Commentary: ‘Deep Impact,’ released 25 years ago, was a great disaster flick; here’s some others

Negative vibes were palpable at the end of the 20th century. Musician/philosopher Prince foresaw folks running from destruction with his classic “1999.” There was widespread fear of a computer crisis dubbed “Y2K.” Some paranoid people thought that the end of days was near.

Hollywood was tuned in and there was a forgettable Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle dubbed “End of Days,” which was released in 1999. Schwarenegger’s “End of Days” co-star Kevin Pollak laughed when asked about the period.

“It was the era of the disaster film,” Pollak said. “It felt like everywhere you looked, there was a disaster film.”

“Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” were both about asteroids potentially destroying the planet. The films were released within weeks of each other in 1998. “Deep Impact,” which turns 25 this weekend, is the more artful and believable of the two movies. “Deep Impact” ages well thanks to a compelling story about saving humanity and some fine performances by Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall and Elijah Wood. Steven Spielberg was the executive producer but I always wondered how different the film would have been if the iconic director was behind the camera. “Deep Impact” is more realistic than “Armageddon,” which is a star-laden film with a subpar script.

The two projects are just some of the many disaster films, which begs the question: What are the best disaster films of all-time?

Nobody does disaster like the British. Nuclear tests by America and Russia knock our planet off its axis in 1961’s “The Day the Earth Caught Fire.” Earth is being pulled toward the sun and it’s getting absurdly hot. There are a number of fun journalistic sequences. The protagonist, Edward Judd, is a young journalist, who has a drinking problem.

Some of the scenes are actually shot in the offices of London’s Daily Express. Toward the end of the film and possibly the world, the paper prepares two different versions of the front page. “World Saved” and “World Doomed.” Which is published? There’s only one way to find out!

Anyone who is freaked out by bees should check out “The Swarm.” The 1978 film by the king of disaster movies, Irwin Allen, follows African bees invading Texas. It’s schlocky at times but a surprisingly good cast, which features Michael Caine, Henry Fonda and Richard Chamberlain, keep it interesting. Richard Widmark makes the film worth experiencing since he plays a battle weary general, who can’t imagine losing a war to bees.

“Perfect Storm” (2000) was based on a true story, a fishing vessel, The Andrea Gail, which was lost at sea after encountering a “perfect storm” in 1991 off the coast of Newfoundland.

The film deviates from what really happened (Welcome to Hollywood!) But it’s an entertaining and at times enthralling film, which features George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, just before each became superstars.

Everything is going wrong in 1970’s “Airport.” Burt Lancaster portrays an airport chief, who is grappling with an epic snowfall, a plane stuck on a runway and is dealing with a failing marriage. That’s nothing compared to a plane, piloted by Dean Martin, that is plagued by an act of terrorism.

The best part of the airplane disaster subgenre is that it inspired the hilarious “Airplane,” which effectively spoofs those films. The endless gags, a terrific performance by the wonderfully deadpan Leslie Nielsen and the cameos. How about Kareem Abdul Jabbar as pilot Roger Murdoch? No film has effectively skewered disaster films quite like 1980’s “Airplane.”

“San Francisco” was released just 30-years after the devastating San Francisco earthquake. The film builds to the quake and its aftermath. It’s not just about the transformation of the city but the evolution of gruff saloon owner Clark Gable. Jeanette McDonald and Gable had great chemistry.

“A Night to Remember” from 1958 is an underrated classic. The adaptation of Walter Lord’s nonfiction about the sinking of the Titanic is less about the ship sinking and more about the human interaction.

Irwin Allen strikes again with 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure.” A luxury passenger liner capsizes in the wake of a tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake. Ernest Borgnine steals the show as a pragmatic cop who leads survivors to safety. Borgnine must have known all the ins and outs of the ship due to all of his experience on “McHale’s Navy.”

“Melancholia” is an apocalyptic drama starring Kirsten Dunst as a depressed woman, who oddly is a rare human who keeps it together after the world learns that a rogue planet is headed to Earth, which will destroy everything. With the exception of the even more depressing “Virgin Suicides,” Dunst has never been better. Somehow Dunst prepares for a wedding in a hopeless environment.

There are some folks who slam “Titanic” but when you’re channel surfing and you land on James Cameron’s classic, admit it, you stick around re-living the ill-fated romance between Rose and Jack. You hope that somehow Fabrizio will survive and you scream when ancient Rose tosses her jewel into the icy Atlantic. Cameron has made some great films such as “The Terminator” and “The Abyss.” However, nothing tops “Titanic,” which is an enormously entertaining disaster flick.