Deep Impact (Special Collector's Edition)

I realize that I am a few years late in offering this review. But, I still enjoy this movie very much. When it first came out at the cinemas, I saw it 4 or 5 times, which is probably a record for me.
Why did I love this movie? Perhaps the main reason is that I love astronomy and I know that a comet could, indeed, hit our small planet with dire consequences. Second, I loved the "realism" of the acting and script. Third, I loved the music score by James Horner. It was much better than the score to "Titanic." Fourth, I loved the photography. Did anyone notice how often the camera focused on "hands?" This movie is an essay in "hand signals." For example, a slight twitch of the fingers by Morgan Freeman (the president of the US, here) was enough to demonstrate the anguish within him. Fifth, I like movies that deliver on the emotional level, rather than movies that are entirely centered on action, blood, and guts. There are so many genuinely tragic moments in this film that it was hard to keep my feelings held within.
If I must list a negative aspect of this film, it would be that the portion of the film in which the astronauts are getting ready for their mission is too long and somewhat boring. Perhaps much of this footage could have been cut.
Otherwise, this was a great movie, in my estimation.

"Deep Impact" was THAT OTHER "rock hits earth,bad things movie" that opened a decade ago. Mimi Leder,in her directorial debut,decided to turn an otherwise happily campy disaster movie into something deep&meaningful. It's deep&meaningful if you watch Lifetime. It's supposed to be from a feminine,relational perspective rather than the gallant phallocentric "Armageddon." If so,women should be offended.

"Deep Impact" plods its way through the comet plowing its way to Earth. Instead,we get treated to at least four storylines (yes,fanfiction makes more sense) Tea Leoni stars as a reporter from MSNBC whose elderly astronomer father (Maximilian Schell,far from his glory days) has gotten a trophy wife. Vanessa Redgrave is heartfelt as Leoni's mother,soldiering through her husband's abandonment and a lousy script. It's as if she were in another movie. Leoni,in the meantime,sleepwalks. Through the whole movie. In the meantime,President Morgan Freeman is dealing with the incoming comet. His performance is truly brave-since he's carrying the film. He's the Designated Actor. Elijah Wood stars as the boy astronomer Leo Biedermann,Schell's wunderkind. His performance consists of staring ("gives a blank look" would fit in a Deep Impact drinking game) In one hilarious moment,Leelee Sobieski,who stars as his girlfriend,runs to his side weeping,after Freeman gives his "this is the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)" speech. He looks ahead-blankly. No reaction whatsoever. Finally, Robert Duvall appears as an astronaut onboard the Messiah. He brings sincerity to his performance. He's moving when he faces the end.

There are SOME positive aspects to the movie- Morgan Freeman's "end of the world" speech is actually quite moving. Freeman stands out. Robert Duvall embodies self-sacrificing heroism. Vanessa Redgrave does a great job as the scorned wife. There are some good special effects at the end-but they are too little,too late.

"Deep Impact",unfortunately,is a terribly boring movie. Lifeless performances (especially from Leoni&Wood),a sappy script, going overly long make it painful to sit through. "Armageddon" is superior since Jerry Bruckheimer was clearly having fun&didn't take himself too seriously. He didn't attempt depth. "Deep Impact",however, attempts to be deep,but is abysmal and has the depth of the kiddie pool. However, "Deep Impact" is a great cure for insomniacs.

I lack the scientific wherewithal to speak to the scientific accuracy of this film, but I do know a little something about Virginia Beach, having lived in this area for most of my life.

There's a scene in the movie where Elijah Wood and his sweet thing are running past a sign that says "Virginia Beaches, 6 miles" yet in fact there is no such place. Virginia Beach is singular and all the signs I've ever seen leading to the oceanfront say, "Oceanfront, 6 miles". But that's not my point here.

We seen that sign in the background just about the moment that the comet strikes the ocean. And then between the time the comet strikes and the moment the massive tidal wave comes to shore, we see Elijah and Sweet Thing going up the mountainside.

Those mountains, replete with pines and evergreens, appear to be the mountains of the Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains which are more than 200 miles from Virginia Beach. It's going to be mighty tough to get from the oceanfront to the Blue Ridge in the amount of time a tidal wave can travel from the ocean front to a few miles inland.

Then there's the scene where the guys in the spaceship are chasing the comet in space. They're flying into the comet's tail, and the space ship is taking a lot of abuse because of it. Watching that scene and knowing NOTHING about spaceships, I had to think, "Why not fly alongSIDE the comet and avoid the debris field?"

Lastly, the scenes of people's response to the news that the world was ending was not believable. We all want to think we'd be big and brave, but I doubt that we'd go about "business as usual" until a few hours before the world ended. I suspect there'd be chaos, even with the subtle hope that the comet's direction could *maybe* be altered with nuclear missles.

Thinking about my own life, I'd grab my dear husband and all the canned goods I could fit in my trunk and head up to those secret hiding places, high in the hills of his native home, West Virginia. I'd make this trek a LOOONG time before the last days of earth, mainly because I wouldn't want to die on westbound I-64, just as the movie depicted. (I guess that was I-64, which is THE road from Virginia Beach to the Blue Ridge.)

I surely wouldn't wait until the last minute to see how things went.

All that aside, I have to wonder about the rest of the science in this movie.

One last comment, I agree with other reviewers that the Tea Leoni was not believable as an anchor. However, the scene at the very end, where she and her father embraced and then braced for the end, was very touching.

Three stars for good acting and great actors and for the good sense to put Morgan Freeman in the lead role as President. Let's write him in on the next ticket! Morgan Freeman for president!!!

I strongly disagree with the Amazon Editorial review written by David Chute.

For a film that is now a decade old, Deep Impact still proves to be a powerful, topical film driven by emotion rather than special effects. Granted, it's not perfect. In fact, some viewers will guess several of the plot twists long before they arrive. Predictability and flaws aside, it's still an emotional journey worth taking. Deep Impact is one of the better films of its genre, and is certainly far more enjoyable than "Armageddon", the film it is most often compared to.

If you enjoy your disaster pictures with an emphasis on character depth, I highly recommend Deep Impact. If all your looking for is a special effects driven action flick, then look elsewhere.

JM

I really enjoyed watching this movie.It made you see how important it is to not take life for granted.A great movie to enjoy.Has enough going on to keep you watching.