Deep Impact Review (1998)
Director: Mimi Leder
Writers: Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin
Starring: Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Leelee Sobieski, James Cromwell, Jon Favreau, Richard Schiff
Release Date: May 8, 1998
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute

I came to Deep Impact for the first time back in early February while working my way through Leelee Sobieski‘s filmography shortly before relaunching this site. My first time seeing this film was one day before Robert Duvall passed away. So the film was still fresh in my mind when the news of his passing hit, which made his performance hit differently than it might have otherwise. More on that in a moment.

Deep Impact and Armageddon both came out the same summer in 1998 and have been compared ever since. I think Deep Impact is the better film, and it is not particularly close. Armageddon is a fun, loud, Michael Bay production that does exactly what it sets out to do, but Deep Impact is actually interested in the human side of the story. That’s not to say Armageddon didn’t have its moments, just that Deep Impact went a different direction.

When a comet the size of Manhattan is discovered on a collision course with Earth, the film spreads its focus across several storylines: a veteran astronaut crew (headed by Duvall) sent to destroy the comet, a young reporter (Tea Leoni) who unknowingly stumbles onto the story, and a teenage boy named Leo (Elijah Wood) who first spotted the comet and is now watching the world fall apart around him. His girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) is right there beside him for most of it.

Leelee’s role here is a supporting one, smaller than anything else we;ve seen in this rewatch series so far. This is Leelee pre-Joan of Arc and Never Been Kissed. She plays Sarah well within the limitations of what the part asks, and there are moments between her and Wood that feel genuinely tender. This is not her vehicle though. It is a younger Leelee and a brief one, but she holds her own in a film stacked with considerably older and more established talent all around her.

The standout in the whole cast is Duvall as Captain Spurgeon Tanner, the aging veteran brought out of retirement to lead the mission. Duvall brings a quiet dignity to the role that grounds the film’s most dramatic sequences. There is no grandstanding, no scenery chewing. Just a man doing his job with the full weight of what that job means sitting on his shoulders. Knowing now that he is gone, watching that performance carries a particular sadness. He was one of the greats.

Tea Leoni is very good too. Jenny Lerner’s storyline is the most emotionally devastating thread in the film, built around her complicated relationship with her father (Maximilian Schell) and what she chooses to do when the end is genuinely coming. Leoni plays it straight and earns every bit of it. Morgan Freeman as President Beck is Morgan Freeman doing presidential Morgan Freeman, which is to say he is exactly right for the role and quietly keeps the whole thing grounded. Elijah wood carried his weight too as the young Leo, a very solid kid Elijah Wood performance not unlike most of his roles from the time period.

Now, the absurdity. When it becomes clear that the comet is going to hit and the government is loading people into bunkers, Leo’s family gets spots. Sarah’s family does not. So Leo’s parents, in the middle of what is essentially the end of the world, let their teenage son ride off on a dirtbike to go find his girlfriend and bring her back. In a disaster. With a comet coming. Look, I get it. It is Hollywood. The film needs an action beat and a romance beat. But it is a little hard not to roll your eyes at the idea that any good parents, anywhere, under those circumstances, wave their kid off like that. Sure, guys. Good luck out there.

That aside, Deep Impact is a genuinely good disaster film that holds up very well. It earns its emotion, the performances across the board are strong, and it treats the audience like adults more than most films in this genre bother to. Well worth watching if you haven’t seen it, and even worth adding to your DVD or Blu-ray collection (because yes, you should still be owning physical media).

Deep Impact gets a three out of five: SUBSTANTIAL.

If you enjoy this one, you might also like to check out my review of The Housemaid or check out The Ultimate Leelee Sobieski Rewatch Hub for more reviews of films starring or featuring Leelee Sobieski. Or click here to check out more movie reviews.

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