A ‘90s sci-fi disaster classic just stormed into the Paramount+ streaming library, and it’s the perfect watch for fans of another iconic movie, Armageddon. In a decade that went down as a golden age for disaster movies, Michael Bay’s action-heavy spectacle became one of the most iconic and defining movies in the subgenre, solidifying the trend of high-octane, big-budget spectacle cinema and setting the blueprint for modern blockbusters. The movie remains a favorite decades later, but fans clamoring for more now have the perfect streaming option on Paramount+.
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1998 set up a classic Hollywood dueling projects scenario, pitting two very similar films drawing from the same audience pool against each other. Less than two months before Armageddon swept the box office, Mimi Leder’s fellow space rock opera Deep Impact was released, and it’ss streaming on Paramount+ nearly 30 years later. The movie, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, and Morgan Freeman, centers on a perilous mission to destroy a seven-mile-wide comet hurtling toward Earth that threatens to cause an extinction-level event. The movie started streaming on Paramount+ on April 1st.
Deep Impact Is a More Grounded Armageddon Alternative
Deep Impact and Armageddon share the same disaster movie DNA – humanity battling space objects threatening Earth – but they couldn’t be more different. While Armageddon took a high-octane, action-oriented approach to the disaster, Deep Impact aimed for dramatic, character-driven emotion. The movie traded the bombastic action of Armageddon for a rawer focus on the months and years leading up to the impact and the human experience, politics, and the emotional response of people facing inevitable, partial extinction. Deep Impact is also widely regarded as more scientifically plausible than Armageddon, featuring a more realistic timeline and a more accurate depiction of the impact’s devastation.
Deep Impact’s nuanced, character-driven approach to the disaster genre didn’t make quite the same impact as Armageddon in terms of box office numbers. The movie grossed $349 million against an $80 million budget compared to Armageddon’s $553 million gross. That number still made it the sixth highest-grossing film of the year, and in terms of critical reception, both films earned mixed reviews, Deep Impact holds a 45% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Armageddon’s sits at 42%. Both movies have since earned their status as ‘90s sci-fi disaster classics, Armageddon holding up today as a nostalgic, so-bad-it’s-good popcorn blockbuster while Deep Impact holds up as grounded, emotional drama.
What’s New on Paramount+?
The Paramount+ streaming library has plenty of great arrivals already this April. The largest number of titles dropped alongside Deep Impact on April 1st, when other films like Airplane!, Galaxy Quest, and Paycheck were added. Other recent arrivals include Breach, Cujo, Night of the Sicario, Total Recall, and True Grit.
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Image courtesy of Netflix -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
