Deep Impact (1998)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Mimi Leder

Writers (WGA):

Bruce Joel Rubin (written by) and
Michael Tolkin (written by)

Release Date:

8 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Heaven and Earth are about to collide.

Plot:

Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive?

Plot Keywords:

Black President | Female Director | Black U.S. President | Disaster Film | End Of The World

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Oct. 14	1:15 PM	TMC
Wed. Oct. 15	5:45 AM	TMC

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	Capt. Spurgeon 'Fish' Tanner
Téa Leoni	...	Jenny Lerner
Elijah Wood	...	Leo Beiderman
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Robin Lerner
Morgan Freeman	...	President Tom Beck
Maximilian Schell	...	Jason Lerner
James Cromwell	...	Alan Rittenhouse
Ron Eldard	...	Dr. Oren Monash
Jon Favreau	...	Dr. Gus Partenza
Laura Innes	...	Beth Stanley
Mary McCormack	...	Andrea 'Andy' Baker
Richard Schiff	...	Don Beiderman
Leelee Sobieski	...	Sarah Hotchner
Blair Underwood	...	Mark Simon
Dougray Scott	...	Eric Vennekor

Also Known As:

Impact (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense disaster related elements and brief language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #35964) | Iceland:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:A | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The film portrays the wave that struck New York City crashing over and around the towers of the World Trade Center, which were the only buildings barely above water at the end of the sequence, surviving the wave. After the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks, some television broadcasts of the film were edited to remove the buildings.

Goofs:

Factual errors: It would not be possible for the helicopter to take a full load of people to higher ground and then to the Ark from Washington, D.C. without stopping for fuel.

Quotes:

Mark: How do we set the nukes inside the comet and get out before they blow?
Orin Monash: We don't.
Andrea: Look on the bright side. We'll all have high schools named after us.

Movie Connections:

References Starman (1984)

Soundtrack:

La Bohème

Fantastic and Moving

Having seen such films as Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow, I really expected this film to be basically an effects demo reel. Most disaster films fit into this category: their plot is loosely tied together with some major event; humanity is threatened, a group of heroes is sent to try to save the world, and mankind prevails over nature. The rest of the film is essentially nifty visual effects that don't do much to enhance the plot.

So when I saw the first half of Deep Impact, I was amazed. Apart from a brief montage of special effects in the opening sequence (a car crash that simply screams "big budget"), the movie is one of the first disaster movies I've seen that actually focuses more on the human side of the drama rather than the awesome visual effects that computers can accomplish.

Many times during the film, especially during the latter half, I felt myself touched by the realism that the actors and actresses convey. There are moments when you realize how fragile and precious life is, and that's saying something for a film of this budget.

While the visual effects are indeed impressive, there are other features that make Deep Impact a necessary film to watch. James Horner's music is strikingly similar to his previous "Titanic" and "Apollo 13" scores, but it is still hauntingly beautiful and fits the tone of the movie perfectly. Tea Leoni does a good job of portraying a newscaster attempting to cover the events surrounding her while dealing with her own personal emotions, which is undoubtedly a hard act to pull off. Elijah Wood shows his skill years before "Lord of the Rings" hit theaters. The other actors and actresses are very realistic and emotional, and the movie flows smoothly with their presence.

All in all, this movie is not one to be missed. Keep an open mind while watching this movie: don't watch it with the misconception that it's just going to be another one of those big-budget dull blockbuster films that gets churned out every summer. This one dares to avoid the seemingly standard clichés set by other films of the genre, which makes it a truly unique film to experience.

Score: 9/10