Deep Impact (1998)

Genre: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Released: May 8, 1998

My Rating:      (Click here for more info on my rating scale)

An underrated, misunderstood gem.

             Deep Impact is an excellent title for this equally excellent movie, and it fits the movie both physically and emotionally.  This movie came out not long before Armageddon, but it seems like it was pretty much pounded and bypassed.  I think the summer movies that came out after it stole a lot of the thunder, which Deep Impact deserved.  The critics were also a bit harsh on it, and I don't think they should've been (but that's just my opinion).  The apocalyptic disaster concept is similar to that of Armaggedon, but instead of an asteroid in collision course with the earth, it’s a comet, and it’s a great movie.  Yes, it is.  I got it from the library on DVD and watched it, and I loved it.

            The story starts out as Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) in Richmond, Virginia, discovers an uncharted object in the night sky and report it to an astronomer in Arizona, who determines that it’s a comet and it’s on a trajectory that will bring it into collision with the earth.  While driving to release this news, the astronomer is killed in a car accident.  A year later, in Washington D. C., MSNBC news reporter Jenny Lerner (Téa Leoni) is investigating the resignation of U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alan Rittenhouse (James Cromwell), who says he's resigned because his wife is sick.  But Jenny, as she investigates further, comes to think he's been cheating on his wife with someone called Ele, and resigned because he was about to be found out.  Soon, however, at her computer at the news station, and then at a press conference at which the president (Morgan Freeman) makes an address, Jenny learns her error: it's not a mistress named Ele, it's E. L. E. (Extinction Level Event), specifically the comet we learned about at the beginning of the movie.  After this, the story really starts to develop, leading to a movie full of emotion, soul, great plot points, recurring themes, and much more.

            There have been many different types of apocalyptic disaster thrillers, with many different types of plot, tone, characters, and action.  Deep Impact takes an excellent approach at the story.  It allows one to feel the emotion of the movie, enjoy the special effects, and the action near the end, and at same time feel the emotion of the characters, and still feel the great effect on everybody worldwide.  It has an excellent tone and balance.  It has very dynamic and developed storylines, and great themes, including, especially in the second half of the movie, the value in life, in the world, in the environment (not mentioned in the film, but can be felt), etc.  It even gets a bit existential toward the end, which I like.  All of the storylines are fully appreciated, an none really outdoes the other.  They balanced them very well - the Jenny Lerner storyline, the Leo Biederman storyline, and all the others.  Also, the movie was well-cast, and I thought it was well-acted, and the characters were very well set up and developed.  Man, it’s really hard to put into words what I felt about the movie.

            My viewing experience of this film was great.  This film started out, and then gradually captured my interest and liking more and more, all the while developing it’s dynamic tone, characters, story, and emotion.  The actors, even the well known Morgan Freeman, really blended into their roles - I really saw them as their characters.  By the time the movie ended, I loved it.  It also has good special effects which I enjoyed, but the core of the film, what I really loved about it, was the story, the soul, and the emotion.  The movie certainly pries deep into emotions during it's nearly two hour running time.  It has everything a great movie really needs.  Even the action at the midpoint of the film and near the end was good, it has the strong emotional and soul-filled background and tone to back it up – it’s not just full-out summer action - and it actually matters what happens to the characters during these action scenes.  Deep Impact is an underrated, misunderstood gem. 

Cast and Credits:

Jenny Lerner: Téa Leoni

Leo Biederman: Elijah Wood

Spurgeon Tanner: Robert Duvall

President Beck: Morgan Freeman

Robin Lerner: Vanessa Redgrave

Jason Lerner: Maximilian Schnell

Alan Rittenhouse: James Cromwell

Sarah Hotchner: Leelee Sobieski

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks SKG present a Zanuck/Brown Production of a film directed by Mimi Leder

Written by Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin

Running Time: 2 hours and 1 minute

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