What happens at the end of Deep Impact?

Deep Impact: When the World Almost Ended (and What We Learned)

Okay, so “Deep Impact,” that movie from ’98? It wasn’t just another disaster flick; it was a gut-wrenching look at what might happen if Earth got a cosmic curveball in the form of a massive comet. The film throws us right into the thick of it: humanity scrambling to dodge total annihilation, and individuals just trying to make sense of it all as the clock ticks down. The ending? Man, it’s a rollercoaster of loss and heroism, but ultimately, it leaves you with a strange sense of hope.

The big plan? Nuke it from orbit – literally. An international team of astronauts gets strapped into the Messiah spacecraft, their mission: plant nukes deep inside the comet, nicknamed Wolf-Biederman. Things go south fast, of course. Imagine the sun suddenly blasting the comet, throwing everything into chaos. And yeah, an astronaut doesn’t make it. They do manage to detonate the nukes, but instead of vaporizing the thing, it just…splits. Now we’ve got two comets heading our way. Talk about a Plan B situation gone wrong.

So, Biederman, the smaller chunk, slams into the Atlantic, unleashing a tsunami of biblical proportions. Coastal cities? Gone. Remember Jenny Lerner, the reporter who broke the comet story? She finds peace with her dad just before they’re both swallowed by the wave. Gut-wrenching stuff. And Leo Beiderman, one of the comet’s discoverers, marries his sweetheart, Sarah, trying to get her and her family into a safe zone. Sarah and her little brother survive, but her parents? Lost.

But wait, there’s still Wolf, the big kahuna, barreling towards Earth. This one’s an extinction-level event waiting to happen. That’s when the crew of the Messiah makes a call – a suicide mission. They decide to use their ship as a cosmic battering ram, a last-ditch effort to break up Wolf. Can you imagine making that decision? Saying goodbye, knowing you’re not coming back?

They slam the Messiah into Wolf, and BOOM! The comet shatters into tiny pieces, burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere. Earth is saved, but at an unthinkable cost.

The film wraps up with President Beck, standing amidst the ruins of Washington, D.C. He’s talking about loss, about rebuilding. It’s a powerful moment, a reminder that even after the worst happens, we can pick ourselves up and keep going. “Deep Impact” isn’t just about the end of the world; it’s about what we do when faced with the impossible. It’s about courage, sacrifice, and that stubborn little thing called hope. And honestly? It’s a movie that sticks with you.