Plot: The film begins with a pre-credit narration by Charlton Heston
about the extinction of the dinosaurs caused by a 6-mile wide asteroid
hitting the Earth 65 million years ago. In the present day, a massive meteor shower destroys the Space Shuttle
Atlantis and bombards parts of New York City, the East Coast and Finland, and NASA discovers that a Texas-sized asteroid will collide with Earth in 18 days, creating another extinction event. With the military, NASA scientists, led by Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton)
plan to embed a nuclear device 800 feet within the asteroid that, when
detonated, will split the asteroid in two parts that will both safely
fly past the Earth. NASA contacts Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis),
considered the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, for assistance
and advice. Harry returns to NASA along with his daughter Grace (Liv Tyler) to keep her away from one of his young and more rambunctious drillers, A. J. Frost (Ben Affleck),
who has fallen in love with her much to Harry's dismay. Harry and Grace
learn of the critical issues of the asteroid from Truman, and Harry
explains he will need his team members, including A. J., to carry out
the mission. Once they have been rounded up and Harry explains the
situation to them, they agree to help, but only after they are assured
of being rewarded from an eclectic list of demands.
As NASA puts Harry and his crew through a shortened rigorous
astronaut training program, Harry and his team reoutfit the mobile
drillers, named the "Armadillos", that NASA plans to use on the
asteroid. When a large fragment from the asteroid wipes out Shanghai, NASA is forced to reveal its plans to the world. NASA launches two military space shuttles (U.S.A.F X-71s), named
Freedom and
Independence. Once in orbit, the shuttles dock with a Russian space station manned by Lev Andropov (Peter Stormare) to refuel with liquid oxygen.
A fire breaks out during the transfer, and the station is evacuated
before it explodes, with Lev and A. J. making a narrow escape on
Independence.
The shuttles continue the plan, slingshotting around the Moon in order
to land on the backside of the asteroid. Traveling through the debris
field behind the asteroid,
Independence is punctured by debris
and crashes onto the asteroid. Grace, watching from NASA headquarters,
becomes distraught over A. J.'s apparent death.
Freedom lands safely, but the team realizes they missed
their target area by 26 miles, and must now drill through an area
composed of iron ferrite rather than the planned softer composition.
When they fall significantly behind schedule and communications seem
likely to fail, the military (by order of the President) initiates
"Secondary Protocol"; where they will remote detonate the nuclear weapon
on the asteroid's surface, which, according to Truman, will not have
any effect. While Truman delays the military at Mission Control, Harry persuades the shuttle commander to disarm the bomb so they can complete the drilling.
Distracted by "Rockhound" (Steve Buscemi), who is suffering a mental breakdown, the
Freedom
crew loses its "Armadillo" when it strikes an explosive gas pocket and
is blown into space. World panic ensues as the mission is assumed lost,
just as another meteorite completely destroys Paris. A. J., Lev, and
"Bear" (Michael Clarke Duncan), having survived the
Independence crash, arrive in their "Armadillo" just in time to complete the drilling.
As the asteroid moves dangerously close to the earth, it begins
to heat up, causing a dangerous rock storm that damages the bomb's
remote trigger. They realize that someone must stay behind to trigger it
manually. After all the non-flight crew volunteers, they draw straws,
and A. J. is selected. As he and Harry exit the airlock, Harry rips A.
J.'s air hose and shoves him back in, telling him that he's the son he
never had, and he'd be proud to have him marry Grace. Harry assumes
responsibility for detonating the bomb and contacts Grace to say his
last goodbyes. After the
Freedom moves to a safe distance, Harry
detonates the bomb at the last minute (after some difficulty), and his
life passes before his eyes as the bomb rips through the asteroid. The
asteroid, as predicted, breaks in two, and both halves miss the Earth.
Freedom
lands, and the surviving crew are treated as heroes. The film ends with
A. J. and Grace's wedding, complete with photos of Harry and the other
lost crew members present in
memoriam.
My View: Nice movie, very touching. The computer graphics were good consider it being produced in 1998. This movie is my very first few movie that I have ever watched in my life. 14 heroes, sends to space to complete a mission that would save the earth from total destruction. Wow, unbelievable. However, nothing is perfect, some of the heroes die during the process of saving the earth, only a few went back alive. It's sad but in the peoples heart, they are the always the heroes that save the earth. Watch it! It's nice, seriously :)
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