The first wave of disaster films occurred in the 1970s. It was kicked off by Airport, which was followed by The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, and Earthquake.[1][2] Eventually the craze died out in the late 1970s. Starting in the mid-1990s, with the release of Independence Day, the second wave of disaster films has used computer graphics to improve the special effects of the films. This has resulted in disasters on a much larger scale.[3] Deep Impact was released in May of 1998. The similar-themed Armageddon was released 2 months later. Both feature a (comet/asteroid) about to collide with the earth, a crew sent with nukes to destroy the threat, a self-sacrificing grizzled old man, etc.
My verdict: This film was okay, but not great. Several scenes at the beginning were designed to create tension, but only came across as contrived. The character development was hit-or-miss. Some scenes felt like the filmmakers were trying to force the characters into meaningful emotion. Sometimes this was cheesy and sometimes it just felt awkward.[4] However, there were also some scenes that inspired genuine emotion. I was a little uncomfortable with the naming of the spacecraft. And it was a bit weird to see the Twin Towers get hit by the tsunami.
Notes:
[1] John Williams scored the music for these last two.
[2] For a more comprehensive list, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster film#1970s.
[3] For a list of second-wave disaster films, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster film#Genre revival. You can read my review of the disaster film, The Day After Tomorrow, here.
[4] Speaking of awkward, there was one scene, set at a high school assembly, where Jason Dohring (who later played a slightly creepy guy on the television series Veronica Mars) stands up and repeatedly says something lewd.
My verdict: This film was okay, but not great. Several scenes at the beginning were designed to create tension, but only came across as contrived. The character development was hit-or-miss. Some scenes felt like the filmmakers were trying to force the characters into meaningful emotion. Sometimes this was cheesy and sometimes it just felt awkward.[4] However, there were also some scenes that inspired genuine emotion. I was a little uncomfortable with the naming of the spacecraft. And it was a bit weird to see the Twin Towers get hit by the tsunami.
Notes:
[1] John Williams scored the music for these last two.
[2] For a more comprehensive list, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster film#1970s.
[3] For a list of second-wave disaster films, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster film#Genre revival. You can read my review of the disaster film, The Day After Tomorrow, here.
[4] Speaking of awkward, there was one scene, set at a high school assembly, where Jason Dohring (who later played a slightly creepy guy on the television series Veronica Mars) stands up and repeatedly says something lewd.
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