The Andromeda Strain (1971) - 2 stars out of 10

The Andromeda Strain (1971) - 2 stars out of 10

I appreciate when films stay true to the book... but not at the expense of becoming horrifically slow and boring.  It should not take two hours to arrive at the first moment of excitement (i.e. the final 10 minutes of the film).  "The Andromeda Strain" is an interesting sci-fi story but it did not translate well to the screen.  90% of the story is made up of lab tests and data analysis while the only action occurs at the beginning and the end.  The design of the facility and operation of the equipment are important but it should not require an extended sequence to explain the minute details.  I would have loved to see a film "based on 'The Andromeda Strain'" that took the virus and showed how deadly it could be instead of merely studying it in a research facility the entire time.  I get that you can't just show the microorganism destroying things because the entire mystery of the film is discovering how and why it works, but there must be another way to tell this story that won't put me to sleep.  Maybe I just need to check out the Sci Fi Channel miniseries.