Deep Impact

Rating:
Summary: On The Right Course
Review: Of all of the disaster flicks out there, I'd have to rank "Deep Impact" in the top five. Why? Because it makes a good effort at making the viewer feel for the characters involved. So many of these films are driven by their special effects that the story is left behind in the cosmic dust. Why then, did I give it only three stars? For the simple fact that the film does seem to drag along too much for my tastes. Also, the relationship between Elijah Wood and Lelee Sobieskie isn't that believable. I understand why they got married, but I just don't "feel the love" between these two.

Rober Duvall turns in a good performance as the "old guy" sent off to destroy the comet of death with a bunch of hotshot astronauts. There is a comaraderie between all of the astronauts(and the one cosmonaut) that makes you hope that they pull through this ordeal. Back on Earth, Tea' Leoni's character is a dead-on representation of a nosey reporter who lets her imagination turn loose in an attempt to gain glory on the television. The rest of the cast is also very good.

If you're looking for a character-driven end-of-the-world flick, this film is for you. It doesn't have quite the action that a movie like "The Core" has, but it's science is a lot more believable. I recommend for an evening at home. It will pass the time just fine.

Rating:
Summary: One of my top 10 - the greatest disaster movie ever made
Review: Although "Deep Impact" invariably gets compared to "Armageddon", I think it's more appropriate to compare it against all other disaster movies. Viewed in that light, it not only surpasses "Armageddon", but every other film in the genre.

Unlike most disaster epics, "Deep Impact" is character driven. I think this is a direct effect of its having been directed by a woman rather than a man. While the special effects are there and are impressive, what drives this film are the emotions of the excellent ensemble cast. All of them ring true, from the occasional duplicitousness of the government bureaucrats, to the real tear jerking moments of those facing tough life and death decisions, to the small intimate moments. It's powerful enough stuff that I have to believe that a lot of the negative reaction the film elicited vis-a-vis "Armageddon" came from guys who don't like their action movies to move them to the verge of tears in public.

All disaster films depend on a hook to set them up. In this respect, most fall far short of realism and believability. Of ones that come immediately to mind, only the cosmic collision movies and "The Towering Inferno" had realistic setups.

All disaster films depend on the heros to come up with some way to save the day. Of the ones with a believable setup, many still fall short of believable and/or technically accurate resolutions. This is where "Armageddon" failed miserably. Mimi Leder had expert advice from NASA and it shows. "Armageddon" has some impressive training facilities shots from NASA, but ignored the actual technology. Very early in "Armageddon", when I saw the two shuttles docking with the space station by coming in from opposite directions, performing clearly aerodynamic banking maneuvers, I was ready to start pelting the screen with rotten tomatoes!

Giving the devil his due, both films glossed over the full impact of operations in the microgravity environment of the comet's surface.

Still, it's the raw emotions that elevate "Deep Impact" above its genre, not just the technical stuff. It's actually best in its quiet moments. Among the ones that clearly stand out:

The president (Morgan Freeman) tries to continue to maintain an upbeat message as each plan successively fails. His press conferences and the dialog around them rings true.

The dialog between the reporter (the usually annoying Tea Leoni) and her mother (Vanessa Redgrave) also rings with truth.

The ultimate reconciliation between the reporter and her father (Maximilian Schell) just before the end reflects the bitterness of choices each has made in getting to that point.

The reunion of the kid who helped discover the comet (Elijah Wood) and his girlfriend (Leelee Sobieski), oblivious for the moment to what was going on around them - again, this simply rings true.

The astronaut observing wryly, "Well, the good news is that we'll all have high schools named after us." No melodramatics, no macho heroism, just someone injecting a sense of humor into a shared fate she has accepted as necessary to save the people they love. My favorite line in the film.

From start to finish, this film is a class act. A realistic film that carries an emotional impact to be expected of its serious subject matter. Part of this impact is that you can't always guess in advance which characters will and will not survive. Of the ones who don't survive, not all face their fate gracefully, but all are believable.

This movie began my fandom of Mimi Leder, who I consider to be one of the best directors working today - not always commercial, but always excellent. This is on my short list of my top ten favorite movies of all time. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Great Disaster Movie! Even bettter than Armageddon!
Review: This is one great disaster movie! It is even better than 1998's Armageddon! I loved this movie! It told a solid story of love and survival!

