감독: Mimi Leder
주연: Robert Duvall/Téa Leoni/Elijah Wood/Vanessa Redgrave/Maximilian Schell/Morgan Freeman
14살의 Leo Biederman는 여자 친구 Sarah와 함께 하기위해 천체 클럽에 가입하게 되는데, 망원경으로 잡은 한 장의 사진이 ‘울프 - 베이더만’이라는 지구로 충돌 궤도에 진입한 혜성 공동 발견자로 만들게 된다. 앵커 제니 레너는 재무장관의 사임사건을 집요하게 추적을 계속하다 대통령 Beck 소집한 비밀회의에 불려가게된다. 대통령은 ‘엘리’란 기밀사항을 제니가 알고 있다고 생각하여 공식 발표 전까지 비밀보존을 전재로 독점 취재를 제안 받게된다.
‘엘리(E.L.E : Extinction Level Event)’란 바로 인류 종말적인 대사건(혜성 충돌)을 칭하는 국가 암호였던 것이다. 미 정부는 이 충돌 혜성을 파괴하기 위해 메시아호의 지휘를 맡은 전역 우주 비행사 Tanner 가본적 없는 혜성을 폭파하여 궤도를 변경하라는 임무를 받는다.
수 억년의 시간을 지나 혜성이 지구로 다가오는 story.
On May 8, 1998, teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman discovers an unusual object near the stars Mizar and Alcor at a star party. His teacher has Leo take a picture of the object that he then sends to astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf. Wolf realizes that the object is a comet on a collision course with Earth. Wolf races to alert authorities but is killed in a car accident.
One year later, MSNBC journalist Jenny Lerner investigates the sudden resignation of Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse and his connection to "Ellie", supposedly a mistress. After interviewing Rittenhouse, she is taken by the FBI to see President Tom Beck. After this, she finds out that Ellie is really an acronym: "E.L.E." ("extinction-level event"). Due to Lerner's investigation, President Beck makes an announcement earlier than planned: the comet, that has been named Wolf-Biederman, is headed for Earth and it is 7 miles (11 km) long, large enough to cause a mass extinction, and possibly wipe out humanity. He also reveals that the United States and Russia have been constructing an Orion spacecraft called the Messiah in orbit that will transport a team, led by Mission Commander Oren Monash and including veteran astronaut Captain Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner, to the comet, hoping to alter its path with nuclear weapons.
After landing on the comet, the crew rigs nuclear bombs beneath the surface, but are caught in outgassing explosions when sunlight heats up the comet. Monash is permanently blinded by unfiltered sunlight and suffers severe facial burns, while Dr. Gus Partenza is flung into space by an outflow of gas. When the bombs detonate, the ship is damaged by the blast and the team loses contact with Earth. President Beck announces that the bombs only split the comet into two smaller pieces, nicknamed "Biederman" (1.5 miles (2.4 km) long) and "Wolf" (6 miles (9.7 km) long), both still heading for Earth.
Beck then imposes martial law and reveals that governments worldwide have been building underground shelters. The United States' shelter is in the limestone caves of Missouri. A lottery selects 800,000 Americans under age 50 to join 200,000 selected individuals, as well as a massive supply of food, populations of significant animals, and the seeds of plant species. Lerner and the Biederman family are chosen, but Leo's girlfriend Sarah Hotchner and her family are not. Leo marries Sarah to try to save her family but fails. Sarah refuses to leave without her parents.
A last-ditch effort to deflect the comets with ICBMs fails. Biederman will strike the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, generating megatsunamis of 3,500 ft (1,100 m) high. Wolf will hit western Canada, creating a huge cloud of dust and molten particles that will block out the Sun for two years, killing all life on the surface in only a matter of weeks. Leo returns home looking for Sarah, but her family has left for the Appalachian Mountains and are stuck in a massive traffic jam. Leo catches up to them on a motorcycle. Sarah's parents tell Leo to take Sarah and her baby brother to higher ground.
Meanwhile, Lerner gives up her seat in the last evacuation helicopter to her friend Beth and Beth's young daughter. She joins her estranged father Jason at their family beach house, where they reconcile. Biederman hits the water, creating a megatsunami that destroys the East Coast of the United States. Lerner, Jason, and Sarah's parents are among the thousands that are killed by the tsunami. Leo, Sarah, and her baby brother are able to reach the higher grounds of the Appalachian Mountains safely.
Unable to safely attempt a second landing, the crew of Messiah decide to obliterate Wolf by undertaking a suicide mission. After they say goodbye to their loved ones by video conference, they fly directly into a large deep crevasse created by out-gassing, and use their remaining nuclear warheads to blow Wolf into smaller pieces that burn up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere.
After the waters recede, President Beck speaks to a large crowd at the United States Capitol which is being rebuilt, encouraging them to remember and honor the heroes for their sacrifice.
