Comments on: A&E’s *The Andromeda Strain* (Emphasis on “Strain”) http://lestersmith.com/2008/06/03/aes-the-andromeda-strain-emphasis-on-strain/ A convergence of poetry, game design, and Web tech. Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:02:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: brucecordell http://lestersmith.com/2008/06/03/aes-the-andromeda-strain-emphasis-on-strain/comment-page-1/#comment-11 brucecordell Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:35:08 +0000 http://lestersmith.com/?p=59#comment-11 Thanks for the review; this'll save me a little time. Thanks for the review; this’ll save me a little time.

]]> By: Polyhedras http://lestersmith.com/2008/06/03/aes-the-andromeda-strain-emphasis-on-strain/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Polyhedras Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:15:51 +0000 http://lestersmith.com/?p=59#comment-9 The whole <i>Dune</i> franchise gets a little muddied in my mind. I read the novel as a teenager, when it was fresh off the presses and sci-fi readers were still pretty rare, then read at least two of the sequels (which I know only because I remember Duncan coming back with those mechanical eyes, something Tim Brown tells me was after the first book) before losing interest. Friends today tell me the novel line starts to lose any semblance of sense after book two or three, and having seen the way publishing works ("Write us some more of the same thing you just wrote, except different---but not too different because we know how to sell only what you succeeded with before," or, to use a metaphor, "let's ride this horse until it's dead, because we don't know if that fresh horse is any good"), I can believe it. As for the original movie, I was delighted on two counts: 1.) They didn't dumb it down much for a general audience (and really didn't need to hand out that glossary), and 2.) my wife, who is an artist rather than a writer, and not so voracious a reader as I, fell in love with it. She became a fan of all things <i>Dune,</i> including the console game, then <i>Dune 2000</i> on her PC, then the Sci-Fi Channel remake of the film (see, I haven't forgotten your original question), and then the <i>Children of Dune</i> series they followed up with. I'd agree with Jenny that the Sci-Fi channel remake of the original novel was as enjoyable as the Hollywood version, and interesting because they were able to devote more time to it, playing up more characters. <i>Children of Dune</i> she wasn't as warm to, largely because of the direction they took Paul's sister---which, given the reported weirdnesses of the novel line, may not have been their fault, of course. So there you go: A fairly long, rambling, and noncommittal answer to your question. Cheers! The whole Dune franchise gets a little muddied in my mind. I read the novel as a teenager, when it was fresh off the presses and sci-fi readers were still pretty rare, then read at least two of the sequels (which I know only because I remember Duncan coming back with those mechanical eyes, something Tim Brown tells me was after the first book) before losing interest. Friends today tell me the novel line starts to lose any semblance of sense after book two or three, and having seen the way publishing works (“Write us some more of the same thing you just wrote, except different—but not too different because we know how to sell only what you succeeded with before,” or, to use a metaphor, “let’s ride this horse until it’s dead, because we don’t know if that fresh horse is any good”), I can believe it.

As for the original movie, I was delighted on two counts: 1.) They didn’t dumb it down much for a general audience (and really didn’t need to hand out that glossary), and 2.) my wife, who is an artist rather than a writer, and not so voracious a reader as I, fell in love with it. She became a fan of all things Dune, including the console game, then Dune 2000 on her PC, then the Sci-Fi Channel remake of the film (see, I haven’t forgotten your original question), and then the Children of Dune series they followed up with.

I’d agree with Jenny that the Sci-Fi channel remake of the original novel was as enjoyable as the Hollywood version, and interesting because they were able to devote more time to it, playing up more characters. Children of Dune she wasn’t as warm to, largely because of the direction they took Paul’s sister—which, given the reported weirdnesses of the novel line, may not have been their fault, of course.

So there you go: A fairly long, rambling, and noncommittal answer to your question.

Cheers!

]]> By: MAG http://lestersmith.com/2008/06/03/aes-the-andromeda-strain-emphasis-on-strain/comment-page-1/#comment-8 MAG Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:51:33 +0000 http://lestersmith.com/?p=59#comment-8 I loved the original movie. Even on TV with commercial interruptions it was tense and scary. I could've sworn that the original organism had a small pH range which was why the baby and town drunk were the only survivors; the baby's crying did the acid part and the drunk's blood still have booze in it kept the organism at bay. However, it's small wonder the hero was a doctor due to Crichton's medical background. He should've stuck to medical thrillers too since he doesn't know squat about climate change, dinosaurs, the Middle Ages or DNA sequencing. The former was a glaring show of his politics AND ignorance. What's your take on the re-make of Dune? I loved that since it got a better opportunity to tell the larger story of the novel. I like the Lynch movie too yet I know its scope had to be narrowed for film to get a general audience. Trust me, when the usher hands you a glossary before entering the theater, most people roll their eyes. I loved the original movie. Even on TV with commercial interruptions it was tense and scary. I could’ve sworn that the original organism had a small pH range which was why the baby and town drunk were the only survivors; the baby’s crying did the acid part and the drunk’s blood still have booze in it kept the organism at bay.

However, it’s small wonder the hero was a doctor due to Crichton’s medical background. He should’ve stuck to medical thrillers too since he doesn’t know squat about climate change, dinosaurs, the Middle Ages or DNA sequencing. The former was a glaring show of his politics AND ignorance.

What’s your take on the re-make of Dune? I loved that since it got a better opportunity to tell the larger story of the novel. I like the Lynch movie too yet I know its scope had to be narrowed for film to get a general audience. Trust me, when the usher hands you a glossary before entering the theater, most people roll their eyes.

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