Deep Impact (1998)

Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive?

Director:

Mimi Leder

Writers:

Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin

Stars:

Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood

5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Duvall	...	Spurgeon Tanner
Téa Leoni	...	Jenny Lerner
Elijah Wood	...	Leo Biederman
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Robin Lerner
Morgan Freeman	...	President Beck
Maximilian Schell	...	Jason Lerner
James Cromwell	...	Alan Rittenhouse
Ron Eldard	...	Oren Monash
Jon Favreau	...	Gus Partenza
Laura Innes	...	Beth Stanley
Mary McCormack	...	Andrea Baker
Richard Schiff	...	Don Biederman
Leelee Sobieski	...	Sarah Hotchner
Blair Underwood	...	Mark Simon
Dougray Scott	...	Eric Vennekor

Storyline

Journalist Jenny Lerner is assigned to look into the background of Secretary Alan Rittenhouse who abruptly resigned from government citing his wife's ill health. She learns from his secretary that Rittenhouse was having an affair with someone named Ellie but when she confronts him, his strange reaction leads her to reconsider her story. In fact, a meteor, discovered the previous year by high school student Leo Biederman and astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf, is on a collision course with the Earth, an Extinction Level Event. A joint US-Russian team is sent to destroy the meteor but should it fail, special measures are to be put in place to secure the future of mankind. As the space mission progresses, many individuals deal with their fears and ponder their future.

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Plot Keywords:

comet | mission | astronomer | secretary | reporter | 

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Taglines:

Oceans rise. Cities fall. Hope survives.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Impacto Profundo

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 8,332,899 (Germany) (22 May 1998)

Gross:

$140,459,099 (USA) (18 September 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Zanuck/Brown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Marcus Wolf (Charles Martin Smith) is trying to send email about the approaching comet, we see the first few entries in his e-mail inbox. Two of the messages are from "cshoemaker arizona.unv", one of which has the subject line "101 Mir jokes". Carolyn Shoemaker and Eugene Shoemaker are well-known comet experts, credited as "comet advisors" to the movie.

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Goofs

About 10 minutes in the movie when Jenny's mother, Robin, is being corrected by Jenny on Chloe's correct name, we first see Robin from her back just holding a cigarette with her right hand while the other hand is seen empty and disappearing away. The next shot facing Robin now shows her also holding and setting her watch with both hands. P.S.: Please feel free to correct my description in better and more concise terms as needed, french is my first language.

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Quotes

Oren Monash: Fish. Why the hell do they call you FISH?
Spurgeon Tanner: Well, Spurgeon... Sturgeon... FISH. Took about 15 minutes my first day at the Naval Academy.

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Connections

References Final Fantasy VII (1997)

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Soundtracks

"La Bohème"
Written by Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, & Luigi Illicia
Performed by Mario Serini & Nicolai Gedda

User Reviews

"Deep Impact" is extremely under rated!

5.9!? I can't believe that. I know disaster movies are usually crap such as The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, Godzilla, Independence Day, etc. This however was not crap. It boasted a fine cast that did great work the standout being Morgan Freeman and Robert Duvall. The rest of the cast though also did quite well. The story was handled in a fairly realistic manner and didn't require me to roll my eyes at the many plot contrivances the way the others I listed did. The only major flaw for me was the casting of tea Leoni. The usually dependable actress was extremely bland in this film. She has done much better work in her career. Despite that flaw this is another fine movie that for some reason is really under rated.