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Far superior to Armageddon

While Armageddon was just another plotless Bruce Willis vehicle, Deep Impact is a much more thoughtful and rich movie experience. Unlike some other reviewers, I particularly enjoyed Tea Leoni's acting as a newswoman who is given what is initally thought to be a clunker of a story by her boss, played well by Laura Innes (ER). This film has much stronger character development than Armageddon, not to mention something that Armageddon lacked entirely, namely a PLOT. True, Morgan Freeman was underutilized in this film, but then again, he was playing the President in a movie that focused more on the people who discovered the asteroid and broke the story than on the officical reaction to the comet. It would be a mistake to miss this movie.

sluggish, feels like a sci-fi 'movie of the week'

Yet another asteroid disaster movie! Deep Impact, 1998's second sci-fi disaster movie, is quite different from Michael Bay's noisy 'Armageddon'. It mostly eschews Special Effects and scenes of destruction and focuses on the human cost. The film is basically a made-for-television 'drama of the week', but certainly a watchable one. Morgan Freeman plays the wise president and Tea Leoni the inquisitive journalist who discovers the imminent arrival of the asteroid. The film's pace is sluggish and male viewers may be turned off by the 'chick-flick' feel of the film.Overall 6/10

Sappy

Of the two asteroid films of the past summer, I feel that Armaggedon was more entertaining. Sure it is filled with cliched characters, outrageously unbelievable action, too many slow motion shots of old people and kids running around Smalltown, USA, and that irritating and uninspired Aerosmith song, but it was still a fun popcorn movie. I don't think the creators intended to make a very serious film. With Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay at the helm, you know the film is going to be a pretty, action packed feature with little story but lots of explosions. This film is Space Mountain meets a Nike commerical.

However the creators of Deep Impact have attempted to make a more mature and serious film, looking at the affect of such a global catastrophe not only on the small band of heroes trying to save the Earth, but the common citizen as well (not just with beforementioned slow mo shots reminiscent of long distance service TV ads - see Armaggeddon). It is a different and refreshing approach. The film starts off well, showing the government's response to such an event. And when the news goes public, the film effectively touches on the panic and chaos that would result. But as the day of reckoning approaches, the film starts the downward spiral. You would expect more chaos in light of such an event, where every person is fighting to live. In real life tragedies, sadly, more often than not a person will step over another to save him or herself, rather than stop to lend a hand. In Deep Impact it felt like no one wanted to live. Everyone was so noble and self sacrificing. Not very realistic.

Perhaps I am taking an overly pessimistic view of people, but I imagine many people would claw another's eyes out if it meant a chance at getting to see another sunrise.

Like many films of today, the director can't just present the story as it is, without forcefeeding spoonfuls of sappiness down the viewer's throats. If the events surrounding such a catastrophe as a collision with a comet were presented as it is, that alone would be enough to touch the viewer's emotions. You really don't need extended shots of middle aged couples embracing in the face of certain death (how many of these were in this film?). A good idea, that could have been executed much better. As for the story, well, what is there to say really? A comet on a direct collision with Earth. The acting? Morgan Freeman was is usual boring self, playing wise, calm men in the face of adversity. He needs to take on some different and more challenging roles. The rest of the cast is equally forgettable.

Laughs aplenty!

I saw this movie in the theatre with a few friends of mine (for free of course :)) and within a half-hour of film we were all laughing like crazy. The action is non-stop b grade with excellent special effects. The acting and storyline were both kind of cheesy, but what could I expect?This is definitely a good date rental... that is, if your date doesn't mind constant blood and guts! I give this movie an 8...

"Climacteric american choke."

" Boring,climacteric vision of the end of the world. Bad acting,5 / 120 minutes of special effects, cries and other pathetic human excuses take place in this disgrace. Black president in USA? Not a Chance." vote-3/10

Not worth your money

I first saw Armageddon. That was an excellent film. Then I saw DI. It dropped like the meteor. The only action was when Biederman hit. The special effects aren't very good. The characters aren't that good. Dreamcast tried to make it better, but worsened it. They tried to kill the shuttle crew and the girls parents. It's not even funny. The only line that was even close to funny was "We'll all have high schools named after us." Har har. If you're debating, Armageddon is the better of the two. Trust me. Anyone who says this rocks and Armageddon sucks is on crack.