Rating:
Summary: Could it happen?
Review: I know this one often gets compared to Armageddon, and although they're similar in theme, they're really different movies. Both are flawed of course, but each one is good in it's own way. Deep Impact concentrates more on how the characters react to the dire situation (of an asteroid heading towards Earth). Armageddon concentrates more on the action and heroics of those sent to "save the world." Each has exceptional special effects, and a pretty good cast. I guess which one I like best depends on my mood. I'm less upset to watch Bruce Willis' character meet his fate on the asteroid (Hey, Liv still has Ben right? She'll be fine) than I am to see Tea' Leoni and her father (played by Maximilian Schell) face a tidal wave. It's not all "great" acting, mind you, but each has it's moments. I like the human aspect, the effects, the actors, and the story. Inevitably, whenever I see an Earth-related disaster movie, I feel compelled to check the IMDb message board for the brainiac post(s) stating why that particular disaster could or couldn't happen. Silly I guess. But truth or not, its nice to debunk a fear with another opinion. (yep, even if it could be wrong!)

Rating:
Summary: Tried Too Hard To Be Too Serious.
Review: I know that if a meteor the size of New York was headed straight for Earth, we wouldn't exactly be cracking jokes quite the same way as we normally do. But jeez, the makers of DEEP IMPACT could've lightened up a little! At least ARMAGEDDON allowed us to have some fun along with the melodrama. But DEEP IMPACT is basically two hours of being depressed. Granted, the special effects work is excellent, but when there's nothing else to go along with it, then it's pretty much wasted. Speaking of waste, what a waste of a good cast! You got Morgan Freeman as the President (niiiice), Tea Leoni as the reporter who discovers the truth, pre-Frodo Elijah Wood as the teen who helped make the discovery, Robert Duvall as the head astronaut sent to destroy the thing, and even James Cromwell in a supporting role. Casts don't get much better than that! Unfortunately, none are given much to do, aside from spouting cliched and so-melodramatic-it's-silly dialogue. Pretty much everything in the movie was so-melodramatic-it's-silly. That final shot of the President saying "Let us begin," in front of a still-smoking White House with the overly-patriotic music playing had me and my family cracking up.

Overall, in the eternal DEEP IMPACT vs. ARMAGEDDON war (jeez, six years later and the war is still slightly raging among film buffs), I'd definitely go with the latter, as it's by far the most enjoyable of the two. Sure, its melodrama got ridiculous, even ludicrous at times as well, but the filmmakers were also smart enough to put in plenty of wisecracks and humor in between. As for DEEP IMPACT . . . . . . well, see it for the special effects, but don't bother paying attention to the rest of it; you'll just walk away from your TV screen depressed. Any movie that has that affect on you, can hardly be called entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: a deep impact for sure
Review: Question: why does this movie get downgraded, bruised and discredited by Armageddon? The reason I ask is because although both movies are similar, I grant you, no way does Armageddon come CLOSE to being as good as Deep Impact. Out of the two, Deep Impact is the overwhelming better on several accounts. Firstly, there is far more realistic emotion, secondly, the special effects are so much impressive and last but certainly not least, the characters are far more believable and rememberal.

now that I've cleared that up, I would like to say that although not my favourite film, Deep Impact still left a HUGE impact on me.

The story follows the lives of three different people in the USA. The sofistocated and stubborn news reporter, Jenny (Tea Leoni), the powerful American President (Morgon Freeman) and the nerdy astronomy student Leo (Elijah Wood). When Leo coinsidently discovers a new "star" in the sky, he soon discovers that it is infact a comet the size of New York City bound for the foundations of Earth. In a race against time, the people of the world must find a way to survive the comet's formiddible onslaught and keep the slightest ray of hope that they might just survive. There is also a fourth story which focuses on a crew of astronauts stranded in Space and working against the clock to destroy as much of the astroid as possible. The different stories focus mainly on how these unique characters deal with their grief in the days leading up to dooms day.

I loved Deep Impact because, as I mentioned earlier, it is very emotional and if you're anything like me, you will shead a couple of tears. The music is impressive and the special effects are excellent, considoring this film was made in 1998 when our forces of technonlogy hadn't reached the brillinace of today.

My favourite story was Leo's journey. It's very sweet and the most emotional. Elijah Wood, being just 17 at the time portrayed his character to perfection. The overall acting was great as well, but Wood really did steal the show in my eyes.

But there is a side of Deep Impact that really did haunt me right into my sleep, and this is probably a good excuse not to show this to children below the age of 11. It's the realisiation that although Deep Impact is a fictional movie, it is NOT a fictional possiblity. There is every chance that this film may very well be a prophecy. Indeed, one day, Earth will be faced with its ultimate danger.

I can understand that some may not like this movie, but for the record I think its a powerful wake up call to us all. And, hey! If you're looking for an excuse to get a few shivers, perhaps cry a little, or see the Statue of Liberty's head bouncing around New York, this is a great film that will leave a deep impact on you for sure!