Deep Impact (1998)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jason O

  
  I'll never forget when the topic of conversation was "Which do you like better? Deep Impact or Armageddon?" Seems like "Armageddon" won....I'll take both, but between the two, I always preferred "Deep Impact."

• Sophie B

  
  Released just two months before Armageddon, this film was made to make money. They took a common and popular idea and ran the cheesiest story possible but lacked any drama and empathy. A sham for Morgan Freeman.

• moon r

  
  Morgan Freeman calmly presides over the end of the world as yet another space rock threatens to eliminate us all w/o discretion. But what about the lives of the little people (?), and that's the story here until about 3 minutes of FX take over.

• Jeff "

  
  Deep Impact is what I would consider the better version of Armageddon. Where Armageddon failed, Deep Impact succeeded. This film though not perfect is an improvement over Michael Bay's dud. First off, the story is better and so is the acting. Second off, the casting decisions for… More
  Deep Impact is what I would consider the better version of Armageddon. Where Armageddon failed, Deep Impact succeeded. This film though not perfect is an improvement over Michael Bay's dud. First off, the story is better and so is the acting. Second off, the casting decisions for this film are better, and the cast deliver good performances. Visually the film is appealing and the story is better than Armageddon. I felt that Deep Impact had more human drama than Armageddon, and overall it was a better film. The cast deliver great performances and the film is action packed with thrills and suspense. Deep Impact is a good film that is far better than one might think. The concept behind the plot is different than an asteroid hitting earth, as this time around it's a comet that threatens earth, but it works well. What I love about the film is that its smart enough and doesn't pulverize the viewer the way that Michael Bay's Armageddon does. The film has a much more detailed plot, a smarter premise and way better acting than Armageddon. Deep Impact is a terrific disaster film that will appeal to everyone who enjoys a good disaster yarn. A superbly told story that is a very much recommended and better than most disaster films.

• Sajin P

  
  Deep Impact hit the screens along side Armageddon in 1998. While both films were built around an almost identical plot, Deep Impact leaves you with a far greater impact because unlike Armageddon, it doesn't make a mockery out of the End of Humanity. To the most extent, this movie… More
  Deep Impact hit the screens along side Armageddon in 1998. While both films were built around an almost identical plot, Deep Impact leaves you with a far greater impact because unlike Armageddon, it doesn't make a mockery out of the End of Humanity. To the most extent, this movie concentrates on the concept of humanity accepting its own extinction. An ominous feeling of imminent doom is lingering throughout the movie, which makes even the most sugar-coated emotional scenes, even so in moments, very effective.(A good example being a scene where a tidal wave hit the beach devouring a father and daughter in embrace)

• Bently L

  
  I bought some "For Your Consideration" videotapes of at a yard sale two years ago. This film, known as "Deep Impact" is one of them. I just watched this for the first time this morning and I was impressed. This very film here is one of the better disaster movies I… More
  I bought some "For Your Consideration" videotapes of at a yard sale two years ago. This film, known as "Deep Impact" is one of them. I just watched this for the first time this morning and I was impressed. This very film here is one of the better disaster movies I have seen. The film tells of a boy named Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) who discovers a comet that is headed toward Earth. This comet here is as big as New York City and will destroy the Earth if it makes an impact with us. At the same time, a young reporter named Jenny Learner (Tea Leoni) and the President of the United States (Morgan Freeman) must help the people of the Earth help prepare for the collision. Many disaster movies these tend to be pointless, yet still fun to watch. This one has a very nice plot set up to it and feature emotion. Something we don't see much in this genre. The performances in this film are really great. The first half is really great and edge-of-your-seat. After the first hour, the film begins to suffer from three major plot holes. But the effects and story make up for that. I did not know anything about this movie and it was quite a surprise. This makes "2012" and "The Day After Tomorrow" look like school plays. See it if you haven't! "Biggest story in history? What an ego."

• Dean !

  
  A good action/disaster film. Type you can watch over and over again.

• Spencer S

  
  Another quite enjoyable film on how the Earth will somehow be destroyed. Links stories, proves to be enjoyable, and enough action to boot.

• Mike S

  
  Basically the same story as <i>Armageddon</i>, and about as entertaining, but without all the cheese and Michael Bay nonsense. The cast is unfortunately pretty bland, except for Elijah Wood and Morgan Freeman, who both brought a lot of quality to the screen. As compared to… More
  Basically the same story as <i>Armageddon</i>, and about as entertaining, but without all the cheese and Michael Bay nonsense. The cast is unfortunately pretty bland, except for Elijah Wood and Morgan Freeman, who both brought a lot of quality to the screen. As compared to other disaster flicks, this one is surely one of my favourites.

• Conner R

  
  While it is certainly the better of the two asteroid disaster movies, it isn't hard to beat Armageddon. This is a bad movie too, it just isn't as obvious. This has a better cast and plot, but at the end of the day it is an unmemorable bit of propaganda.

• Anthony L

  
  Advertised as an 'Intelligent' apocalyptic movie to challenge the more cartoonish versions like Armageddon etc. What they really meant is, they had a very little budget. It thinks its clever but it?s not. It?s not very good at all. I do like it when the wave hits the beach… More
  Advertised as an 'Intelligent' apocalyptic movie to challenge the more cartoonish versions like Armageddon etc. What they really meant is, they had a very little budget. It thinks its clever but it?s not. It?s not very good at all. I do like it when the wave hits the beach though!

