Sci-fi disaster film dubbed 'a gut-wrenching ride' is airing free on TV this weekend

The 1998 science fiction disaster film, Deep Impact, is scheduled for a television broadcast this weekend.

Channel 4 will air the movie on Sunday (November 24), and it will also be accessible on the streaming service 4 on Demand.

The film portrays humanity's efforts to prepare for and obliterate a seven-mile wide comet that threatens to collide with Earth and trigger a mass extinction.

The cast boasts an array of renowned actors including Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, and James Cromwell. Emmy Award-winning director Mimi Leder, known for The Peacemaker, Thick as Thieves, and On The Basis of Sex, directed Deep Impact, reports the Mirror.

Interestingly, the film was released in the same summer as Armageddon, another film with a similar theme, which triumphed in the box office battle.

Armageddon, starring Bruce Willis, grossed $553.7 million worldwide against a budget of $140 million. Despite this, Deep Impact still proved profitable, earning $349.5 million from an $80 million budget. However, critics deemed Deep Impact more accurate, despite both films receiving similar reviews.

Deep Impact ranked as the sixth-highest grossing film of 1998, with Armageddon leading, followed by Saving Private Ryan, Godzilla, There's Something About Mary, and A Bug's Life. The 90s classic holds a 6.2 rating on IMDb from 194 thousand votes and a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Over the years, fans of the cinema have lauded one film in particular for its real-world authenticity, showering it with praise.

One viewer shared their thoughts on Rotten Tomatoes, stating: "The film portrays very well the human element and does something I rather enjoy."

They continued: "It plays on the emotions of the audience and creates sympathy for the characters and makes heroes out of the most unlikely of people." Another critic expressed: "It's a damn good movie that takes you on a gut-wrenching ride."

Meanwhile, someone else articulated: "An effective and entertaining catastrophic drama that sets itself apart by giving its attention to personal stakes."

And yet another commentator remarked: "Deep Impact deserves credit for breaking new ground in the action-movies field, and I'm not talking about the terrific special effects... the film spends time and attention on the emotional life of its characters."

Deep Impact airs on Sunday at 3pm on Channel 4 and 4OD