4. The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Andromeda Strain is a micro organism that arrived from space to earth via the crashing of a satellite in a small Californian town. Of a population of 64, only 2 people survive the organism's effect which is to cause rapid clotting of the blood so it kills the host immediately. A team of scientists are sent into a state of the art bunker to try and study the micro organism and come up with a way to eliminate it, however, it mutates rapidly and burns through rubber. The bug is spread throughout the facility and it triggers a nuclear self destruct sequence. The problem is, the Andromeda bug will actually thrive in a nuclear environment and take on new, sinister forms after the blast scatters it around the world. Can the scientists turn off the self destruct sequence in time? The Andromeda Strain is a very effective sci fi movie which quietly presents us with a global bug infection scenario. It is a real nail biter - absorbing and chilling without needing CGI effects to make an impact. The acting is uniformly excellent. The worst you could say about the film is that it is rather slow paced, but it will stay with you a long time after watching it. One tiny bug could turn your blood to sand.