Grade:  B

Director:  Mimi Leder		Released:  May 1998
Writer:  Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin		MPAA Rating:  PG-13
Players:  Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Robert Duvall		Running time:  120 minutes

Ratings System

The first of two similarly storied films of 1998 (Armageddon being the second), Deep Impact explores the concept of possible destruction of life on Earth.  In this case, the villain is a giant asteroid heading towards the planet, but that's just a device, the real story revolves around the human reaction to such an impending event.

I like the writing, particularly the dialog.  I also like Morgan Freeman as the president.  At first it seemed like a cheap casting trick ("I have an idea, let's have a black president") but he makes a great president.

Even though a lot of the elements that make up the story are standard disaster film requirements, the most important thing is that the characters seem to understand what is at stake.  They believe they are actually going to die and are trying to come to terms with it, which lends gravity to the overall tone of the film and keeps the viewer engaged.

- crocoPuffs