GolfHos

did anyone watch this?   

Oh, and by the way, who knew that Ricky Schroder was a Mormon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Schroder#Personal_life)? I had no idea.

Guilty.

I thought overall it wasn't terrible, until the final 30-60 minutes that is, which were teh sukk and pretty much ruined any potential of being even a part way decent execution of the story. (LMAO at the throwing of the thumb.) Loads of potential, very poorly carried off. And the casting was pretty awful in some spots. Christa Miller? Seriously?

Oh, and by the way, who knew that Ricky Schroder was a Mormon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Schroder#Personal_life)? I had no idea.

Schroder made an appearance on stage at the 2000 Republican National Convention, endorsing Presidential candidate George W. Bush. He is also a member of the National Rifle Association. Schroder has been playing chess since he was seven years old and revealed that he and Kiefer Sutherland play chess on the set of 24.

What about all these other interesting tidbits?

Endorsing Bush and joining the NRA are parts of the conversion process.

Where does chess fit into the conversion process? Maybe Aske is more Mormoan than hwe thought.

...blah blah blah...

Now, hold on. Up until this point, roughly one hour and 50 minutes into "The Andromeda Strain," enough tension and mystery and updated tech coolness was in place to make the movie seem worth watching. This bio element was doing very bad things to people and that, in turn, was worth watching. Then comes the computer animation. In creeps the silliness - the last five minutes almost daring you, in its lameness, to return Tuesday.

But return you must.

Otherwise, you'll miss the full-on descent into pants-wetting, outrageous, sci-fi crackery that makes the final two hours fly by. You could miss so much, like Schroder's big revelation. Like the hot first lady. Or the pointless, we're-on-cable swearing. Or the predictability.

Drink, clap or kiss when ...

But, as promised, should you choose to make a drinking, clapping or kissing game out of "The Andromeda Strain," you should take action every time you see these things:

-- Someone says, "Computer," and the voice-keyed computers perform elaborate tasks.

-- A character spews geek speak. (Careful on those pours.)

-- One character barks out extremely complicated scientific theory only to be one-upped by someone countering with an extremely complicated medical theory. Pay attention!

-- Computer animation is used in ways that make you giggle when you shouldn't.

-- Color is used to illustrate the flow of the strain through fields or air.

-- Creeping color kills someone (no groping - kissing only!)

-- A series of miraculously fortunate events happen just in time to further the outbreak or the story (watch those hands - clap lightly).

-- The strain adapts within seconds of adapting some other way.

-- Bratt acts underwhelmed and calm when the situation calls for him to be insanely worried.

-- Every time Kim is racially slighted and/or adjusts his glasses.

-- Birds fall out of the sky, dead.

-- A buzzard appears.

-- Animals - not birds or buzzards - spread the strain in patently ridiculous ways.

-- The military takes a casualty not related to an armed enemy.

As a changeup to this game, stop drinking, clapping or kissing whenever the action stops for a faux-romantic moment.

Well, at that point, you're either going to be drunk, sore or pregnant - possibly all three. And there wasn't even one mention of "the thumb." You are not going believe "the thumb." In fact, here's two thumbs up for "the thumb."

But four thumbs down (it could happen in science - look it up) for this remake.