The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 American science-fiction film, based on the novel

The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain , by Michael Crichton, is a techno-thriller novel documenting the efforts of a team of scientists investigating a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism that rapidly and fatally clots human blood, while in other people inducing insanity...

 published in 1969 by Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton

John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...

. The film is about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial

Outer space

Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....

 origin that causes rapid, fatal blood clotting

Thrombus

A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...

. Directed by Robert Wise

Robert Wise

Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...

, the film starred Arthur Hill

Arthur Hill (actor)

Arthur Edward Spence Hill was a Canadian actor best known for appearances in British and American theater, movies and television...

, James Olson

James Olson (actor)

-Life and career:Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters...

, Kate Reid

Kate Reid

Kate Reid, OC was a Canadian stage, film and television actress.-Life and career:Daphne Kate Reid was born in London, England, the daughter of Canadian parents, Helen Isabel and Walter Clarke Reid, who was a former Bengal Lancer in the Indian army and a retired colonel...

, and David Wayne

David Wayne

David Wayne was an American actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.-Early life and career:...

. The film follows the book closely. The special effects were designed by Douglas Trumbull

Douglas Trumbull

Douglas Huntley Trumbull is an American film director, special effects supervisor, and inventor. He contributed to, or was responsible for, the special photographic effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner and The Tree of...

.
The cast of characters in the novel was modified for the film, most notably by changing the male Dr.