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Deep Impact
directed by Mimi Leder

I heard mixed reviews about Deep Impact before I went to see it. I got a 'thumbs-up', a 'thumbs-down' and a 'bring tissue' response from three people, so I wasn't sure what to make of it before watching it. Well, after watching it, I felt that it could have been a wonderful mini-series but as a movie, it was under-developed.

The premise is well known. A comet is found heading towards the Earth. A space-craft called 'Messiah' is sent to plant nuclear explosives on the comet in an attempt to blow it off course, but fails to do so. So now Earth must prepare for a E.L.E. (extinction level event).

The premise and execution of the underlying comet and reaction to it in the movie is nicely done. But with only two hours to play with and with four sub-plots running through it, it's hard to settle in and immerse totally in the movie.

One sub-plot, the underlying one, has the President of the United States (Morgan Freeman) coordinating a 'dig and hide' response to the comet. The second involves the young co-discoverer of the comet, Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood), trying to save his girlfriend and family in an underground shelter. The third has Jenny Lerner, the young MSNBC reporter who learns about Elly (or Ele) and forces the President to break the up-coming disaster early but has problems with her family. The fourth involves the crew of the 'Messiah', captained by Spurgeon 'Fish' Tanner (Robert Duvall) and their attempts to blow the comet and save the world.

With this many sub-plots, it would have been better if it had been a mini-series as the audience would have more time to settle in and know the characters. As it is, events are rushed with months passing by in mere moments and many crisis points (like world reaction to the comet) mentioned in passing and much melodrama (characters self-sacrificing themselves at the drop of a coin) introduced.

Of course, there is that comet strike which is dramatic. Another dramatic moment was a brief scene from inside the astronauts' helmets, with no sound other than their breathing, which recalls the EVA scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. One quiet scene that I liked showed 'Fish' reading Moby Dick to a (blinded) fellow crew-member as they travelled back to Earth.

Unfortunately, moments like those are rare in this movie. It was nice, but it could have been better.

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Deep Impact directed by Mimi Leder

Deep Impact
directed by Mimi Leder