When I was a little girl I saw a movie called "The Day After" about nuclear war. It absolutely terrified me to think that the world as we know it could cease to exist. Ever since then I have been sickly fascinated by natural disasters. I'm a sucker for movies such as Twister, Armageddon, and The Perfect Storm. All great movies, but Deep Impact holds the spot for my all time favorite disaster movie.

The story begins with two young lovers watching the stars and unknowingly discovering the disastrous asteroid. Months later, an up-and-coming reporter stumbles upon this information, thinking she's digging up dirt on a senator and his girlfriend, Ellie. Come to find out, it's not Ellie this senator is whispering to the President about; it's E.L.E. This means Extinction Level Event. And of course, panic ensues.

The United States sends up a team of astronauts to land on the asteroid, plant a nuclear weapon and blow it up before it reaches Earth. Instead of obliterating the asteroid, it only succeeds in breaking off a tip, so we are forced to send only a fraction of the US Population to caves in Missouri. Some scenes here are heart-wrenching, such as the parents holding up their babies to people being driven away in buses to the caves, hoping to at least save their children. It is reminiscent of the Holocaust in some ways.

In the end, the astronauts forsake themselves and blow up the huge asteroid to save the Earth, but not before the aforementioned tip does some serious damage to the East Coast. This scene has some of the best special effects I've ever seen in a movie. We witness a tidal wave as tall as the Empire State Building and oceans that engulf all of New York City. Washington DC is also destroyed. But when the huge asteroid explodes into a billion harmless particles, it lights up the sky like a celestial firework show.

This movie's strongest point is probably its cast of characters. Morgan Freeman plays the President so regally, you cannot help but trust him. Robert Duvall is the eldest astronaut who does his best to bring integrity to the mission. Tea Leoni is the self-sacrificing reporter who gives up her ticket to the caves to her boss and little girl. Vanessa Redgrave plays her mother. Elijah Wood plays the little boy who discovers the asteroid. The film is dotted with other famous people that you will surely recognize. All give stellar performances.

This movie runs just 121 minutes, so it's just long enough to hold your attention, but not long enough to bore you. This would be a great movie to watch on DVD with surround sound, as well.

Comparing this to Armageddon, my pick is this one. With Deep Impact, more of the human element is explored so you get to see the knee-jerk reactions of people in desperation. My husband, however, enjoyed Armageddon more with its fiery explosions and questionable levity. If you've not seen it, you won't be disappointed.





Recommended: Yes