DEEP IMPACT (DVD) (SPECIAL COLLECTORS EDITION/WS/ DVD

Deep Impact
Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. Special visual effects by Scott Farrar and Industrial Light & Magic. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Cast Robert Duvall as Spurgeon Tanner Téa Leoni as Jenny Lerner Elijah Wood as Leo Biederman Vanessa Redgrave as Robin Lerner Morgan Freeman as President Beck Leelee Sobieski as Sarah Hotchner James Cromwell as Allen Rittenhouse Ron Eldard as Oren Monash Maximilian Schell as Jason Lerner Jon Favreau as Gus Partenza Richard Schiff as Don Biederman Mary McCormack as Andrea Baker

Crew Dennis Bradford - Art Director Andrew Neskoromny - Art Director Tom Valentine - Art Director Gary Kosko - Art Director D. Scott Easton - Associate Producer Allison Jones - Casting Ruth Myers - Costume Designer K.C. Colwell - First Assistant Director Mimi Leder - Director Mark Vargo - Second Unit Director Paul Cichocki - Editor David Rosenbloom - Editor Steven Spielberg - Executive Producer Walter Parkes - Executive Producer Joan Bradshaw - Executive Producer James Horner - Composer (Music Score) Don Burgess - Camera Operator Leslie Dilley - Production Designer Dietrich Lohmann - Cinematographer David Brown - Producer Richard D. Zanuck - Producer Josh Lusby - Set Designer Peg Cummings - Set Designer Suzan Torres - Set Designer Dean Wolcott - Set Designer Richard Mays - Set Designer Industrial Light & Magic - Special Effects Mark Hopkins Mcnabb - Sound/Sound Designer Seth Arnett - Stunts Charlie Croughwell - Stunts Coordinator M. James Arnett - Stunts Coordinator Scott Farrar - Special Effects Supervisor Michael Tolkin - Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin - Screenwriter Mark Vargo - Second Unit Director Of Photography Tom Priestley Jr. - Second Unit Director Of Photography David Lowery - Storyboard Artist

Deep Impact
Thanks to her brilliant work on TV's ER, Mimi Leder became one of Hollywood's premiere action-movie directors, and her sophomore feature, Deep Impact, is a flawed but nonetheless interesting effort that allows her to explore the notion of total Armageddon. Dark and pensive, the movie is more of a character-driven drama than a sci-fi disaster pic. Not surprisingly, Leder seems more at ease with the epic action sequences and less confident when directing the human interest scenes. The narrative becomes increasingly preachy as it evolves, culminating with Morgan Freeman's closing presidential speech punctuated with a hyper-dramatic score. While the finale does provide the cursory tidal waves and exploding cities, they still seem anti-climactic due to the countless sappy, tearful reunions peppered throughout the narrative. Even though Leder desperately tries to focus on characterization, the talented ensemble cast seems underdeveloped and unengaging, thanks in large part to the cardboard lines they are forced to deliver. Deep Impact simultaneously attempts to have the bang of Independence Day and the dramatics of Titanic, and moderately succeeds on both fronts. Even though audiences seeking a relentless thrill-ride may be disappointed, the film is still leagues better than Armageddon, the other asteroid blockbuster released in the summer of '98. ~ Adam Goldberg, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DDS: Dolby Digital Surround DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS2.0: Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels of sound from a 2-channel stereo mix. Additional Features: cc Commentary with director Mimi Leder & visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar "Preparing for the End" "Making an Impact" "Creating the Perfect Traffic Jam" "Parting Thoughts" Photo gallery Teaser trailer Theatrical trailers Widescreen version enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs Dolby Digital: English 5.1 surround, English Dolby surround, French 5.1 surround English subtitles MPAA Rating: PG13 DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 121 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. A Distant Discovery [1:26] 2. Dr. Wolf [1:09] 3. Secretary Rittenhouse [4:23] 4. Ellie [1:40] 5. A Presidential Favor [2:12] 6. Extinction Level Event [4:55] 7. Life Goes On [1:21] 8. The Wolf-Beiderman Comet [3:26] 9. None of You Want Me Here [1:43] 10. Messiah Mission [1:06] 11. The Surface of the Comet [1:59] 12. Sunrise [5:11] 13. Unsuccessful Detonation [4:21] 14. Planning for the Worst [2:38] 15. The National Lottery [1:31] 16. Family [4:47] 17. Seeing Things Differently [1:04] 18. Not on the List [6:42] 19. Too Late [:29] 20. The ARK Cave [4:01] 21. Not an Orphan [3:03] 22. Failure of the Titan Missiles [:54] 23. Fish's Plan [4:45] 24. Drawing Straws [2:30] 25. Searching for Sarah [2:09] 26. Memories of a Perfect Day [4:10] 27. Beiderman Strikes [:39] 28. Final Goodbyes [3:37] 29. "Let Us Begin..." [1:57] 30. End Titles [2:44]