Deep Impact (1998)
55%RT Audience Score: 43%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 14 nominations
A tidal wave of melodrama sinks Deep Impact’s chance at being the memorable disaster flick it aspires to be
Deep Impact may not be the deepest or most impactful disaster movie out there, but it’s still a fun ride. Sure, the characters aren’t exactly fleshed out and the impending doom doesn’t always feel imminent, but who doesn’t love a good tidal wave finale? Plus, it’s always entertaining to see Tea Leoni chug martinis in the face of certain death. Overall, it’s a solid addition to the genre, even if it doesn’t quite reach masterpiece status.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Prince William Pkwy SR 234, Manassas, Virginia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense disaster related elements and brief language
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 12.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 5, 2004
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Maximilian Schell, directed by Mimi Leder, written by Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Duane Byrge, Paul Clinton, Jay Boyar, Michael Wilmington, Michael O’Sullivan, Rita Kempley, James Croot, Matt Patches, Leigh Paatsch, Danielle Solzman, produced by Richard D Zanuck, David Brown, PG-13, comet, disaster, tidal wave, reporter, U.S government, astronaut, explosives, humanity, end of the world, President, crack reporter, grizzled astronaut, impending doom, scientists, fatalism, special effects, cataclysmic tidal-wave finale, disaster flick, paint by the number, twists, entertainment, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, actors, filmmakers, audience reviews
Worldwide gross: $349,464,664
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $641,316,935
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 205
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 69,936,416
US/Canada gross: $140,464,664
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $257,772,465
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 243
US/Canada opening weekend: $41,152,375
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $75,520,411
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 121
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $75,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $137,635,575
Production budget ranking: 253
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $74,116,757
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $429,564,602
ROI to date (est.): 203%
ROI ranking: 625
Téa Leoni – Jenny Lerner
Elijah Wood – Leo Beiderman
Vanessa Redgrave – Robin Lerner
Morgan Freeman – President Tom Beck
Maximilian Schell – Jason Lerner
Director(s)
Mimi Leder
Writer(s)
Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin
Producer(s)
Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (86) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (47)
It drags considerably, and mainstream action audiences are likely to find it tedious and undeniably old-fashioned.
May 8, 2019
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The filmmakers want us to care about all these people, but we never really get to know them, and there is no sense of impending doom except when Leoni starts chugging martinis.
June 26, 2018
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Deep Impact isn’t especially deep, and the extent of its impact seems limited. But it does turn out to be a fairly involving movie.
June 25, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Why isn’t it scarier? Maybe its targets are too scattered, its final impact too shallow. Maybe director Mimi Leder couldn’t locate the right overall tone. And maybe the two writers simply don’t take the story very seriously.
June 25, 2018
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
When all is said and done, it is precisely such lackluster imitations of real life that prevent this lightweight melodrama from leaving any deep, or lasting, impact of its own.
June 25, 2018
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
These folks are so blase, you’d think that scientists had predicted pennies from Heaven instead of world’s end within the year.
June 25, 2018
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Even Leder’s solid dramatic credentials can’t save what is essentially a rotten script.
December 29, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
Whereas most disaster movies wind a ticking clock and ride the tension of life or death, Leder dares to grapple with fatalism, and study how we react when all of the world’s problems can’t be solved with a giant bomb.
May 25, 2021
Matt Patches
Polygon
The final 30 minutes – where all of mankind starts looking for anywhere to duck and cover – is great disaster movie stuff.
October 25, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Deep Impact has all the makings of a cinematic masterpiece but falls just a tad bit short of joining the all-time classics.
August 6, 2018
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
A generic, paint by the number, disaster flick with so-so special effects at the climatic payoff.
June 26, 2018 | Rating: C
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews
There are some impressive disaster effects in the final hour, and thanks to some clever and knowing twists, Deep Impact keeps you averagely entertained right up until the cataclysmic tidal-wave finale.
June 26, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Total Film Staff
Total Film…
Plot
Journalist Jenny Lerner is assigned to look into the background of Secretary Alan Rittenhouse who abruptly resigned from government citing his wife’s ill health. She learns from his secretary that Rittenhouse was having an affair with someone named Ellie but when she confronts him, his strange reaction leads her to reconsider her story. In fact, a comet, discovered the previous year by high school student Leo Biederman and astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf, is on a collision course with the Earth, an Extinction Level Event. A joint US-Russian team is sent to destroy the comet but should it fail, special measures are to be put in place to secure the future of mankind. As the space mission progresses, many individuals deal with their fears and ponder their future.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Deep Impact.
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