In this low-budget ANDROMEDA STRAIN rip-off, an unknown, and potentially lethal, microorganism is accidentally set loose aboard the freight train that's carrying it through rural Wisconsin. As a result, the five people involved are quarantined at the nearest railroad depot. There's Dr. Sorenson (Stafford Smith), a biochemist who, for some reason, was the only person guarding the virus during its train ride; Hank (Buck Flower), a hayseed railroad worker whose tenacious curiosity led to the exposure of the virus; Jack (John Goff), a brash railroad laborer who resents being held at the depot; Charlie (Ralph Meeker), a meek, pencil-pushing railroad clerk; and Jenny (Carol Irene Newell), his bookkeeper.Though classified as a sci-fi movie, THE ALPHA INCIDENT really is not one. Most of it plays out in the railroad depot and features the characters bickering. The five are unique from each other, but not terribly interesting. By the halfway mark, Charlie has pretty much disappeared. He's still there but melds with the background and barely says a word. Why did Meeker get top billing when he clearly did not play the main character? It's not like anybody would say, "Gosh, Ralph Meeker's in this film! I have to see it now."Jenny is supposed to be this classy seductress but comes across as frumpy. When she changes clothes and emerges in a V-neck dress and high heels, she exudes the provocativeness of a little girl playing dress-up. Jack is a petulant child who yells when he doesn't get his way. Hank is the ostensible comic relief, but his bumbling manner suggests an acquired brain injury. And Sorenson handles his leadership role with the aplomb of M*A*S*H's Henry Blake.A skilled director would have built up the tension to an excruciating level, but not here. Ultimately, director Bill Rebane does far too little with an interesting (if unoriginal) premise. THE ALPHA INCIDENT suffers from a weak script, spartan sets, uninspired acting, shoddy production values, and characters about whom one simply does not give a damn. It has a few good moments, but there's too much mediocrity in between.

The idea was very good. An andromeda Strain clone film. Except this focuses on the victims rather than the germ & was nowhere near as well done.This film reminds me of the movie, "They shoot horses don't they" which was the most boring, dragged out movie I ever had the displeasure to see. That movie was so horrible it was physically painful to watch. The only other film which affected me like that was "Stop the world, I want to get off". I think "Bus Stop" was another of those movies like this.This movie also just drags & drags like those other films, with the handful of victims ranting & babbling & going stir crazy in a rural train station trying to stay awake. I had seen it before so I was more than happy to fast forward through all the ravings of the victims & just watch the interactions between the gov't agent, military & lab sequences. Much better. I had forgotten the ending. Sad but quite probable of the gov't.In fact, in reality they would have used infra-red to find the escapee then they would have incinerated the entire area, victims & all & claimed it was a plane crash. The lab scientists would have been using Biohazard level 4 suits & facilities at Ft Deitrick.The exploding brain sequence was quite an eye opener in more than one way.If the director had not spent so much time on the monotony of victims dialogue going stir crazy & more time on the lab, technical aspects, involvement & origin of the organism, it could have been made into a great movie. That was the fault of the director & screenwriter. There was clearly not enough research done on gov't handling of biohazards for this movie. A remake would have to be quite different to set apart from Andromeda Strain.Watchable if you can tolerate the monotony of victims raving as they mentally melt down or fast forward through those portions.

"The Alpha Incident" feels like an episode of "The Twilight Zone" padded out to full movie length. While it overstays its welcome it does have an interesting premise and uses its low budget effectively. It's a shame that the performances aren't better because those could have really amped up the tension and made this into a tight thriller. A better film would have you on the edge of your seat as the characters are trapped in quarantine after being exposed by a virus from Mars. This one doesn't really do that much with the premise. As is, it isn't terrible but it isn't spectacular either so it's worth checking out if the premise interests you and you're able to forgive some of the film's shortcomings, or like me you just happen to have it because you bought one of those cheap "50 Sci-Fi Classics" for $20. (On DVD, September 16, 2012)

I'll readily admit that I'm a little biased when it comes to Bill Rebane movies, he is after all the Ed Wood of the Midwest, but I think The Alpha Incident is far and away his best film. For all it lacks in budget and effects it more than makes up for in strong performances and storyline even if it is ripped off from The Andromeda Strain. An alien virus is found on samples of martian rock and it is determined that this strain must be dispatched immediately. In order to not arouse suspicion the virus is sent on a cargo train to Colorado with the mysterious Dr. Sorensen as its lone guard along with a moonshining hillbilly engineer Hank who is too curious for his own good. While Dr. Sorensen is asleep Hank inspects the toxic contents and, wouldn't you know it, breaks the vial cutting his hand in the process. The next morning the duo arrive at a remote track changing station that is run by the quiescent Charlie along with his secretary Jenny. Hank and Sorensen meet Jack Tiller who is changing train engines for the transfer ride when Hank's odd behavior tips off Sorensen that the virus has been tampered with. A call to Sorensen's military handler leads the five to become quarantined at the tiny office until the "top scientists" who bicker like an old married couple can find an antidote. Tempers rise and give way to fear as the four civilians are held captive by Dr. Sorensen's cryptic warnings of an alien virus that will kill them should anyone fall asleep. The bulk of the film concerns this fragile alliance out of the necessity for survival.There are no Oscar worthy performances here however I did feel that each of the main actors were portrayed pretty solidly. Dr. Sorensen plays the mystery man well, Jack Tiller the obnoxious loudmouth, Charlie the reserved man who secretly pines for his assistant and Jenny who sure knows how to fill a dress! I couldn't picture Paul Bentzen as a government scientist without constantly thinking of him in his role as Billy, Kester's megacreep cousin in Giant Spider Invasion. Watch for Menards pitchman Ray Szmanda as "The Official" all alone in his makeshift central command talking to himself. When Sorensen asked for supplies they should of had Ray go into his schtick ending with the usual teeth-grinding "at Menards!" looking as if he's about to drop dead of a heart attack. An acquired taste that might be a little too talky for most though it does have a pretty graphic death scene towards the end as well as Carol Irene Newell showing off some of her "talents". At least give it a try before ripping this review to shreds.