This movie is like Armageddon, minus the entertainment.

I'm sorry, but this is supposed to be a disaster movie? Since when does a disaster movie have the "disaster" in the sub-plot??? This movie is actually a love story between the (then) 18 year old Elijah WOod and 15 year old LeeLee Sobeiski. Nothing more, nothing less. You'll be eager to see the astronauts on their heroic mission, instead you'll be tormented by Elijah staring at LeeLee. This movie also disguisted me, for instance, the point of attack (when the actual movie's meat started) comes during a hyper-close up of a fat guy's cheek blubber shaking as he sloppily eats pizza. The camera is pretty much sitting on the guy's top lip for about six minutes before the guy looks at at screen and realizes an asteroid is about to hit. I give it two stars only because of a moving scene on a beach between a daughter and father.

One of the worst movies ever made...

Almost as bad as "Seven." IT has to be one of the worst movies of 1998. I feel asleep half way through it. The next morning, I rewound and found that I missed nothing by falling asleep. As a matter of face, I think sleeping is more exciting. The only good thing was LeeLee Sobieski as Elijah Woods' girlfriend. But she couldn't even make this worth watching. Save you money. Want a good disaster movie? Go out and rent "Armageddon." "Armageddon" may be campy, but at least it's fun.

Interesting nail-biter with a spine.

The constant suspense of this movie is a key factor that kept its audiences coming in during its release in the spring of 1998. One might think that watching the theatrical trailers would ruin the effect of the overall film, as many have said to be the case with Paramount's Double Jeopardy. But the ending will surprise you, and it is not what you would expect it to be. The premise, of course, begins with an astronomy student named Leo Beiderman, played by Elijah Wood, who discovers comet while studying the sky in a class project. However, when his photos of the comets are sent to a scientist, it is soon confirmed that the comets are headed on collision course with Earth. The rest of the movie follows the lives of several different characters as the government of the US tries to stop the impending doom. This is a movie recommended for those looking for a good popcorn and cuddle feature. The special effects have a computer generated feel to them, but the rest of this movie will keep you feeling the reality throughout. The DVD edition of this film is well-mastered, with excellent sound and brilliant color.

better than Armageddon

Why does everybody say get Armageddon instead of Deep Impact? I like both of them, but I think Deep Impact is better. The only reason Deep Impact didn't get more Academy Awards is because it came out right after Titanic. When I first saw the previews for Deep Impact, I knew I had to see this movie because of the great looking special effects.

This movie also has a good plot to it. Morgan Freeman does a great job playing as the president. The speech he had to give about the incoming comet is one of the best ever made in a film. All the other actors and actresses also do a good job, which makes this movie believable in some respects. Finally, all the special effects are completely awesome, especially the waves coming out of the ocean and when the astronauts have to drill into the comet to try to stop its path. I haven't seen the DVD version yet but I've heard it's even more spectacular. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes great special effects or action movies.

no comparisons of two like movies from one year

"armegeddon" and "deep impact" were not created at the same time to compete, so first of all, i'd like to NOT compare the two."deep impact" lacked character development, to no fault of the actors. the script gave the characters no time to develop. too many stories intermingled. it was a little too complicated. i liked it though.if you like the sci-fi movies of the fifties like i do (and a lot of people do...that's why they're cult classics), then this is the movie to see. and it's in color. what more could you ask for? character development? sure. fewer stories? yeah. more action? sure. but you DO get to see REALLY BIG waves. =)

Bring the hankys..

When I saw this movie I was so caught up in it that I found mysef actually crying (yes folks, MEN DO CRY), I haven't seen the other movie of similiar plot lines, but I must say this one will be hard to beat.

