom randomness. Visual FX by the master, Douglas Trumbull fresh off "2001." There WERE 1201 and 1202 computer alarms on the lunar descent phase of Apollo 11, which meant data overload. A simulation supervisor named Dick Koos and his team programmed for this in the final simulations, so they were familiar with it.

[@jasonsumner3386]

Your reaction and analysis/discussion at the end of your videos are the best on KZbin. No other KZbin channel come close.

[@mattx449]

The set designers went above and beyond for this one. The whole film has a really unique look.

[@anorthosite]

The curved corridor was a set that they simply re-painted, for scenes on different levels. I think it should have been more gradually curved, since it didn't wrap directly around the central core. But yes, otherwise agreed.

[@mattx449]

@@anorthosite that would have given it a great sense of scale, maybe they were limited by the size of the sound stage?

[@anorthosite]

@@mattx449 Quite Possible : They actually had to bust up/excavate the sound stage cement floor, in order to fit in the multi-story central core set ! :)

[@alfredthegreat9543]

Have always loved this movie since i was a kid in the 70's. One of those you watch again and again every couple of years.

[@CrowTRobot-ni7zu]

This is one of the most intense films my dad ever introduced me to. Someone in an IMDb review described this film as “Sci-Fi with a capital S,” and I must say, I agree!

[@blairhaffly1777]

I watched this with my dad when it was released on TV in the seventies. So, I was in elementary school. My impressionistic memory was of flashing red lights with an alarm and something stressful about a ladder. High-level stress and tension bonding. Dad accidentally nurturing my comfort zone of extremely dangerous situations.

[@alexspindler1]

Love this movie, thanks for reacting to it. I love how his speculative imagining of future technology seems pretty close to what we can or are just trying to do now. And the absolute weirdness of Andromeda is so great because you can't just apply regular virus ideas to it. Excellent!

[@Stogie2112]

I always get a kick out of seeing David Wayne (Dr. Dutton), a wonderful actor who played super-villain The Mad Hatter in the 1960's Batman TV series. The Mad Hatter wore a top hat that contained two mechanical eyes, which would hypnotize his victims! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@aaronmicalowe]

I watched this as a young kid. Switched on the TV and had missed the first 5 minutes so just dropped in. Didn't know it was a film because it wasn't done like a film. Was done like a documentary. I only figured out that it was a film when the doctor started feeling the effects of shock, because I realised no documentary could show his view. That made the film more immersive.

[@leftcoaster67]

Robert Wise the director also directed The Day The Earth Stood Still in 1951. He's a solid director.

[@MLawrence2008]

A great reaction to a seriously underrated movie. :) Another interesting movie for you is 'Coma' from 1978.

[@RH1812]

A great, actual science fiction movie

[@tonygriffin_]

21:55 - The line "Let's go back to the rock..." was sampled for the intro of the 1997 song 'Ain't talkin' about dub" by Apollo 440. Never realised that until I heard this line today on your reaction...now it's been added to my music trivia list!

[@HSGAutomotive]

Another of my absolute favourite movies, the beautifully unique and creepy soundtrack, realistic horror, and the 601 implication is one of my favourite pairs of scenes. An organism which can grow so exponentially that even a computer can’t keep up with it is such an effective scare

[@Calamity_Jack]

I remember seeing this movie as a small child, and one indelible memory from the movie was when they cut the guys arm open and red dust came out. Freaked me out!

[@wcookejr]

Because of the influence of this movie, virus researchers refer to the scariest scenario as Andromeda. It's actually part of the lexicon now.

[@jennifergrove2368]

Thank you for watching this! Such an underatted movie

[@tsmartin]

34:28 Andromeda had already mutated to a form that eats plastic so the humans are now safe ... for the time being.

[@toomanyaccounts]

actually it ate the pilots flesh leaving only his bones

[@DNulrammah]

That is another S/F story - The British TV series "DOOMWATCH" - S1E01 - "The Plastic Eaters".

[@captainnerd6452]

A sequel book was just published recently, set in recent times, involving Andromeda mutating again in the ocean, becoming a new threat. I don't know if Crichton left notes or had been working on a sequel when he passed away, but the premise seems sound.

[@anorthosite]

@@toomanyaccounts I always thought that they should have left that detail out. In the book, the point was that Polychron had some of the same characteristics as animal tissue, but then you are left with the question of why the mutant strain doesn't also eat people alive.

[@toomanyaccounts]

@@anorthosite the mutant strain in the lab has mutated to escape the oxygen rich environment of the lab as well as change size and dissolved the polychron however this mutation made it non lethal. the mutant strain in the outside made it go into the upper atmosphere dissolving polychron and human flesh. it would eventually mutate into a harmless form there hence no mass death reports. however the problem is it will mutate again into another form. hence it is very dangerous due to this unpredictably hence the cloud seeding in the hopes of killing it before it mutates again.

[@emadSciFi]

Oh, and 'The Last Starfighter'!! You've love it, guaranteed!

[@Gort-Marvin0Martian]

One of my favorites. Of course I read the book also. Michael Crichton is amazing in all the stories he wrote. He also has a biography of some travels he did. It's called "Travels" of course. The part where he climbs Kilimanjaro is insane. He was also a skin diver and there is a lot in there about that. I highly recommend reading it. Glad you watched and commented on the film. As many have mentioned he wrote a lot of others stories which became films. 'Jurassic Park' 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' 'Twister' 'Sphere' 'Westworld' 'The Andromeda Strain' **** 'The First Great Train Robbery' 'The Terminal Man' 'Coma' 'Looker' 'Runaway' 'Physical Evidence' 'Disclosure' 'Congo' 'The 13th Warrior' 'Timeline' - TV series, "ER" As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.

[@janstan8407]

I'm a senior and I've seen this film MANY times. It's a great movie and I enjoyed watching it yet again. When I was a kid, the gritty, clotted blood coming out of that guy's arm cut freaked me out.

[@toddmitchell7542]

Don’t remember if I read the book first from my dad’s bookcase, or if I bought the book after I saw the movie, one of my favorite movies.

[@tomm7305]

Glad you stumbled onto this one. Has long been a favorite of mine.

[@Jacks-Revenge]

Great choice, thanks!