I'll trust you that it's a good movie, but I have one objection to it that's really more of a rant against Hollywood today in general. I loved the original Andromeda Strain. Do you remember what the scientists in that movie look like? Very middle-aged and, well, ordinary and typical of what you might find among real research scientists.

Now tell me what the actors playing those roles this time look like. Every one of them is good looking, slender, mostly quite young for their supposed expertise. Typical Hollywood nonsense where the great-looking blonde is the word's leading astrophysicist or something. Oh well, I won't pick on this movie for something that is pandemic in today's entertainment, but it's what I noticed when I saw ads for this one. Really stood out compared to the original.

I half watched a trailer for this standing in line at the concession stand in a movie theater and thought - oh cool, a modern adaptation of the classic. I just assumed it was going to be a theatrical release.

I just saw an ad on YouTube - I didn't realize it's a friggin' made for TV movie. Aaaarrgggghhhh... Based on any MFT flick I've seen this automatically means crap. Okay so it'll be high-def crap. Schlock writing, overly drawn out, calculated to fit a time slot & commercial breaks crap...and an A&E watermark in the corner the whole time.

Nothing with Rick Schroder in it can possibly be anything but pablum.

I caught part of an interview with Eric McCormack hawking this on Leno or whatever the other day and I've noticed that I have yet to see him do a post Will & Grace interview where he isn't obviously trying to get the message out - "I'm **NOT GAY** and I want to branch out to do other things". He was talking about the "macho" stunts he did on the film, mentiong his WIFE AND KIDS...did I mention I have A WIFE AND KIDS???

His problem is he was cast for W&G for a reason. I know the PC Police will be knocking on my door but he looks gay. His voice tends toward whiney & his natural mannerisms aren't the most masculine. So it sounds like they've shoehorned him into a part he doesn't fit.

And NO blond babes babes in bikinis? WTH??

Out of curiosity, why do your reviews have a title that's a link right back to itself?

Based on any MFT flick I've seen this automatically means crap.

...on the cable networks, at least, there are quite a few very good ones.

I don't have cable but seeing a couple of bootleg segments of TAS on YouTube - or hell, even one of the official promos, this clearly isn't one of the good ones. Absolutely the kind of junk I assumed. Someone has posted the original in multiple parts on YouTube and I watched some to remind myself of the tone. Despite 37 years of improvements in cinematic technology, they've managed to lower the bar.

I guess Crichton cares more about the paycheck these days than what gets done to his stories, if he still has any control.

The definition of "gay" is "a man who is sexually attracted to other men." It has nothing to do with what a man looks like.

I believe I recall you referring to W&G as being in "gayface"? A turn of phrase I found humorous. They obviously chose actors - like McCormack - who fit a certain outward stereotype. With the Jack character, a prancing sissy, in Will's case a somewhat whiney, pouting pretty-boy with all these "elevated" sensibilities. Something becomes a stereotype because it has at least some validity.

The point being, I suspect there are certain parts he'll be less believeable in. But this production appears to be such a wreck it probably isn't a major issue.

Know the weirdest thing about the casting of Will and Grace?

The lovely John Barrowman (better known to many of us as the bi-but-mostly gay Captain Jack Harkness on episodes of Dr. Who and Torchwood) was the other finalist for the role of Will Truman. He LOST the role of Will Truman because the producers didn't think he appeared gay enough. Barrowman is gay (and out), Truman is straight. Go figure!

Back to Andromeda Strain - I'm half way through it and I have such mixed feelings about it. I'll probably watch it tonight, but I think the first movie was vastly superior.

That said, Eric McCormack, Daniel Dae Kim, and Andre Braugher are all terrific. The script is so-so and the set and lighting design are both laughable. If it was horrible, I would have completely given up, but I'm willing to see what they do to the ending.

Well, I meant to say "McCormack is straight" but...

No, they chose actors who could act to a stereotype.

Well...I believe there can be more to it than that. There are certain things an actor just carries around with them.

Again, I base what I say having seen McCormack & Hayes outside their W&G characters.

