With all the fuss surrounding the 1998 box-office clash of 'Armageddon' vs 'Deep Impact', it's easy to forget that Hollywood had covered the 'Giant Asteroid on Collision Course with Earth' premise almost twenty years previously with 'Meteor'.
Released in 1979, this was supposedly the disaster ... Read review
A visitor from space... and catastrophe on earth!Somewhere in the far reaches of space a ... more
comet swings in its lonely orbit around the sun. It's no danger to anyone... until it sends a gigantic meteor on collision course with our world.Impossible? Don't ...
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: So bad it's good. Disadvantages: It's still bad.
With all the fuss surrounding the 1998 box-office clash of 'Armageddon' vs 'Deep Impact', it's easy to forget that Hollywood had covered the 'Giant Asteroid on Collision Course with Earth' premise almost twenty years previously with 'Meteor'.
Released in 1979, this was supposedly the disaster movie to end all disaster movies. 'Avalanche' had it's avalanche, 'Earthquake' had it's earthquake, 'Hurricane' had it's tidal-wave but this ... ...an impressive, all-star cast to back up the spectacle.
However, dismal reviews and an audience already given a taste of the future with Star Wars meant that 'Meteor' nose-dived spectacularly at the box-office.
Which is a shame because despite the dated Cold-War plot-device and some unintentionally hammy moments, there is still a great deal of fun to be had here.
Sean Connery heads the cast, as an American scientist who ... more
With all the fuss surrounding the 1998 box-office clash of 'Armageddon' vs 'Deep Impact', it's easy to forget that Hollywood had covered the 'Giant Asteroid on Collision Course with Earth' premise almost twenty years previously with 'Meteor'.
Released in 1979, this was supposedly the disaster movie to end all disaster movies. 'Avalanche' had it's avalanche, 'Earthquake' had it's earthquake, 'Hurricane' had it's tidal-wave but this had a bit of everything with the added bonus of an impressive, all-star cast to back up the spectacle. However, dismal reviews and an audience already given a taste of the future with Star Wars meant that 'Meteor' nose-dived spectacularly at the box-office. Which is a shame because despite the dated Cold-War plot-device and some unintentionally hammy moments, there is still a great deal of fun to be had here.
Sean Connery heads the cast, as an American scientist who designs an orbiting nuclear-missile platform intended to deflect any approaching cosmic threat, but the 'Suits' at NASA think it would be a better idea to use the platform as a weapon and aim the nukes at the Soviet Union instead. However, when the Big Kahuna really does head our way, thanks to a collision between a comet and a city-sized chunk in the Asteroid Belt, Connery is hastily drafted into leading the team of boffins assigned to turn the platform around and fire off the missiles at the big rock. Unfortunately, the combined nuclear capacity of the U.S. space arsenal is not enough to do the job entirely, so an uneasy alliance with the Russians, who also have illegal strategic missiles in space, is achieved. It then becomes a race against time, as smaller pieces of the asteroid obliterate various parts of Earth, to coordinate the two missile systems, and launch a strike at the deadly visitor.
As well as the ever watchable Connery, the supporting cast is top-notch. Brian Keith (speaking genuine Russian throughout his role) is a hoot as a gregarious Russian team leader ably assisted and interpreted by Natalie Wood in one of her final screen appearances. Henry Fonda shows up as the President with Karl Malden playing Connery's friend and NASA advisor and - ever wary of those pesky Russkies - Martin Landau does a campy bit as a paranoid military liaison. Watch out too for Sybil Danning (before B-movie stardom) in a small cameo role as a doomed Swiss skier.
On a technical level, 'Meteor' can't possibly hope to compete with the more recent asteroid flicks - the special effects veer wildly between excellent and laughable. However, the editing and camera work are competent enough (just!) and a gorgeous, operatic score by Laurence Rosenthal helps the proceedings enormously. The real fun though comes from watching these tried and trusted Hollywood heavyweights wrestling with some truly awful dialogue, in particular Natalie Wood's spectacularly badly written translator, who becomes romantically drawn towards Connery. Cringe City! A sharper script and a little more attention to detail in the FX department could have turned this nostalgic, Seventies hokum into a force to be reckoned with.
While writing the first draft of this review I was completely unaware that 'Meteor' has recently been re-released on region 1 DVD, which can be yours for about £17. However, featuring only an enhanced widescreen picture and the original trailer this offers little more than the British video-version which can usually be picked up in the Bargain-Bin of any branch of Woolies for about four or five quid. Despite the criticisms 'Meteor' is honestly no worse than it's 1998 counterparts - why not give it a shot...I quite like it and if global destruction is your thing, you might too.
