Log in Sign up

The Andromeda Strain

1971 · TMDB 7.1

Directed by Robert Wise

When virtually all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico are found dead after the return to Earth of a space satellite, the head of the US Air Force's Project Scoop declares an emergency. A group of eminent scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone scrambles to a secure laboratory and tries first to isolate the life form while determining why two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived. The scientists methodically study the alien life form, unaware that it has already mutated and presents a far greater danger in the lab, which is equipped with a nuclear self-destruct device designed to prevent the escape of dangerous biological agents.

Why it matters

Robert Wise's adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel sees a team of scientists in a sealed underground facility race to identify a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism before it escapes.

From When the World Catches Cold

Chains through this film

Where this title sits in a journey — and where cinema takes you next.

Browse all chains

Where this film leads

Linked through chains, directors and neighbouring cinema.

Key contributors

Explore by topic