Fourteen-year-old Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) did not expect to make
an earth-shattering discovery when he joined his high school astronomy club.
He didn't expect to make any discoveries at all; he simply hoped that classmate
Sarah Hotchner (Leelee Sobieski) would discover him. Yet a photograph he
takes through his small telescope makes him co-discoverer of Comet Wolf-Beiderman
... a comet that scientists determine is on a fatal collision course with
the Earth.
Rising, ambitious newswoman Jenny Lerner (Téa Leoni) thinks she is
on the trail of a Washington sex scandal when she confronts a nervous former
cabinet secretary and demands answers about a mysterious "Ellie."
Insead, she finds herself suddenly whisked away to a secret meeting with
President Tom Beck (Morgan Freeman). In turn for her keeping the secret
for two days, he offers her the scoop of a lifetime: she is told about E.L.E.,
news of the impending catastrophe and of a bold, risky space mission intended
to deflect the comet and save the world.
Former astronaut Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall) is brought out of retirement
to command the mission, leading an international crew aboard the experimental
spaceship Messiah. Their desperate mission: to travel to the comet, land
on its violently erupting surface, and plant nuclear charges in hope of
either breaking up the comet or changing its orbit away from a collision
with the Earth.
In the weeks and months that follow, not only these few individuals but
everyone in the world must struggle to find meaning for their lives in the
face of looming catastrophe. A plan is set in motion to establish underground
shelters, "Arks," in which a fortunate few may survive the impact
even if all other life on Earth is wiped out. As the day of cataclysm grows
nearer, all the range of human reactions is evoked -- from panic to noble
resignation to fate.
Young Leo and Sarah find themselves forced to choose between their families
and one another. Jenny Lerner must struggle to gain reconciliation between
her divorced parents. Messiah commander Tanner must win the trust and confidence
of his much younger crew who suspect that he was placed in command only
for the sake of public relations.
"Deep Impact" is the story of the world's reaction to a death
sentence. For all its epic sweep and stunning images, it is above all a
human story, as each individual struggles in the face of extinction to find
what most matters to him or her.
Copyright 1994-2008 Film Scouts LLC
Created, produced, and published by Film Scouts LLC
Film Scouts® is a registered trademark of Film Scouts LLC
All rights reserved.