Advantages: 8 pints, a bag of chips, your mates...it'll be fun Disadvantages: everything ever
...of this abomination.
A meteor is on a collision course with Earth, and all the world's most highly paid actors have to settle their differences in order to collaborate and find a way of destroying it. Well, kind of, the twist being that the US and Russia have to admit to having nuclear defences in space, and then combine those weapons and team up against that bad rock. You can tell it's bad because it has a laughter inducing 'theme' whenever it ... ...turkey. Well, after the great runaround 'The First Great Train Robbery', Sean Connery was obviously feeling quite confident about his career, and decided that this was probably the one to get him back into the big league. Who could doubt him, after all the supporting cast boasted Karl Malden, Henry Fonda, Martin Landau, Natalie Wood and Brian Keith. Do any of them bring anything of note to the film? Well, Sean always brings something to a film, and ...
dadmancat 31.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Meteor (DVD)
Advantages: Good to watch while chilling out with a beer Disadvantages: Slow film and a bit cheesey
...turn his platform towards the meteor and use it to save the world. As luck would have the military are not too pleased with this and the animosity between scientist and military shows through. This only gets worse when Dr Bradley works out that there is not enough power in the platform's nuclear missiles to destroy the meteor and he suggests that the US contacts Russia so their platform called " Peter The Great" can also be used.
What makes the ... ...have stated that they don't have any missiles in space. Needless to say both governments finally agree ( as if they wouldn't ) to work together so along comes the love interest in the form of russian translator Tatiana Nikolaevna Donskaya ((Natalie Wood) had to look up that name in the credits) who translates for Dr Bradley's russian counterpart Dr. Alexei Dubov. Well now we have a race against time to get both platforms pointing the right way and ...
malcy101 08.07.2007 (27.12.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Meteor (DVD)
Advantages: Funny unfortunately, good for star watchers Disadvantages: Badly made, poor effects.
...ones who ought to have known better. Anyway it provides plenty of unintentional laughs along the way and Sean Connery looks annoyed at having to be in it. By the end you're hoping that the meteor will infact be a full extinction event! Good tsunami sequence though. ...
JSpencer 09.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Meteor (DVD)
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Advantages: Great programme, very informative Disadvantages: None
The Meteor, The Ultimare Profile, is a very well produced programme.
It tells the full story of how the Gloster Meteor came about and how it was created.
The Gloster Meteor was proposed in the summer of 1940 and it was the very first jet aircraft that was flown by the Allied air forces during World War 2.
Surprising though this might seem, this video was the first video to be made about this extremely important military aircraft. It follows the story of the Gloster Meteor from the very first days on the drawing board (literally, in this instance) through testing and through to the first test flights and the years of service with the RAF as a front line fighter plane.
The creation of this video led to an important discovery, some extensive colour footage of Sir Frank Writtle, Britain's very own pioneer of jet planes ...
Advantages: try and catch all the cameos Disadvantages: not funny, weak story
I'm not quite sure what Meteor Man is supposed to be. Is it a spoof on the likes of Superman or is it a serious attempt to create a black hero based on the likes of Superman?
The basic plot follows a hapless teacher who is naive to the point of no return. He works in one of the worst areas of the city - controlled by a drug pushing gang.
One night whilst tring to protect a woman from being raped he is chased by the gang. Having managed to avoid them he somehow manages not to avoid a large meteorite which implants itself within him.
When he wakes up in hospital he slowly discovers he has super powers and sets about putting the world - or at least the neighbourhood to rights.
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Advantages: Great fun packed entertainment for kids Disadvantages: It will take over your TV!
mischief and mayhem. he only speaks in rhyme!
- Zippity - there is not much to say about Zippity except that he is the space Post man!
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This DVD was released 18 months ago so it has now gone down in proce - I paid £18.99 for it, but I have now seen it sell in places such as Amazon for £7!! This DVD is great fun for kids - it follows the same antics as the Lunar Jim TV series and involves all the same characters getting involved in mayhem and mischief on their missions. The DVD contains 10 fun packed episodes for children to watch time and time again. There is a real sense of energy and fun with this childrens program and it never fails to excite my son, who has now declared that he wants to be a space man!
The Episodes on this DVD are:
- Meteor Mystery
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