I no great fan of McCormack's or anything, but it pisses me off when people confuse media-propagated stereotypes with reality.

So when actor Nathan Lane says "I'm 40, single and I work a lot in musical theater. You do the math." discussing his orientation, he's totally off-base?

The ONLY thing that makes someone homosexual is to whom they are sexually attracted. That's it. Not how they dress or how they talk.

I'm sure there are Sgt. Rock types who are gay but when some guy comes prancing in with a swishy walk, a lisping "oh girlfriend" manner of speaking, you're going to tell me you make absolutely no assumptions about them...? I don't believe even you're that liberal.

I imagine most people know guys from school who "everyone knew" was gay and were proven right.

Obviously stereotypes have SOME basis in fact. But they're not the whole story, not by a long shot.

Obviously.

Of course, there IS that whole thing about girls with red hair...

;-)

The script was utter triep and was only further aided in the demolition of the story by the inept direction.

The introduction of the military conspiracy, the evil assasains, the forced feeling of political correctness permeating the movie from the casting right on through the dialog, and then end up wiht a completely bogus time travel as the resolution?

This shows how much of a hack the screenwriter was -alcoholic reporter seeking redemption, evil military conspiracy, bad business related politicians... all ancient leftist caricature cliches from the 60's. And adding them to the movie gained NOTHING other than clutter.

It became such a farce that the only thing missing by the end of it were MST3K's Joel, Tom Servo and Crow.

The movie was a terrible waste of a good science thriller book, a decent set of effects, and a decent cast who seemed almost ashamed of the dialog at times.

The screenwriter and director (who also wrecked Spartacus) should be ashamed of the piece of garbage the created from such a solid book of source material. Nobody should ever give EITHER of these bufoons a job again, unles its puching a mop at McDonalds.

Even the 1971 movie, although dated, did a better job of maintaining characters, suspense, conflict, and interest.

Go read the book (or re-read it), and save yourselves the waste of time this garbage is.

Spoilers below:

I think my favorite part of the second half was Benjamin Bratt's character just sort of chilling on a ladder while the military scientist died and then a second scientist CAME AFTER HIM and killed himself to cut off the first guys thumb and then toss it up to Bratt's character. (This after he left a woman to potentially die in the decon chamber)

Also, while Bratt's physically strong character fumbled weakly to press the severed thumb against the panel, the much weaker looking character played by Daniel Dae Kim who was dying of serious radiation overdoses...freaking hurled that thumb up to him. That was the most ludicrous sequence of events I have ever seen committed to television. (OK, it was in the top 10 though) My friends and I were laughing non-stop. This is one of those 'movies' the greatness of which can only be appreciated by being added to the MST3K roster.

Also amusing, the alcoholic wife gazing inscrutably at her ex-husband on TV at the end, well her kid tells her, 'hey, he saved the world...gotta give him props!' Way to resolve that plot!

I could go on, but this is a classic...as long as you watch it with friends and know a few good drinking games.

Well, the second half does indeed make it plain why A&E did not send out screeners of the second half.

So, did you find yourself having any "seriously goofy fun" on Night 2?

The screenwriter and director (who also wrecked Spartacus) should be ashamed of the piece of garbage the created from such a solid book of source material.

So we can take heart that despite the protracted writer's strike, things are back to business as usual, they haven't lost a thing.

These are all people who are in it for a paycheck. Writers who don't care what kind of crap they put out. A bunch of actors hurtling headlong toward joining Erik Estrada on the autograph convention tour and pitching swampland at 2AM.

It is strange how off the tracks the script went on night two...because the first part was honestly pretty good, especially for an A&E made for TV movie. I wonder if they had some editing issues...or if they just realized they had written themselves into a corner, with too many plots to resolve.

Oh, and since a definitive cure to Andromeda had been developed...why would the secret organization at the end care about hiding it? It would seem to be notably less potent now that there is a known cure.

@ryan
andromeda is a 99% lethal, quickly mutating, self-aware alien lifeform. and bacilus infernus is not an easily found bacteria. It still has bio-weapon properties.