Impact (2008) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

Canada, Germany 2008
Director: Mike Rohl
Cast: Natasha Henstridge, David James Elliott, Benjamin Sadler, Florentine Lahme, James Cromwell, Owen Best, Natasha Calis, Yee Jee Tso, Steven Culp
Rating: -
Release Date: 4 and 11 April 2009
Running Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

The Movie Review

Impact film still 1

One picture could say more than 1,000 words


IMPACT
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

At first, Impact may seem just like one of those disaster movies in which the CDs are much more worthy to be used as freesbee game or coaster for glasses instead of as entertainment for a lazy afternoon. The day that I watched this movie was a lazy afternoon and I had the urge to see simply just a decent disaster movie. And to my surprise I had a good time watching Impact. Impact turns out to be one of those disaster movies that I keep carefully on my DVD shelf. Yes, It's a decent motion picture.

The movie starts with professor Alex Kittner (David James Elliott) is observing the sky with his children, Jake and Sadie and his stubborn anti-social father in-law, Lloyd (James Cromwell of Deep Impact (1998)). And it appears that all of Alex Kittner's neighbours are doing the same thing, it turns out the night is a very special night. An extermely rare phenomenon is taking place of what is called as the greatest meteor shower in nearly 10,000 years. And so the world is waiting intently of the spectacular event with everyone is setting up their telescope or using binoculars looking up to the sky and even news reporters from France, Germany, England, and U.S. are reporting excitedly about this occasion.

However, suddenly the night takes an unexpecting turn when a big meteor hits the moon and causes an explosion on its surface. People are merely gasping on the sight of the moon, but what they don't realize is this incident apparently triggers something very disastrous. For starter, one meteorite even has made impact off the coast of Australia and directly causing Tsunami in the coasts of Australia and Indonesia. However, U.S. government renowned scientist, Professor Maddie Rhodes (Natasha Henstridge), is realizing that as a result of the meteor collision with the moon, something has stuck in the core of the Moon and causing the moon to 'behave' in a very alarming way.

The U.S. Government is covering this up, but the citizens everywhere start to notice something very strange happening with compas directing the wrong way, flock of Canadian geese are flying in the wrong time and other major anomalies concerning magnetic fields and tidal changes. And now it is up to the seemingly brain-stuck Alex Kittner and Maddie Rhodes to overcome the escalating imminet problem. Will they ever find out how to solve it? And what will happen to the earth in this hours of dreadul waiting?

"In Waiting..."

Impact really surprised for several good reasons. I actually had fun watching this long-running disaster flick. And so I would like to point some of the flaws that might be important for general moviegoers. You can see very clearly that the budget for this movie was not enough to make the 'look' feel sophisticated because the CGI looks crappy, if you can't tolerate this, then it would be a bummer for you. And the acting is a mixed bag, with the below-mediocre ones coming from the supporting actors.

However, the awful CGI is redeemed by the unique concept of loss-of-gravity, and so you will see something different than the usual storm or flood or lava or twister or even meteor strike itself. You will see quite extraordinary view with people lifted off the ground and even cars and other stuff too. In short, a difference in a disaster movie is a warm welcome. And despite the mixed acting, but at least the dialogue flows naturally.

And I'm no scientist and so I can not verified whether the disaster theories and the events depicted in this disaster film are possible or not, and if those aforementioned are already confirmed as false by scientists out there than from the movie point of view, at least the filmmakers, the writers and especially the actors are good at conveying those theories with convincing facial expressions and words.

Impact is TV mini-series that runs for about 190 minutes in 2 episodes total, and I initially had the assumption that the editing would be a major issue here. But it turns out that after the first part end, I was craving to see the second one. Okay, there are some scenes that could be edited out, but those won't affect much. And yes in some scenes of the second episode, I almost fell asleep of boredom, but just as I was about to leave, there are some definite emotional and touching moments worthy of viewing. Especially the moment between Jake, Sadie and their grandfather Lloyd and the moment between Martina (Florentine Lahme) and her unlikely best-friend on the train, Bob Pierce (Benjamin Ayres). All in all, I recommend this Canadian disaster film as it will give you different viewing experience in an interesting and un-boring way.