Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Deep Impact 1998

Directed by Mimi Leder (Pay it Forward and E.R.)
Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck
Robert Duvall as Captain Tanner
Tèa Leoni as Jenny Lerner
Elijah Wood as Leo Beiderman
James Cromwell as Alan Rittenhouse

The Storyline / plot

Deep Impact is a about the end of the world as we know it. An asteroid the size of Mount Everest is on a collision course with earth. The U.S. government and the President (Morgan Freeman) are aware of the situation and have managed to keep it hid from the public. They could only pull this off for so long though. An investigative reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) actually stumbles upon the story. She was under the impression the someone in the Presidents Administration was having an affair with a lady by the name of Ely. People were quitting and the story was very hard to get any information on. After a lucky break, an interview and some very clever research, Miss Lerner found the real story. There was no affair with a lady named Ely going on. In fact it was an asteroid on a course with earth that would have catastrophic consequences. Her big story with Ely turned out to be an E.L.E.: Extinction-Level Event.

The government had known for a couple of years that the commit was heading for earth. In preparation the government had built two spacecraft and were training the crews to intercept the commit and destroy it. The operation was in concert with several other countries from around the world. The plan was to drill a hole and set off a large nuclear weapon in the center of the asteroid. This mission had some of the best astronauts in the world including one old timer, Captain Tanner (Robert Duvall). As a last resort the U.S. Government had been building a underground complex that would house one million people for two years. Would any of these plans actually work?


Conclusion

Deep Impact is one of those films that I can watch at least once a year. The concept is very realistic and therefore, a little spooky as well as thought provoking. In that aspect, Deep Impact is a lot like watching The Day After, Fail Safe or The day After tomorrow. I enjoy films where the story line is some what believable. Besides having a very good plot Deep Impact has two of my favorite actors; Morgan Freeman and Robert Duvall. These two actors are as good as they get. Their performances in this film are top notch, as always. The performances of Tèa Leoni and Elijah Wood were also noteworthy. Next to the acting and plot is the special effects. The special effects in Deep Impact were exceptional. There was a good mixture and it was not as over done as Armageddon. This film did not spend nearly the money that Armageddon did and I liked it better. The story was a bit more realistic and the acting was much better. Furthermore the special effects were right on.

I personally enjoyed both Deep Impact and Armageddon. If I had to say which was the better film, I would have to go with Deep Impact. It would have been seen by a lot more people had the film been released a little earlier than Armageddon. As a result, it was underrated and not seen by a lot of people. The dialog was intriguing and realistic. The film has a good pace to it that I think most people would enjoy. I would recommend Deep Impact to anyone who enjoys similar films.

Similar Movies

• The Day After Tomorrow
• The Day After
• Threads
• Fail Safe
• Armageddon


RUNTIME: 2 Hours
Rated : [PG-13] For doom and language

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This is an entry into the Lean—N—Mean III Write Off, Movies Category. Thanks Tom
Lean—n —Mean III

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Thanks for the read,
~Mac

@2004 Joe McMaster

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older