The 1971 version of this chilling tale was exactly that - chilling. The notion of an extra-terrestrial microbe coming to Earth with devastating consequences was brilliantly handled. This can't be said of this 2008 TV mini-series.Sadly, this overlong adaptation of Michael Crichton's thriller is an overblown piece of nonsense. The background noise is frequently overpowering while assorted madcap dashes hither and yon are nothing more than attempts to create additional drama where none is needed. There are pointless additions to the original story and, of course, lots of military action with soldiers shooting at anything and everything. The introduction of a journalist 'hero' is completely unnecessary and simply detracts from the central plot which is the effort to identify and contain the microbe; that alone would be more than gripping enough to keep viewers' attention if it wasn't lost in amongst all of the extraneous junk.The 1971 film may now be a bit dated but it's infinitely better than this frenzied modern version. Avoid.

In 2008, The Scott brothers, along with the master of the mini-series, Mikael Salomon, decided to remake the 1969 debut novel and 1971 film, The Andromeda Strain, written by famed Jurassic Park author, Michael Crichton. The film was in serious need of an upgrade, and while the new technology really enhanced the film, making it all the more believable, the updates to the story along with the new characters that were introduced, really did the original story a disservice. The basic story was not changed, just modernized, and for that we are very thankful. The story was always a terrific tale of Science Fiction and an early message about the damage we are doing to our planet. I like how the story was updated and I loved the technological advancements. What I didn't like was how much they changed the cast. They wanted to make them more diverse and I don't have a problem with that, but this is not a story that focuses on individuals, it's more about the virus, the technology, and the human impact on our planet. In that sense, I felt it hurt the series, but the technology enhanced it, evening things out. The original novel and movie were 4 stars, and so is the remake. It's different, but there wasn't much harm done, the way you often see in remakes. I think Michale Crichton would have approved.

After reading many reviews (about 100 of them) on this site, it seems like we have reached a consensus on this junky remake:1. Zero suspense 2. Rainbow cast 3. Ridiculous sub-plots 4. Nonsensical science 5. Shamefull ripoffI would agree with everything above. I too saw the original movie many years ago. It was masterfull in drawing you in to the confines of the plot. The suspense, the isolation, the last best hope of mankind to solve the riddle. Never once did my mind wander as to who theses "actors" were. They were so believable as Top scientists, you left the movie thinking they were real Doctors. The story did not require stupid lame subplots to fuel the movie, the main storyline was more than enough. The end result was a suspenseful, edge of your seat, clock ticking away type movie that left you exhausted at the conclusion, allowing yourself to finally swallow that lump in your throat that has been there the last hour. Bravo!Having said that, lets now examine the remake:This movie (if you can call it that) suffers from what most re-makes do. The times are changing. Gone are the thoughtfull, well made, movies that inspire viewers to use their imagination to think things out. Most movies today are about money, not about accomplishment. This crap is just another excuse to dip into that well of good movies to see if they can squeeze a few more dollars out of it. Instead of making a straight science-fiction movie, the producers no doubt formed a focus group of drunk and stoned college students to see what they want in a movie. Of course, Hollywood has to make sure it offends no one except white people, and of course make every opportunity to bash America. This movie succeeded very well on both counts. The result, more PC/anti-American garbage that plays well in foreign countries. Skip this junk unless you are the type that think SCI-FI original movies are good.

I can't understand why people are bashing this movie - it's incredible! I never saw the 'original' version so the 2008 version was the first for me. An incredible movie with an excellent plot with great acting. I've seen it 3 times and each time I get more from it.After seeing this updated version I then made certain that I saw the original. The original version sucks - I mean, it's bad - and then some.I suspect that whenever you see a negative review of the 2008 version it's probably being written by someone who saw the original version when it was originally released (in other words - someone from the geezer brigade).This was one of the best movies I've ever seen and Benjamin Bratt is to be commended as with all the other people in the flick. It's an excellent story that's only been made even better.Hat's off to everyone involved.