Michael Crichton Passes Away at 66
Filed under: Obits
Leave off Congo, forget Timeline, and don't even start on Sphere. The positive impact of prolific author Michael Crichton on the worlds of television and film with Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and "ER" is difficult to dismiss, and it's a shame to see him pass away yesterday from cancer at the age of 66, according to CNN.His medical background helped lend credibility to his work, especially Andromeda, Coma (which he directed) and The Terminal Man. Of course there's also the overriding elements of sci-fi, ranging from Jurassic to Westworld (which he also directed and is tentatively awaiting a remake). Corporate scandals were also a topic of interest in the early '90s with Rising Sun and Disclosure, and The 13th Warrior offered his own take on the Beowulf tale.
I remember his Prey, about nano-technology gone awry (but of course), making for a fun enough read and relatively ripe for a film adaptation (one that, as far as I know, has yet to be considered). Regardless, the man's works on-screen and off were entertaining and influential more often than not, and it's a pity to see him go.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-05-2008 @ 7:54PM
Scott Weinberg said...
Make it a Looker / Runaway double feature for me.
Sad news though. Condolences to his family.
Reply
11-05-2008 @ 7:54PM
Alex Farquharson said...
I guess you have to mix the sweet with the sour. Crichton was one of my favorite modern authors, and have read a majority of his novels. Prey was my personal favorite, before that was of course Jurassic Park, and thought Airframe was not bad.
However, I have always wanted Prey to be adapted, hopefully this will happen.
R.I.P. Michael Crichton
Reply
11-05-2008 @ 7:54PM
Mike said...
This is terrible news. I'll have to read Jurassic Park tonight in memoriam.
Although his last books were far from stellar in comparison to his body of work, they were still thoroughly enjoyable reads. He will truly be missed by me every time I gander at my bookshelf.
He has an as-of-yet untitled work arriving early December. Regardless of whether or not it's a best seller I will certainly be reading and enjoying it.
Reply
11-05-2008 @ 7:55PM
Jack said...
"The positive impact of prolific author Michael Crichton on the worlds of television and film with Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and "ER","
The positive impact what? You have no verb in the sentence there...are there no editors?
Reply
11-05-2008 @ 10:16PM
mezzanine said...
Wah.
11-05-2008 @ 8:02PM
techstar25 said...
Congo was a fun book but a terrible movie.
The Lost World was another great book, although the movie was 100% completely different (except for the name).
I agree that Prey was a fun page-turner, and I was thinking "movie" the entire time I was reading it.
I'm trying to make it through "State of Fear" but there is so much going on in the first few chapters I keep getting lost and putting it back on the shelf.
Reply
11-06-2008 @ 7:39AM
Movie Jay said...
Indeed another sad passing. If anyone is interested in watching some interviews in memorium, I would suggest checking out Charlie Rose: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/02/19/1/a-conversation-with-michael-crichton. This is his most recent on the show and I can't exactly recall the content of the interview, except that I enjoyed it.
Reply
11-07-2008 @ 9:54AM
Peter Hall said...
Hold on. What's wrong with Sphere?
Reply
11-07-2008 @ 10:22AM
William Goss said...
The flick, not the book.
11-07-2008 @ 12:07PM
Peter Hall said...
My question still stands.
11-07-2008 @ 12:10PM
William Goss said...
My Queen Latifah getting attacked by jellyfish, that's what.
She wouldn't go out like no punk...
11-07-2008 @ 12:32PM
Peter Hall said...
Have you seen Taxi?
Checkmate.
11-07-2008 @ 12:34PM
William Goss said...
You leave my Jimmy Fallon outta this!