When virtually all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico, are found dead after the return to Earth of a space satellite, the head of the US Air Force's Project Scoop declares an emergency. A group of eminent scientists led by Dr. Jeremy Stone scramble to a secure laboratory and try to first isolate the life form while determining why two people from Piedmont - an old alcoholic and a six-month-old baby - survived. The scientists methodically study the alien life form unaware that it has already mutated and presents a far greater danger in the lab, which is equipped with a nuclear self-destruct device designed to prevent the escape of dangerous biological agents.
Production
That underground lab set is pure 70s sci-fi perfection.
Direction
Wise makes test tubes and computer screens genuinely thrilling.
Director
Robert Wise
Arthur Hill
Dr. Jeremy Stone
David Wayne
Dr. Charles Dutton
James Olson
Dr. Mark Hall
Kate Reid
Dr. Ruth Leavitt
Paula Kelly
Karen Anson
George Mitchell
Jackson
Ramon Bieri
Major Manchek
Peter Hobbs
General Sparks
Richard O'Brien
Grimes
Eric Christmas
Senator from Vermont
Peter Helm
Sgt. Crane (Piedmont team)
Carl Reindel
Lt. Comroe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Michael Crichton was still in med school when he wrote the novel; the film's clinical authenticity comes from real lab consultants.
Released during Apollo missions, this fed genuine NASA contamination fears—Project Scoop was fictional, but planetary protection protocols became very real.
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