[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

No Subject

This movie deals with two impacts - the slow-to-build human impact of
realizing  that immutable oblivion will happen at a set date and time and
the swift and  awesome impact which occurs when planets and comets collide.

Despite the blockbuster hype which  "Deep Impact" is being given, it is
actually a rather small story set against a huge backdrop - not unlike
"Titanic" . Take the technology out of the picture and alter the source of
the impending disaster and the plot would still work.  This movie is not
about things being blown to smithereens but rather about the choices you
make when you have the power to save someone else's life, the way you spend
your remaining days when the exact time of your death is a certainty, and
the legacy you relay to those who will survive.

Given Hollywood's chronic habit of violating the laws of physics, this
movie is a rather notable exception.  Speaking as a former NASA rocket
scientist, the technology is portrayed quite realistically, the celestial
scenery is done very well, and the cataclysmic effects of a cometary impact
are masterfully realized. This film also manages to use subtle means of
conveying titanic events - such as a fleet of ICBMs exploding on a comet
but having no effect on its trajectory.  You never see it happen, you only
see the disappointment on the president's face and in his voice as he goes
on TV to relay the bad news.

This movie is about a devastating cometary impact - you know that walking
in the theatre.  What amazes me is how a number of movie critics who
profess to know and seek out  good movies - and good story telling - are
critical of this movie because it "waits until the last 15 minutes" to
deliver its punch.  All I can say is that each of these critics is showing
that they too are suckers for special effects.  For me, the plot build-up
is what makes this movie's "impact" as powerful as it is.

This movie is well worth seeing.  It allows you to place your own existence
in both a human and a cosmic perspective - something far too few films ever
allow you to do.

---------------------------------------------------------------------