• Phil H

  
  The counter film to Armageddon, this one being a very deep, emotional ride with a whole different outlook on life and our world. In a way its better than Armageddon because it deals with real people and real issues and problems that would or could happen if this did happen. It does… More
  The counter film to Armageddon, this one being a very deep, emotional ride with a whole different outlook on life and our world. In a way its better than Armageddon because it deals with real people and real issues and problems that would or could happen if this did happen. It does make you think as you watch, what would you do? would u live or die? its quite strong and hits you without knowing.it makes you think long after the credits roll, and thats a good film. The cast make it happen very well too, especially Morgan as the president. Small individual stories that have different outcomes on impact, Tea Leoni probably having the most common story people would relate to, your loved ones. Its quite a sad film really, excellent and thoughtful.

• Drew S

  
  Deep Impact has a few fresh edges on most disaster movie fare, but ultimately, its conformity to studio standards keeps it from being truly great. See that "hope survives" splashed across the poster? That is the theme, and you will be beaten over and over with it, so make… More
  Deep Impact has a few fresh edges on most disaster movie fare, but ultimately, its conformity to studio standards keeps it from being truly great. See that "hope survives" splashed across the poster? That is the theme, and you will be beaten over and over with it, so make your peace now. The movie dabbles with some interesting themes, such as abandonment and solitude and even a Shirley Jackon-esque impartial lottery to determine the fate of humanity, but nothing is scratched too heavily. The film is too fragmented, burdened with subplots (most of them unnecessary) and overly concerned with characters who don't really figure into the movie much. It's as if the studio told Mimi Leder that her film was too slow and to throw in more explosions and a happy ending, which just makes it all a bloated mess. And the ending is hellacious indeed, a truly moronic conclusion to a subplot that should have been axed at the first draft of the script. Also, one would suspect that this whole affair would be more palatable if Tea Leoni could act. She just looks bored. Deep Impact isn't risible or terrible, but it's a total waste of potential, most likely watered down for us dumb Americans. The predictable, overly convenient plot really holds back the interestingly-composed action and the glimmers of intelligence. Worth your two hours if you catch it surfing the Sci-Fi Channel or something but not a flick to actively seek out.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Heaven and Earth are about to collide."</i> Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team… More
  <i>"Heaven and Earth are about to collide."</i> Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. <b><u>Review</u></b> First off, keep in mind that this movie does not pick up for about an hour-and-a-half, and you won't get any serious action sequences until the last 15 minutes of the film. That being said, I wanted to like this movie, and I didn't compare it to Armageddon, but in the end, it was nothing more than a 2-hour waste of my time with a dull, pointless ending. The characters were undeveloped, the story was boring and barely made any sense, and it was quite simply a poorly-made film. I wouldn't even consider this a valiant effort. Way too many sub-plots, too many attempts to be emotional, and just not that good.

• Cassandra M

  
  #2 Deep Impact Freeman has always had an air of easygoing wisdom in the roles he plays, but it gets put to the test here. After all, managing an apparently doomed Earth is tricky. After covering up the existence of a killer comet, President Freeman announces that, yes, it's… More
  #2 Deep Impact Freeman has always had an air of easygoing wisdom in the roles he plays, but it gets put to the test here. After all, managing an apparently doomed Earth is tricky. After covering up the existence of a killer comet, President Freeman announces that, yes, it's there, but everything will be OK because he's sending astronauts to blow it up. When this plan fails, he somehow has the guile to stay in office. Well done, sir. President Speak: "Life will go on, we will prevail."

• Michael G

  
  The more estrogen-fueled version of a testosterone-laden Armageddon proves that a doe-eyed, tender caress can be just as bad as a smack in the mouth from a roid-raged frat boy. I liked Mimi Leder's idea more than Bay's, but the execution was just as bad with the morose and… More
  The more estrogen-fueled version of a testosterone-laden Armageddon proves that a doe-eyed, tender caress can be just as bad as a smack in the mouth from a roid-raged frat boy. I liked Mimi Leder's idea more than Bay's, but the execution was just as bad with the morose and maudlin tone. The numerous plotlines with people coming to grips with their mortality were generally painful, but the payola where the comet finally hits is almost worth it. There are a few misty moments but the unplausable plot (the way the whole comet thing is handled by the government, not the possibility of a comet rebooting the planet) and Lifetime tone of the movie offer more laughs than anything.

• Bobby H

  
  I loved this movie. Especially since its based off of something that could truly happen - infact, a comet is scheduled to strike earth in 2036. And, possibly prior if gravitational forces pull it down in 2020. And we too will be forced to tryin shoot it out of the sky - A movie… More
  I loved this movie. Especially since its based off of something that could truly happen - infact, a comet is scheduled to strike earth in 2036. And, possibly prior if gravitational forces pull it down in 2020. And we too will be forced to tryin shoot it out of the sky - A movie with a glimpse of our fate?

• Tim S

  
  I would elect Morgan Freeman president just to hear his radio address.

• Dean M

  
  This standard-issue sci-fi melodrama dilutes its cataclysmic premise with too much talk and too little action, and when the climactic "money shots" finally do arrive, they're over before viewers can adjust to the results.

• Candy R

  
  This was the year of disaster movies. It had a good storyline and special effects.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings