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Asteroid (film)
Encyclopedia
Asteroid is a 1997 NBC
TV movie about the United States government
trying to stop an asteroid
colliding with the Earth
. It stars Michael Biehn
. The movie won the 1997 Emmy Award
in category Outstanding Special Visual Effects
.
, a gas tanker is driving by when a small meteor suddenly hits in front of the truck. The driver attempts to swerve out of the way, but loses control and overturns and the tanker explodes, causing a massive fire.
The next morning, the fire is burning out of control and it is reported that the tanker was hit by a lightning bolt. With the area evacuated, FEMA Director Jack Wallach (Michael Biehn
), and a colleague, Adam Marquez (Carlos Gómez
) are flying via helicopter over the area, inspecting the fire, when they notice that two people are still in the area. It's a man on the roof of his house, trying to save it, despite his wife's protests.
Jack and Adam land and take the woman aboard, despite her angry protest in concern of her husband. Her husband starts to suffer from smoke inhalation when Jack manages to get him aboard the helicopter. Jack just barely manages to escape as a propane tank causes a massive explosion and destroys the home. They escape.
Later that evening, at the National Observatory in Boulder, CO, 29-year-old widow Dr. Lily McKee (Annabella Sciorra
), the director of the National Observatory, is observing a comet which is going to pass by Earth on the 4th of July
. Later on, when she goes home and looks at some photos, she sees what she believes are asteroids.
The next day, she informs Jack and Adam of the possibility of an impact and calls them in. She tells them of two asteroids: Helios and Eros, whose orbits have been disrupted by the comet and may hit the Earth. Helios would hit with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima bombs and generate temperatures five times hotter than the sun in the area of impact. Everything within a 150-mile radius would be destroyed and the impact would also spray molten rock another 70 miles.
Eros is 4 miles across and would cause a global ecological disaster if it did indeed hit. Then, Max Jenson (Brian Hill
), one of Lily's assistants, informs Lily, Jack and Adam that Helios is getting closer to the Earth and that the observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii had picked up some smaller asteroids that the National Observatory cannot see and they believe that a small one hit Montana. Jack and Adam realize that the fire was indeed caused by an asteroid impact.
Later on, Lily and Max check Helios' trajectory and realize that it will indeed hit the Earth. Their numbers show that Helios will hit in the Kansas City, Missouri area within about 48 hours. They tell the president about it and he orders that the city be evacuated ASAP.
Ultimately Helios does hit, but it breaks up in Earth's atmosphere and only a fragment hits that causes major flooding as it destroys a dam, but the loss of life is minimal.
Unfortunately it is discovered Eros will hit also and will be an extinction-level event. The United States uses three jet fighters each armed with a laser weapon to try a coordinated air-to-space attack to destroy the asteroid with support from the entire world, but due to a storm, the attack is only partially successful and although it destroys the asteroid itself, it breaks it up into many pieces that rain down on Earth. The biggest fragment hit Dallas, Texas where Lilly's son and father are and destroys the city, killing thousands. Lily desperately searches the city for her father and son who survive, but her father ends up trapped and hurt and her son Elliot wanders off trying to find help. After a search, Lilly locates her father and with the help of nearby firemen, rescues him, but goes on to try to rescue Elliot while the soldier who accompanied her goes back to base, although a fireman does accompany her. The two search the ruined city and finally locate Elliot in the crater at Ground Zero of the Eros fragment impact. Jack shows up to help in a helicopter, having learned their location from Lilly's former escort. He rescues Elliot and the four return to base where they watch the comet pass by Earth and are relieved it won't return to cause trouble for another 4,000 years.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
TV movie about the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
trying to stop an asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
colliding with the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It stars Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
. The movie won the 1997 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in category Outstanding Special Visual Effects
Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects
This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a television series, miniseries, or television movie...
.
Plot
Late one night, near Billings, MontanaBillings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, a gas tanker is driving by when a small meteor suddenly hits in front of the truck. The driver attempts to swerve out of the way, but loses control and overturns and the tanker explodes, causing a massive fire.
The next morning, the fire is burning out of control and it is reported that the tanker was hit by a lightning bolt. With the area evacuated, FEMA Director Jack Wallach (Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
), and a colleague, Adam Marquez (Carlos Gómez
Carlos Gómez
Carlos Argelis Gómez Pena, nicknamed "Go-Go", is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.-Minor leagues:...
) are flying via helicopter over the area, inspecting the fire, when they notice that two people are still in the area. It's a man on the roof of his house, trying to save it, despite his wife's protests.
Jack and Adam land and take the woman aboard, despite her angry protest in concern of her husband. Her husband starts to suffer from smoke inhalation when Jack manages to get him aboard the helicopter. Jack just barely manages to escape as a propane tank causes a massive explosion and destroys the home. They escape.
Later that evening, at the National Observatory in Boulder, CO, 29-year-old widow Dr. Lily McKee (Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever...
), the director of the National Observatory, is observing a comet which is going to pass by Earth on the 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. Later on, when she goes home and looks at some photos, she sees what she believes are asteroids.
The next day, she informs Jack and Adam of the possibility of an impact and calls them in. She tells them of two asteroids: Helios and Eros, whose orbits have been disrupted by the comet and may hit the Earth. Helios would hit with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima bombs and generate temperatures five times hotter than the sun in the area of impact. Everything within a 150-mile radius would be destroyed and the impact would also spray molten rock another 70 miles.
Eros is 4 miles across and would cause a global ecological disaster if it did indeed hit. Then, Max Jenson (Brian Hill
Brian Hill
Brian Hill may refer to:*Brian Hill , American basketball coach*Brian Hill , contestant on the reality television program Top Chef*Brian Hill , British film and television director...
), one of Lily's assistants, informs Lily, Jack and Adam that Helios is getting closer to the Earth and that the observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii had picked up some smaller asteroids that the National Observatory cannot see and they believe that a small one hit Montana. Jack and Adam realize that the fire was indeed caused by an asteroid impact.
Later on, Lily and Max check Helios' trajectory and realize that it will indeed hit the Earth. Their numbers show that Helios will hit in the Kansas City, Missouri area within about 48 hours. They tell the president about it and he orders that the city be evacuated ASAP.
Ultimately Helios does hit, but it breaks up in Earth's atmosphere and only a fragment hits that causes major flooding as it destroys a dam, but the loss of life is minimal.
Unfortunately it is discovered Eros will hit also and will be an extinction-level event. The United States uses three jet fighters each armed with a laser weapon to try a coordinated air-to-space attack to destroy the asteroid with support from the entire world, but due to a storm, the attack is only partially successful and although it destroys the asteroid itself, it breaks it up into many pieces that rain down on Earth. The biggest fragment hit Dallas, Texas where Lilly's son and father are and destroys the city, killing thousands. Lily desperately searches the city for her father and son who survive, but her father ends up trapped and hurt and her son Elliot wanders off trying to find help. After a search, Lilly locates her father and with the help of nearby firemen, rescues him, but goes on to try to rescue Elliot while the soldier who accompanied her goes back to base, although a fireman does accompany her. The two search the ruined city and finally locate Elliot in the crater at Ground Zero of the Eros fragment impact. Jack shows up to help in a helicopter, having learned their location from Lilly's former escort. He rescues Elliot and the four return to base where they watch the comet pass by Earth and are relieved it won't return to cause trouble for another 4,000 years.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Biehn Michael Biehn Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror... |
FEMA Director Jack Wallach |
| Annabella Sciorra Annabella Sciorra Annabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever... |
Dr. Lily McKee |
| Zachary Charles | Elliot McKee |
| Don Franklin Don Franklin Don Franklin is an American actor, best known for his roles in seaQuest DSV as Commander Jonathan Ford, Seven Days as Captain Craig Donovan, and as one of The Young Riders .-Partial filmography:... |
Ben Dodd |
| Carlos Gómez Carlos Gómez (actor) Carlos Gomez is an American actor.-Biography:Carlos was born in New York, the son of Cora Gomez. He is a versatile character actor who has starred in both film and the small screen since the late 1980s. His first part in a film came in the form of a dancer looking to make it big in "Dance to Win "... |
Adam Marquez |
| Michael Weatherly Michael Weatherly Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on the television series NCIS, and Logan Cale on the television series Dark Angel.-Early life:... |
Dr. Matthew Rogers |
| Anthony Zerbe Anthony Zerbe Anthony Jared Zerbe is an American stage, film and Emmy-winning television actor. Notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; Milton Krest in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill;... |
Dr. Charles Napier |
| Anne-Marie Johnson Anne-Marie Johnson Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on... |
Karen Dodd |