Deep Impact
with Morgan Freeman, Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Ron Eldard
Directed by Mimi Leder
Written by Bruce Joel Rubin, Michael Tolkin
by Michael McCarthy
A youth by the name of Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovers a comet heading for Earth. Months later, up-and-coming TV reporter Jenny Lerner (Téa Leoni) investigates a presidential associate’s prompt resignation in regards to a woman named Ellie. Only it’s actually Ele, or E.L.E., as she soon learns, meaning Extinction-Level Event. You guessed it, what she’s really investigating is Biederman’s comet. Lerner soon finds herself face to face with President Beck (Morgan Freeman) and, forty eight hours later, the vicious truth. Hope is not lost, however, as the President explains that a U.S./Russian spacecraft dubbed the Messiah will venture into space with nuclear weapons and attempt to destroy the comet. Still, one can hardly be optimistic when a comet capable of annihilating all life on Earth is headed in your general direction. From this point forward, Deep Impact pours on the suspense like few films ever have or will, not just because of its basic concept, but because of the realistic, mature manner in which the film has been crafted.
Director Mimi Leder’s last film (and only other feature to date) was The Peacemaker, a horrible George Clooney vehicle that I honestly hope to never see again, not even five minutes of it. Although I believe Leder was partially to blame, since I believe no director is innocent of his or her film, I will admit that the film at least looked real, meaning natural. Even when Nicole Kidman was on screen, giving her laughable performance, the film never had the artificial, glossy look of, say, Godzilla or Independence Day. The cinematographer and director of photography must be applauded for this, first and foremost, but certainly they were performing under Leder’s direction and influence. I can firmly say this after viewing Deep Impact, which almost never looks glossy and only does so when we see the Messiah spacecraft speeding through space, which I’m certain was done on purpose to further inspire the feelings of hope the Messiah brings to, well, the entire planet Earth. On that note, Leder must be applauded. She recognized the strong points of Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin’s script as showing humanity and realism and clearly focused on these elements when bringing the film to the screen. During one tense scene, we’re shown a close shot of the President’s hand as he nervously taps his fingers. One can’t help but imagine most filmmakers working in the studio environment skipping right over this, or at least trying to find some larger than life manner to put forth the anxiety. In that regard, most filmmakers would have denied Deep Impact the humanity that Leder savors quite remarkably.
Deep Impact has a rather large cast, and most are deserving of praise. Morgan Freeman delivers a very convincing performance as U.S. President Tom Beck, who must remain professional, yet put forth enough human emotion to inspire hope among the country’s citizens as he delivers bad news again and again throughout the film. I was quite pleased to see him in this role after Chain Reaction and Hard Rain, which had me wondering if his career wasn’t on the verge of entering B-movie hell.
Téa Leoni proved herself capable of comedy on television’s The Naked Truth, though she wasn’t so impressive that I could see her doing the reverse, that being serious drama. Here, as up-and-coming television reporter Jenny Lerner, she proves that she’s actually a far better dramatic actress than a comedienne. She shines when Lerner must deliver tense news broadcasts, showing her unseasoned character’s fear and basic discomfort as she delivers the news. It’s that honesty, written all over her face, that makes her a hit with audiences during the unsavory days leading to, well, impact. As Lerner’s mother, Vanessa Redgrave is given minimal screentime, but she’s convincing enough to make her character seem genuine and not a stereotype.
As the eldest astronaut aboard the Messiah, and a seasoned pro at that, Robert Duvall’s character knows he’s there in part to provide those on Earth with a familiar face. He also knows that he is a valuable part of the mission just the same, though his much younger crew requires some convincing. This gives him an added task aboard the Messiah, that of winning their respect. Although you could argue that Duvall’s performance is a bit too subtle, it almost always works because the fear and frustration of his character shines through his eyes even when his face bears a smile.
ER‘s Laura Innes is on hand in a supporting role as one of Lerner’s superior reporters and does a fine job of putting forth her character’s complexities. In fact, I found her performance here superior to her work on ER, though she’s quite good on the show. On a related note, former ER paramedic, Ron Eldard, plays one of the Messiah astronauts. His part requires him to be placid and he pulls it off, seemingly with ease, which surprised me considering he typically plays characters who are, well, big mouthed.
I suppose I should say a word about Elijah Wood, who plays Leo Biederman, the young boy who discovers the comet. Unfortunately, that word must be bland. He’s normally a very good actor, far better than most of his peers and even many of his elders, but he seemed to be underacting here, perhaps trying too hard. Admittedly, his character is fairly underdeveloped and that may have influenced his acting, but Redgrave was able to rise above this, so one must wonder.
If there’s one thing that genuinely disappointed me about Deep Impact it’s that it wasn’t longer. I’d have liked to see more of what was transpiring in its characters lives while the comet rushed toward the Earth. What we’re shown is certainly satisfying, but… it could have been a bit more satisfying if certain things were further developed. For example, we’re given virtually no insight into the President’s private life. I’d have liked to see him interacting with his family, assuming he had one, and how they cope with knowing they’ll be saved by the Ark, an underground facility the government designed to ensure that humanity will go on, solely because of his position. Also, the impact on society as a whole could have been better demonstrated. At one point, martial law is imposed, including a midnight curfew. A scene showing the military arresting a few scared yet rebellious teenagers for violating this would have helped the younger audience wonder how their own day-to-day lives would be challenged by such news. Then again, what Deep Impact does show us is so touching – and so very human – that I sincerely doubt anyone will be able to watch it without imagining how they would react to such frightening events.
