The Andromeda Strain, 2008

Warning: Spoilers follow. While this new version boasts better production, it is an embarrassment to Crichton and A&E. For starters, one has to acknowledge that the original 1971 movie was full of flaws. But the new version, in an attempt to correct these flaws, only makes things much worse. The mechanical malfunction in the original which prevents communication is replaced by an absurd subplot about a conspiracy to prevent Wildfire from communicating with a reporter. The original never explained the origin of Andromeda, but the new one offers one that is a real groaner, involving a worm hole, a secret message from the future written in Buckyballs, a political message about preserving earth's resources, and a bacterium capable of defeating Andromeda. No joke. Most important is the way this new version changes the nature of the story. The original was about Wildfire and their task to uncover the mystery of Andromeda while staying alive. This story, which was originally the main plot, has now become what feels like a subplot. Whereas the struggle to prevent the spread of contamination and keep Kate Reid alive is significant in the original, here it is almost entirely ignored. The most drastic shift is that the focus is taken off of Wildfire and onto the spread of Andromeda in the countryside. Whereas the original story was a battle of wits between humans, technology, and Andromeda within the claustrophobic space of Wildfire, now the attention is on this overblown idea of Andromeda infecting the land through animals eating each other and threatening all human civilization. Everything fell apart when Andromeda started to color the land and water red as it spread. (How it spread without transferring from one living body to another is entirely unclear!) The scene of people running from this "red invasion" was just hilarious, though it wasn't supposed to be. A disaster of a movie, worthy only to be mocked.

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