The mutations of the Andromeda Strain
In high school I did a book report on Michael Crichton's Andromeda strain, a book about a mutating alien virus. I also saw the 1971 movie around that time. The other night I saw A&E's 2 part mini-series adaptation from 2008.
It's rather shocking how much the story changes each time, mutating like the virus.
The character adaptations I think get better each time. They started with all white, all bland scientists and wound up with a racially and gender diverse cast with FAR better and more realistic back stories.
The ending is the most varied aspect. I suppose this is a spoiler, but... oh well.
In the book the completely alien germ evolves away from killing animals into something that breaks down plastics and synthetic materials. It escapes the containment lab and floats up into the atmosphere, harmless to humans - unless you happen to be returning to earth in a space ship, where it happily consumes the heat shields and you die.
In the first movie, it gets out but they're all "Oh it'll be okay... The PH in the pacific ocean will kill it." which makes no sense because the PH required to kill the virus is right at the edge of our own safe limits so the ocean would have to pickle us for that plan to work.
In the mini series the virus does not get out, they develop a cure (in a rather ingenious way), but a sample is spirited away to the international space station for safe keeping (and implied to be the root cause of the movie in the first place).
So hmmm. All being done and said, I think I like the mini series the most.
It's rather shocking how much the story changes each time, mutating like the virus.
The character adaptations I think get better each time. They started with all white, all bland scientists and wound up with a racially and gender diverse cast with FAR better and more realistic back stories.
The ending is the most varied aspect. I suppose this is a spoiler, but... oh well.
In the book the completely alien germ evolves away from killing animals into something that breaks down plastics and synthetic materials. It escapes the containment lab and floats up into the atmosphere, harmless to humans - unless you happen to be returning to earth in a space ship, where it happily consumes the heat shields and you die.
In the first movie, it gets out but they're all "Oh it'll be okay... The PH in the pacific ocean will kill it." which makes no sense because the PH required to kill the virus is right at the edge of our own safe limits so the ocean would have to pickle us for that plan to work.
In the mini series the virus does not get out, they develop a cure (in a rather ingenious way), but a sample is spirited away to the international space station for safe keeping (and implied to be the root cause of the movie in the first place).
So hmmm. All being done and said, I think I like the mini series the most.