I have been holding off watching this...
But I feel now is the right time.
shareNot a bad film but very dated.
shareAs long as it's not Logan's Run (1976) dated - which is the most dated film I've ever seen.
shareIf you don't like Logan's Run you probably won't like this. Two of my favorites.
shareI admit they’re both dated but I like both films.
shareDon't get me wrong. Logan's Run is a cool movie, just very dated effects wise. Especially if you compare it to the sci-fi flick that came the year after.
shareTrue. But I think it's just as good a story, and in some ways it's even better, as it asks some interesting questions along the way.
Plus, the wonderful Jenny Agutter.
Sure, The Andromeda Strain is dated because the tools used to identify the virus look like standard sci-fi movie set equipment from the late 1960s. But the equipment is slick, plausible looking in its function, and not at all distracting. You don't see random capacitors with chaotic electric fields like in 1930s mad scientist laboratories or anything. The area in which this film is most dated is its level of intelligence. For a big budget film, or any for that matter, it's extremely detailed in its scientific content. It's not a bunch of mumbo jumbo science either, except in parts where it needs to be (they're dealing with a novel virus from outer space, after all). This is the only "dated" aspect that bothers me, because most movies masquerading as science fiction these days are the equivalent of plastic science set toys for kindergartners. Look at the "science fiction" category list of films available on streaming channels. They're dominated by flying shark films. Anyone with a functioning brain should pray for a movie renaissance that produces more "dated" films like this one.
I'll add that the film is exciting, even given the numerous and lengthy scenes with scientific exposition. The Andromeda Strain is proof positive that sophisticated scientific dialog and dramatic tension can perfectly well coexist in cinema and amplify one another.
Agreed, it has a feeling of naturalness & authenticity that so many films from the time had.
Personally, I think the word "dated" is dreadfully overused today. All effects are inevitably going to look dated in time; the question is whether they did the best they could with what was available at that time. In this case, I'd say yes.
And I like that films from different decades have different attitudes, approaches, social mores, and the like. They provide a window into the time when those films were made, which fascinates me. It also reminds me that whatever is considered modern & oh-so-cool now will become just as dated a few decades into the future, if not sooner.