Michael Crichton's Acclaimed '70s Sci-Fi Movie Got A Remake That Was A Critical Mess

"The Andromeda Strain" holds the distinction of being the first movie to ever adapt a Michael Crichton story. That said, Hollywood loves to take what's old and make it new again, and Crichton adaptations are no exception. "The Andromeda Strain" was rebooted as a miniseries in 2008 — and let's just say that critics don't regard it as a remake that's better than the original.

Like the original story and its 1971 adaptation, the miniseries follows a group of scientists tasked with keeping an extraterrestrial contagion at bay. However, the redo adds unnecessary subplots that bloat the narrative, going against everything that makes the original great. As Empire wrote, "Showing little faith in the novel's strength (its tightness), workmanlike director Mikael Salomon jettisons the claustrophobia to stomp about on the surface."

The miniseries was produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, so some viewers might have gone in expecting one of the better alien invasion TV shows of its era. Unfortunately, this iteration of "The Andromeda Strain" turned out to be a giant mess — a far cry from the Scott brothers' best sci-fi efforts. So, what other elements of the show did critics dislike?

The original "Andromeda Strain" is a suspenseful thriller that will get under your skin. The remake series, meanwhile, is over the top and convoluted, which can be fun in the right context. However, the show's 30% score on Rotten Tomatoes indicates that most critics couldn't even enjoy "The Andromeda Strain" in a so-bad-it's-good way.

"'The Andromeda Strain' is a nice ride for teenagers and children who aren't familiar with the suspense thrillers of the late '80s and early '90s, who can, therefore, enjoy it when a stoned teenager goes to take a dump in the desert, gets bitten by an infected mouse, and then tries to brain his girlfriend with a big rock," Salon wrote. Elsewhere, some critics argued that the "Andromeda Strain" remake is dull, despite its silly elements. "Andromeda is a two-night extravaganza that could have been one if its characters didn't speak in massive, clunky chunks of technojargon. And if they moved faster," Entertainment Weekly noted.

No one really talks about "The Andromeda Strain" remake these days. Maybe it's because it was released during Hollywood's remake craze of the 2000s, which saw countless horror and sci-fi properties get an upgrade. Or maybe it's because it's an unremarkable redo that will make most sci-fi fans want to revisit the original instead. Either way, you don't have to add this one to your watchlist.