Deep Impact (1998)

Director:

Mimi Leder

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

8 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | 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:

Comet | Lottery Of Fate | Astronaut | Space Shuttle | Statue Of Liberty New York City

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	Spurgeon Tanner
Téa Leoni	...	Jenny Lerner
Elijah Wood	...	Leo Biederman
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Robin Lerner
Morgan Freeman	...	President Beck
Maximilian Schell	...	Jason Lerner
James Cromwell	...	Alan Rittenhouse
Ron Eldard	...	Oren Monash
Jon Favreau	...	Gus Partenza
Laura Innes	...	Beth Stanley
Mary McCormack	...	Andrea Baker
Richard Schiff	...	Don Biederman
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:

In the film's final trailer, the blue background used behind the text graphics is a slightly altered version of the background used for the opening titles of Event Horizon (1997), another Paramount film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Some of the National Guard/US Army soldiers have M203 underslung 40mm grenade launchers on their M16 or M4 rifles - this is totally unnecessary, as they are not fighting a war, just enforcing order.

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:

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)

A great movie

This is a great movie. I think the people who don't like it are (1) people expecting it to be a summer blockbuster popcorn movie with a million special effects, or (2) people upset because they think it's cheesy / has scientific errors. Let me address both points.

First of all, this is not a disaster movie in the style of Armageddon or Volcano or any of them. It's a movie about humanity's struggle to deal with an impending disaster. And in doing that, it succeeds. Most of the film is supported by strong talent, including Robert Duvall and Morgan Freeman. In smaller roles, Max Schell, Vanessa Redgrave, and Ron Eldard really shine. I was disappointed by Tea Leoni's acting. And Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski didn't really do much for me, although they weren't bad.

Second, while the movie is not standard Hollywood flair, it doesn't altogether escape the Hollywood curse. There are a few fairly ridiculous moments and plot points. HOWEVER, compared to disaster movies, I have to say this are extremely minor. To counter this, there are some very touching scenes. I don't want to give anything away here, but most of them occur near the end of the film.

This is not the best movie ever by any means, but it comes as close as a mainstream Hollywood movie dealing with the end of the world is going to get. Also, James Horner's score was terrific.

Definitely worth a watch.