I saw this on TV decades ago, and finally got a (home made?) DVD after a lot of searching.
This movie seems to be in the "love it or hate it" category, and I am one of the lovers. It's probably my favourite among the "giant meteor impact" stories that were so popular a few years back. For me it avoids some of the worst faults of the genre. In particular, super-science doesn't come to the rescue at the eleventh hour. The powers that be try to nuke the comet, but they fail, as in real life they almost certainly would. There is the inevitable "failing marriage with adultery" angle, but at least it is made relevant to the plot. The woman frantically searching for her kids and husband does not find them. They have to meet up at the refugee camp after it's all over and they have come through it without her rescue. For my money, this is how it would really be - for those lucky enough to survive at all.
There is, of course, always room for the odd gripe. Given the split-second timing required, would those nuclear warheads really be fired manually? All in all, though, I like it, and am saddened that it seems to have been passed over for a proper DVD. I wonder if that is precisely on account of the things that appeal to me. Perhaps the failure of "Yankee know-how" to save the city is uncomfortable to some. Still, it has my vote and I hope the omission will soon be rectified.
This movie seems to be in the "love it or hate it" category, and I am one of the lovers. It's probably my favourite among the "giant meteor impact" stories that were so popular a few years back. For me it avoids some of the worst faults of the genre. In particular, super-science doesn't come to the rescue at the eleventh hour. The powers that be try to nuke the comet, but they fail, as in real life they almost certainly would. There is the inevitable "failing marriage with adultery" angle, but at least it is made relevant to the plot. The woman frantically searching for her kids and husband does not find them. They have to meet up at the refugee camp after it's all over and they have come through it without her rescue. For my money, this is how it would really be - for those lucky enough to survive at all.
There is, of course, always room for the odd gripe. Given the split-second timing required, would those nuclear warheads really be fired manually? All in all, though, I like it, and am saddened that it seems to have been passed over for a proper DVD. I wonder if that is precisely on account of the things that appeal to me. Perhaps the failure of "Yankee know-how" to save the city is uncomfortable to some. Still, it has my vote and I hope the omission will soon be rectified.