Review: Deep Impact (1998)

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Deep Impact

Rating

Director

Mimi Leder

Screenplay

Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin

Length

2h 00m

Starring

Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Maximilian Schell, James Cromwell, Ron Eldard, Jon Favreau, Laura Innes, Mary McCormack, Richard Schiff, Leelee Sobieski, Blair Underwood, Dougray Scott, Gary Werntz, Bruce Weitz, Betsy Brantley, O’Neal Compton, Rya Kihlstedt, Alexander Baluev, Caitlin Fein, Amanda Fein, Joseph Urla, Suzy Nakamura, Denise Crosby

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Basic Plot

A comet is discovered on a collision course with earth and it’s a race against time to destroy the comet before it reaches earth and destroys all of humanity.

Review

When the destruction of human life as we know it is at hand, we look to the sky for redemption. Only we have to get past that growing ball of ice in the sky.

When two young students are viewing the sky for their astronomy class, they discover a star that isn’t what they think it is. They take a photograph of the location and send it off to the observatory. When the scientist taking a look into the photo discovers that it’s a comet and it’s heading straight for earth, he rushes out the door and attempts to get the information to the authorities, but a semi ends his life before he can get there.

A young reporter, Jenny Lerner (Téa Leoni) is sent on an assignment to discover why a cabinet member, Alan Rittenhouse (James Cromwell), has prematurely resigned. She discovers that the reason for his resignation was a woman named “Ellie.” After trying to find out the truth from Rittenhouse, she is stopped by secret service agents and taken for a meeting with President Beck (Morgan Freeman). Beck virtually gives away the plan when all Lerner knows is that “Ellie” is a woman with whom Rittenhouse is having an affair.

She takes to the Internet to find out more about “ELE” and eventually discovers that it is an acronym for Extinction Level Event. She almost immediately understands what’s going on and will have the opportunity to ask the first question at an upcoming presidential press conference.

The president announces that a large comet, named for its discoverers, Wolf-Biederman, is headed for earth and that the governments of Russia and the United States have been working together on the largest spacecraft ever built to intercept the comet and deliver nuclear warheads to destroy the comet before it can get to earth.

“Deep Impact” is a well-constructed tribute to the disaster pictures of the 1970s when the human lives that were affected were more important than the visual effects. The plot of the film weaves individual lives together in the face of an inherent disaster and we can watch emotionally as their lives are torn apart and mended.

The film portrays very well the human element and does something I rather enjoy. It plays on the emotions of the audience and creates sympathy for the characters and makes heroes out of the most unlikely of people.

Mimi Leder’s direction is flowing and keeps you interested in the action all the way up to the explosive conclusion. The acting isn’t the best I’ve ever seen, but it is solid nonetheless with Vanessa Redgrave as one of the primary talents and performances. The visual effects, sound and sound effects are extremely great and perfect down to the last detail.

“Deep Impact” will be considered the most emotional of the summer blockbuster fair, but hopefully not the last. It kicks off a rather enigmatic season and has two weeks to perform before the gargantuan Godzilla terrorizes the nation and its pocketbooks.