The year 1998 can be called jokingly apocalyptic, during this period in the great cinema, through the efforts of several directors, the end of the world came. Such a curiosity - with a difference of only two months, two paintings on the same topic were released, with a fairly similar plot, but with a completely different future fate. In July, American hire blew Armageddon by Michael Bay, but a little earlier, in May, the audience was scared by the movie Mimi Leder “Collision with the Abyss” (actors: Robert Duvall , Elijah Wood, Thea Leoni, Morgan Freeman, Vanessa Redgrave).
Plot
The colossal comet, which was first discovered by an ordinary teenager schoolboy Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood), is inexorably approaching Earth. The consequences of the collision will be global and irreversible. The international community is forming a Russian-American crew to launch it on the space shuttle Messiah. The task of the astronauts is extremely clear - to eliminate the celestial body, which threatens the destruction of all mankind. An interesting innovation of the film “Collision with the abyss”, the actors and all members of the film crew consider the construction of the Ark, this safety measure is evaluated in two ways and by the viewer. It turns out that the Americans allow the failure of the Messiah’s mission and therefore build a shelter in which 200 thousand people are selected, among them teachers, scientists, engineers, physicians, artists and, of course, the military and members of the government.
Humanity does not give up
At the same time, astronauts manage to land on the surface of a celestial body and place several nuclear bombs there. But from the explosion, the comet is divided into two unequal pieces. One, falling into the Atlantic Ocean, causes an unprecedented tsunami, which almost destroys the US coastline. The second piece, a larger one, still in space, and the astronauts remaining in orbit can destroy the threat. Such a depressing synopsis exactly characterizes the drama "Collision with the abyss." Actors and roles, unmistakably chosen by the creators, together with musical accompaniment, are an excellent addition to the overall plot plot.
A desperate step towards realism
The film "Clash with the Abyss", whose actors, like the crew, are of international origin, supported the cult of the cosmic threat, carefully nurtured by the American film industry. Leader and the producers Joan Bradshaw and Spielberg approached the work on the project with all responsibility and seriousness. They drew all kinds of consultants to work on the script, so that the visual part and the technical side of the shoot looked as realistic as possible. The venerable astronomers Eugene and Carolyn Shoemakers, who ate a dog on celestial bodies, became the main consultants of the film "Collision with the abyss." Actors playing the role of astronauts, floating in the air, sometimes forgot and frolic, like small children. But when I had to shoot the episodes in real spacesuits, the fun diminished: not only were they terribly heavy, they also caused attacks of claustrophobia among the actors. To create not only a realistic, but also a fascinating spectacle, the film director Leslie Dilly had to be guided not only by reliable scientific knowledge, but also by his own wild imagination.
Star cast
Such a star casting casting can not boast of any powerful blockbuster. Robert Duval was so good that he set the pace and the young generation of actors. Taya Leoni pleasantly surprised both the viewer and the biased critics, playing with inspiration and penetration. The very young Elijah Wood together with Lily Sobeski played reliably. James Cromwell, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Shell and John Favreau surprised and pleased the viewer , who, having confirmed their professionalism, literally erased the definition of the episodic nature of their roles. Morgan Freeman, as usual, was out of competition, a great actor.
Anthem of life
But with all the seriousness and scale of the work done on the reliable "space" part of the picture, "Collision with the Abyss" (the actors all confirm this fact as one), first of all, drama, and only after - a catastrophe film. Thanks to the efforts of screenwriters Michael Tolkien and Bruce Joel Rubin, the apocalypse and cosmic menace have become the backdrop for several human tragedies. For this reason, for many viewers, the film seems chamberlain, philosophizing and indecently slow for a story about the end of the world. This was both a plus of the brainchild of Mimi Leder, and its minus. The movie "Clash with the abyss", whose actors are imbued with the fate of their characters, despite the visible surroundings of the catastrophe film, can be safely called the anthem of life. A moral message slides through the frames, stating that a real person in the most extreme situation remains a person. There is a place in the film for patriotism, heroism, and love that will live as long as at least one person remains alive. The authors of the picture succeeded in the main thing: to hook a wide audience with not an intriguing plot, but with the whole story told, from the first to the last minute of timing.