Agree- still holds up

I remembered the first time I saw this movie. It was really some overwhelming moment, and the ending was something extra. And seeing it again so many years after doesn't disappoint me. It still has perfect quality. I am not very surprised Deep Impact was directed by a woman... Mimi Leder really did some good work here. I think Tea Leoni is the leading role really shows some great skills as an actress, which is very important for the high ranking for the movie. The only critic one can think of is that it is just not a perfect scientific approach. But hey... compared to "Armageddon" "Deep Impact" plays in its own division. It's like Yankees was to face Swedens junior team playing a series. :)

Pretty disappointing movie just cries out for a rewrite

Pretty disappointing movie just cries out for a rewrite, for an extensive rethink of what would have been worth concentrating on in a scenario such as this. The "big picture" aspects of the scenario are mainly confined to Freeman's exposition-oriented dialogue, yet his scenes provide only the merest hint of the political and personal anguish that drives his decisions. Otherwise the movie's focused on a few inexplicably bland personal stories - it's impossible to know why Leoni and her estranged parents were considered to be worthy of such attention. Despite the gravity of the situation, the movie maintains a pretty evenly bland tone, with an extreme failure to register tension - the ultimate saving of the world is almost anticlimatic. By far the best moments are the special effects-generated impact of the first comet - which are awesome in fact - but even these are undercut by cutting away to Wood's mediocre personal drama, not to mention simply by being too short. And of course, there's little sense of the huge loss that's been incurred by mankind nor of events in the world beyond. Independence Day was not only far zippier but actually managed in its bubble-gum way to convey a better sense of a comprehensive portrait of the event.

extremely similar to Titanic and Armageddon.

I hated this film because this movie is extremely similar to Titanic (which is a worst film I have ever seen) because of the love story of two modern teenage lovers and people died of drowning because of the giant waters and Armageddon (which is the best movie) because of the similar plot of a comet is a collision course to earth and specialized astronauts nuke the comet from the inside. They got that idea from the movie Armageddon. I think the Spice Girls wrote the script to this movie because it sounds like it.

One of the most thoughtful, moving films ever made

"Deep Impact" has some problems with pacing, but it was realistic, for the most part technically accurate, and very moving. The ending had me in tears, and that's only happened about four times in thirty years. Good, thoughtful drama, with stunning performances by Freeman and Duvall. *THIS* is the end-of-the-world movie to see.

A real ***** movie!!! Elijah Wood was brilliant!!

This film is one of the best films I have ever seen. Elijah Wood was at his best despite him being one of the most underrated actors in recent memory. Robert Duvall also turned in another outstanding performance. Tremendous acting, photography, special effects and plot made this a real science fiction hit. "Deep Impact" is about a large comet that threatens to collide with earth and wipe out most of mankind. Check out the end of this film. It's awesome!!

Cast: Elijah Wood, Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Vanessa Redgrave and Morgan Freeman. Directed by: Mimi Leder

THE MOVIE "ARMAGEDDON" WISHED IT COULD HAVE BEEN

The best disaster movie I've seen since "The Towering Inferno". The events portrayed in this movie actually seem feasible & I honestly believe it could really happen someday. The pace of the film was excellent; it never dragged along unnecessarily but got right to the point. The acting (particularly Morgan Freeman) was outstanding throughout. This movie stayed with me for a while, which is more than I can say about most of the ones I've seen. Give it a try; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Bad, poor, awful, diabolical, abysmal and i'm not going to swear....

I've seen many movies over the years, some good, some bad, some on bank holidays (i.e bad), but this takes the proverbial biscuit. I cannot believe I sat through this (luckily on video, if I saw this at the cinema I would have tried to choke myself on the popcorn) without puking at its poorness. I thought through it, it will get better, it will! But no such luck. I like a special effect now and then so I thought that might redeem it. I shall now recreate that climax... (plop). Armageddon was exciting and kept the plot going with the mini meteorites, humor and excitement. If wrote for a film mag I would plead to give this film 0 stars or out of ten. I give it the lowest score allowed since it has NO redeeming features.

ABOVE AVERAGE ,BUT NOT ARAMAGEDDON

Deep Impact is more of a dramatic movie than Armageddon ,but lacks the all around action filled atmosphere that Armageddon produces.