From a special effects point of view, the nice thing about the big hunk of rock in the title is that its arrival is preceded by smaller but nevertheless nasty splinters that trigger a whole host of, earthly disasters. So we are treated to an avalanche, tidal wave and city on fire while waiting for the collision. There are some surprising moments of levity (most provided by a mugging Brian Keith, playing a Russian without a word of English) in the otherwise standard disaster flick screenplay. Sean Connery rises above the material, while Henry Fonda, who seems to prefer this kind of work to Social Security, appears as the U.S. President (he was presidential timber in Young Mr. Lincoln, Fail Safe and The Best Man). Wooden dialogue, awful music and endless shots of space abound. Worst of all, the meteor isn't all that scary as it hurtles toward Earth. Don't be fooled by this movie's ads proclaiming, "There's no place on earth to hide." A different theater would do fine. (PG)
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