MovieChat Forums > Deep Impact (1998) Discussion > Bugged me the first time I saw it... and...

Bugged me the first time I saw it... and it bugs me every time...

posted 8 years ago by SpiltPersonality
21 replies | jump to latest

Watching it on netflix, and it bugged me when I first saw it, and it bugs me now...

Wolf does some magic on his computer and finds out that it's going to intersect with earth. Ok, I'll suspend disbelief a bit even though I know it wouldn't be able to be pinpointed at that range. But then (even though we find out later it is well in excess of a year away) the idiot drives like a... well... idiot, and has an accident. He could have WALKED to wherever he was going... even if it was on the other side of the COUNTRY and the information he was going to give them would get there in time. Driving like a lunatic, and saving one hour or whatever is not going to make a bit difference in the big scheme of things.

Bugs me.

Off my soap box now.

SpiltPersonality

[–] Stef_antique 8 years ago

Lol so true. He could have been in absolute shock considering the size and magnitude of destruction it will cause to the earth. Absolutely agree though, it would'nt have made a difference to be that little bit more careful.

[–] perfect909 8 years ago

Not to mention that as a scientist, his first instinct would be to verify the data, get another sighting of the object, etc, etc, etc. And why was there no TELEPHONE in this high tech observatory?

Yeah, bugs me too.

[–] paulsdhart (277) 2 years ago

“And why was there no TELEPHONE in this high tech observatory?”

This^

[–] MoviemanCin 8 years ago

You and me both, Split.

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[–] cat_vincent24 8 years ago

That scene bugged me too...and of course they threw in the 18 wheeler for more dramatic affect. But still, the pizza the guy was eating looked delish.

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[–] Okeelani 8 years ago

One Word: adrenaline

[–] beachbum1701 8 years ago

Whole scene is just annoying... Nerd astronomer humming along to classical music, object pops up on computer... "Hello there, little fella." Now drive like a madman and WHOOPS!

[–] ElDee3 8 years ago

Spot on. That scene is a giant cliche. But it tips the hand to what the rest of the movie is going to be like (piece of crap)

[–] Jazzie3789 7 years ago

Lol, he gets me every time eating the pizza.

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[–] SALTER-pt 7 years ago

Wolf does some magic on his computer and finds out that it's going to intersect with earth. Ok, I'll suspend disbelief a bit even though I know it wouldn't be able to be pinpointed at that range

I don't think we were meant to believe it was ascertained it would hit the earth, simply that the mathematical models indicated it was a possibility, which is more than cause for alarm.

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[–] april_rain 7 years ago

I agree. That accident was totally unnecessary. But, Wolfe's absence was important for the story. It led to the entire Elijah Wood subplot. If Wolfe was alive to report the event, the high school student might not have been mistaken as an important scientist and chosen to survive.

[–] puirt-a-beul 7 years ago

Bugs me.

Always makes me snort. What makes the whole sequence even sillier is that there was no way he could have gotten the object's distance, mass, velocity or trajectory -- all necessary to project that it would intersect the Earth's orbit, and even moreso that it would do it at a moment when the Earth was in the same spot -- from the data Leo provided. Even if his equipment did a comparative reading, that still wouldn't be enough to do the calculations.

Does it matter? I'd say it does. Films don't have to be ignorant of facts just because their audiences are. In fact, all the more reason for films to get it right.

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[–] MNRebecca (748) 5 years ago

But then (even though we find out later it is well in excess of a year away) the idiot drives like a... well... idiot, and has an accident.

He has an accident because of his haste. But he HAD to go that fast because, given the enormity of the situation, every second counted. How would YOU have chosen to communicate the enormity of the situation to the audience? Remember, it's film. You have to SHOW, not TELL.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

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[–] MNRebecca (748) 5 years ago

Cinema as we know it isn’t a purely visual medium.

Yeah, it is...according to my training, which I've found valid. So I'm coming at it from a "good filmmakers tell the story visually" perspective. I found Wolf's franticness a very effective way to visually communicate the enormity of the situation. And leaving us hanging like that...wow!

I would still assert that the best moments in film are the ones that communicate the most powerfully through visuals (although I do like accompanying music, which makes me a barbarian in some film lovers' eyes).

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

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