''Tycus'' is a 1998 American science fiction drama film directed by

John Putch John Putch (born July 27, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his recurring role as Bob Morton on the 1970s sitcom ''One Day at a Time (1975 TV series), One Day at a Time'' and as Sean Brody in the film ''Jaws 3-D''. ...

and starring

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

Peter Onorati Peter Onorati (born May 16, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his TV roles as Charlie Howell on ''Civil Wars'' (1991–1993), Mr. Scotto on '' Murder One'' (1995–1997), Stanley Pearson on ''This Is Us'' (2017–2022), and Jeffrey Mumf ...

Finola Hughes Finola Hughes (born 29 October 1959) is a British actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC soap operas ''General Hospital'' and ''All My Children'', and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film '' ...

Chick Vennera Francis Vincent Vennera (March 27, 1947 – July 7, 2021) was an American actor, known for his role as Joe Mondragon for Robert Redford's ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988), among other movies. Vennera voiced Pesto the pigeon for the animated ...

and

Amy Steel Amy Steel (born May 3, 1960) is an American film and television actress. She made her acting debut in the comedy film ''Fat Chance'' (1981) directed by Manuel Summers. She then gained recognition for her role as aspiring child psychologist Gin ...

. It was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

in 1999, in the United Kingdom, France, United States and other western countries.

Plot summary

In 1989, astronomer Dr. Peter Crawford discovers a comet on a collision with Earth. He reports his findings to the council, but they refuse to listen to him. Ten years later the comet, now called Tycus, is rapidly closing on the Earth. But Tycus is not on a collision course with the Earth; Tycus is going to impact the moon. If Tycus does impact the moon, it will be shattered and the fragments will be pulled in by Earth's gravity. Dr. Crawford begins the construction of a vast city located under the Sierra Mountains. His city would provide a safe haven for a few people who would become the beginning of the new age after the catastrophe. A young reporter, Jake Lowe, is investigating the building site when he finds out that only a few people get to inhabit the city. So he requests to Dr. Crawford that he and his pregnant wife be allowed entrance into the city because he discovered the city's existence. Dr. Crawford agrees as he also wants his wife and daughter in the city. At the same time, a nuclear missile fails to do anything to stop Tycus. They plan to fly Crawford's jet to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, now in a state of chaos as news of the comet is made public. Jake finds his wife and gets her to the rendezvous point. Unfortunately, someone has already taken the jet so Jake, his wife, and Crawford's family use a pick-up truck to reach the city. Tycus then smashes into the moon, shattering it. As the fragments approach, Crawford's group sees a group of people desperately waiting for the doors to the city to open. Crawford activates the elevator and walks towards the door. After they all entered the elevator, Crawford is grabbed by the group of people and he is forced to stay behind. The elevator descends into the underground city. The debris starts to rain down to Earth. The fragments obliterate every major city in the world, cause massive disasters like

tsunamis A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, la ...

, and much of the human race is wiped out. In the year 2029, after the Earth has recovered from the disaster, a young woman, implied to be Jake's daughter, tells a group of people sitting in the Sierra Mountains of an ancient world where highways and buildings covered the Earth's surface; she tells of Dr. Crawford, who first discovered the little dot in the sky and how that little dot would lead to the downfall of mankind. As the story continues, She tells of how thousands of moons reminds the survivors of the New Age and we are shown that the pieces left of the moon have formed an asteroid belt around the Earth.

Cast

as Dr. Peter Crawford *

as Jake Lowe *

as Amy Lowe *

as Chick Vennera *

Blake Clark Blake Clark is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as Chet Hunter on '' Boy Meets World'' and Harry Turner on '' Home Improvement''. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the ''Toy Story'' franchise starting with 2008's '' Toy Sto ...

as Commander Scott *

Art LaFleur Art LaFleur (September 9, 1943 – November 17, 2021) was an American character actor and acting coach. Life and career LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charli ...

as Shyler *

Bert Remsen Herbert Birchell "Bert" Remsen (February 25, 1925 – April 22, 1999) was an American actor and casting director. He appeared in numerous films and television series. Biography Remsen was born in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, the son of ...

as Randall Barnett * Robert Romanus as Sam * Shea Farrell as Lieutenant Garrison *

Elyssa Davalos Elyssa Davalos (born May 30, 1959) is a former American television and movie actress. Biography Born in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, her father was actor Richard Davalos and her sister is musician Dominique Davalos. She is the mother of actre ...

as Crying Woman *

Eric Stromer Eric Antony Stromer (born April 28, 1961) is an American actor and television personality. He was a co-host for the motoring television series, ''Top Gear'', on NBC. He was raised in Evanston, Illinois. Career Stromer started acting at the age o ...

as Phillers * Tommy Hinkley as Pilot *

as Mother *

Dean Scofield Dean Scofield (born January 12, 1957, Alhambra, California, Alhambra, California) is an American actor who has provided the voice of the recurring character List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Johnny Sasaki, Johnny Sasaki in ''Metal Gear S ...

as Studious Man *

as Amtorg Driver

References

External links

* {{John Putch 1998 films Films directed by John Putch 1998 drama films American disaster films Films about impact events American independent films 1990s science fiction drama films American science fiction drama films New York City in fiction Films set in 1989 Films set in 1999 Films set in 2029 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language science fiction drama films 1998 science fiction films