DVD: The Andromeda Strain 2008

Based on the first novel by Michael Crichton "The Andromeda Strain" and also a brand new made-for-TV remake of the 1971 similarly-titled film, The Andromeda Strain 2008 is now available in a two-disc DVD box set!

Directed by Mikael Salomon, who has directed episodes from series like Band of Brothers and Alias, and also produced by the highly-acclaimed brothers Ridley and Tony Scott, this miniseries proves to be one that is hard to miss. Just like how it caught my attention and found a way to be on my coffee table in my living room, when I dropped by the DVD rental store last week.

Plot begins with the crashing of a US military satellite in a small town and creates a bio-hazardous mayhem by wiping out the entire town less two survivors. As the military attempts to set a rigid quarantine in place to contain and prevent any potential outbreak, a small team of specialists who forms a critical protocol known as "Wildfire" is activated to discover a way to break a relentlessly powerful pathogen codenamed "Andromeda".

Visually stunning and high energized action and pace, this mini-series is one that stands out in a league of its own. Never have I witnessed this amount of CGI effects in a two-part TV series. The plot serves to be capable of capturing the audience's attention although it appears to be a tad bit over technical and heavy on scientific knowledge for some, which is actually one of the known traits of Crichton's style. It constantly gets one to crank one's brain real hard as some of the theories are rather out-of-this-world. Also allowing us to realize how vulnerable and weak we human beings can be upon facing such futuristic bio-threats, we cannot help but to ponder of the existence of a greater species other than Homosapiens in the Universe. The technologies employed in this project are intensively pretty and envy-inducing, such as gadgets like the 'e-paper'.

Not a title to be left on the shelves of DVD rental stores, do ensure that it gets into your hands and onto the tray of your DVD player and knock yourselves out.

Worthy of a few days of overdue rental fines.

Managing Editor,

MuHu Son