Deep Impact
1998, USA, Directed by Mimi Leder
Colour, Running Time: 121 minutes
DVD, Region 2, DreamWorks, Video: Anamorphic 2.35:1, Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Schoolboy Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) notices an apparently uncharted object in the skies while on an astronomy observation lesson and the details are sent to a professional astronomer for assessment. He in turn realises that it’s actually a comet on a path for Earth but, as fate would have it, on his way to deliver the news to seniors he is killed in a motor crash. Some time later career-motivated reporter Jenny Lerner (Téa Leoni) stumbles across a politically problematic story regarding a womanising senator’s resignation, not realising that his motivation was more to do with The End Of The World rather than the non-existent mistress that Lerner initially suspects. Following a press conference that reveals that there is indeed a comet on a collision path for Earth, a ship is launched with the intention of landing on the comet and detonating nuclear warheads beneath its surface, thereby hopefully breaking it into smaller chunks and removing the threat. The problem is not as easily solved as this and before long the president (Morgan Freeman) is revealing that subterranean bunkers are being set up for an admittance lottery system that could ultimately choose who lives and who dies.
Released around the same time as the similar Armageddon I always felt this was a much better film, partly because it steers further away from the emphasis on ridiculous OTT action and characters of Jerry Bruckheimer’s audience friendly material, and partly because Deep Impact focuses more on the human relationships that are affected in the event of a looming apocalypse. When one of the chunks of comet hits the ocean, sending huge tidal waves towards land, it really does have an impact (particularly disturbing seeing the Twin Towers sent down as the wave hits Manhattan) and is all the more effective because the writers have bothered to set up characters that we remotely care about. That’s not to say it’s not flawed but it does work well on its own terms. It sort of reminds me of an updated version of When Worlds Collide actually (don’t worry, that’s not giving away the ending).
I originally bought the first UK release of this and that’s what this review is based upon. Virtually extra-less, it featured a good anamorphic image (a step up from the US disc, which was letterboxed) and strong 5.1 track, however it has since been superseded by a Special Edition in both territories that makes it even more of a worthwhile purchase. For a human apocalyptic science fiction story Deep Impact makes for a more intelligent (aside from a few moments) and enjoyable experience to the comparatively popcorn orientated Armageddon.