When I first heard “The Andromeda Strain” was being remade, I checked the book out of the library. While I found it interesting reading, in retrospect, I think that was because of the way it was written, focusing on the mistakes that were made. And the ending was downright awful. Mutating into something innocuous? What a cop-out.

Then I watched the original movie and I was bored out of my mind. I can’t tell you how many scenes I fast-forwarded through.

I did like many of the elements they added here, that Andromeda was from the future, that it was intelligent. And for the most part I thought the special effects were excellent (the birds perhaps being the exception). I did not like that 2 members of the team died. None of the team died in the original. Why did they think they needed to die here? Oh, perhaps to make Stone the hero?

Anyway, I’m with you, Cynthia, all the way. And I love your analogy to a love Supernatural love interest!

Which leads me to your defense by saying, do not worry that we have gotten off-topic. Crichton’s subject matter often delves into the world of SciFi, like nanotech. And, after all, this is a topic about a TV mini-series that was “loosely” based on a Crichton SciFi novel w/in a SciFi website.

So, take heart & don’t worry–be happy. Go & join the rest of us this wkd by psychologically releasing our frustration w/”the Man” by seeing the “Incredible Hulk” this wkd.

–Godspeed–

Yes, I’ve read Airframe. (I’ve read all of Michael Crichton’s fiction except for his very first book Odds On, which he wrote under the pseudonym John Lange.) Airframe is great, and Casey Singleton, the heroine, is one of my favorite Crichton characters. Michael Crichton sold the film rights to Airframe but it turned out to be too expensive to make the film. After a while, Crichton bought the rights back. With the special effects that can be done with computers today, it should be possible to make the film now. We can watch and hope.

What many people don’t realize is that Airframe is not so much about the airline industry as it is about the media. The mishap with the airplane is a vehicle to explore how the media reacted and reported on it.

State of Fear is worth reading. I wouldn’t wait for the film as I very much doubt there will be one. Aside from the fact we’re still waiting for a film version of Prey, Crichton’s skeptical views on global warming have not be well-received in Hollywood. That’s one of the reasons I strongly suspect that the creators of this version of The Andromeda Strain turned his novel into an environmental morality tale in part to take a jab at him. Much of the dialogue about mining the ocean vents is very similar to what is being said about global warming.

I don’t know if we should be getting off the topic here. If you would like to discuss this or any other Michael Crichton topic, please email me at kahlessa@yahoo.com

Speaking of reading more M_Crichton books, has anyone read “Airframe”?. It was one of the best airline industry thrillers I’ve read. I couldn’t put it down, the pace was that steady. The hero was a lady for a change. I thought it would make a great movie or mini-series when I finished it.

BTW, is “State of Fear” a great read or should I wait 4 the movie?

–Godspeed–

Many times a mini-series can be better than the original, because it has the time to explore more details from the book. The mini-series of Stephen King’s The Shining was better and truer to the book than the Stanley Kubrick film. The same can also be said of the mini-series of East of Eden starring Jane Seymour, and the one of Jane Eyre starring Timothy Dalton. The Andromeda Strain could have been a very intelligent and exciting exploration of the novel. Instead they went for special effects, strange and irrational tangents, and an obvious political agenda. What were they thinking? I really have to wonder.

I do agree that they could have done more as a scifi movie goes – but not sure they could as an A&E SciFi movie. They have to appeal to a mass audience, thus the throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. Hard scifi doesn’t get ratings on mainstream TV which forced A&E to go with something a bit more “24″ meets “X-Files” than a classic scifi flick.

Have you seen the promos for Fringe. Andromeda Strain could have been a pilot movie for that new show.