The New York Times panned the film in the 22 March 1971 issue, calling the novel "dreadful." John Simon called The Andromeda Strain "a tidy film, yet it completely fades from memory after its 130 minutes are over." Scientific response A 2003 publication by the Infectious Diseases Society of America noted that The Andromeda Strain is the "most significant, scientifically accurate, and prototypic of all films of this [killer virus] genre ... it accurately details the appearance of a deadly agent, its impact, and the efforts at containing it, and, finally, the work-up on its identification and clarification on why certain persons are immune to it." Awards and honors The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Boris Leven, William H. Tuntke, Ruby R. Levitt); lost to Nicholas and Alexandra Best Film Editing (Stuart Gilmore, John W. Holmes); lost to The French Connection The film was nominated for science fiction's 1972 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (for works appearing in calendar year 1971). See also List of American films of 1971 The Andromeda Strain, a 2008 television miniseries adaptation of the same novel References Further reading Tibbetts, John C., and James M. Welsh, eds. The Encyclopedia of Novels into Film (2nd ed. 2005) pp 17–18. External links The Andromeda Strain, film review at Taint The Meat.com The Andromeda Strain, analisis at Cinephilia & Beyond 1971 films 1970s disaster films 1970s science fiction thriller films American disaster films American science fiction thriller films Biological weapons in popular culture 1970s English-language films Films about extraterrestrial life Films about space hazards Films about viral outbreaks Films based on American novels Films based on science fiction novels Films based on thriller novels Films based on works by Michael Crichton Films directed by Robert Wise Films scored by Gil Mellé Procedural films Techno-thriller films Universal Pictures films Films set in New Mexico Films set in Utah Films shot in Texas Films shot in California Films set in Washington, D.C. 1970s American films Films produced by Robert Wise