''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'' and as Sean Brody in the film ''Jaws 3-D''. Life and career Putch was born in C ...

and starring

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...

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 Jeff Mumford ...

Finola Hughes Finola Hughes (born 29 October 1959) is an English actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the ABC soap operas ''General Hospital'' and ''All My Children'', and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film '' Staying Alive'', the sequel ...

Chick Vennera Francis Vincent Vennera (March 27, 1947 – July 7, 2021) was an American actor, known for his role as Joe Mondragon, in Robert Redford's ''The Milagro Beanfield War'', among other movies. He also often served as a voice double for Joe Pesci. A ...

and

Amy Steel Amy Steel Pulitzer (born Alice Amy Steel; 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 aspiri ...

. It was released

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

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 ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, 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 ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) 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 other underwater expl ...

, 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 (born February 2, 1946) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known as Chet Hunter on ''Boy Meets World'' and Harry "The Hardware Store Guy" on ''Home Improvement''. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the ''Toy Story'' f ...

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 Char ...

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 o ...

as Randall Barnett *

Robert Romanus Robert Romanus (born July 17, 1956), also billed as Bob Romanus, is an American actor and musician who has starred in film and television. He is perhaps best known for his role as ticket scalper Mike Damone in the 1982 comedy ''Fast Times at Rid ...

as Sam *

Shea Farrell Edward Leo "Shea" Farrell III is an American actor and producer best known for playing Mark Danning in Aaron Spelling's series, ''Hotel''. Shea Farrell was born October 21, 1957 in Cornwall, New York, to Edward Leo, Jr. and Mary Rose (née Drum ...

as Lieutenant Garrison *

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

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 of ...

as Phillers *

Tommy Hinkley Hiram Thomas Hinkley (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in the comedy '' Back to the Beach'' (1987), and subsequently appeared in the Academy Award-winning short film '' Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall'' ( ...

as Pilot *

as Mother *

Dean Scofield Dean Scofield (born January 12, 1957, Alhambra, California) is an American actor who has provided the voice of the recurring joke character Johnny Sasaki in ''Metal Gear Solid'', '' Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' and '' Metal Gear Solid 2: ...

as Studious Man *

as Amtorg Driver

References

External links

* {{John Putch 1998 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 directed by John Putch Films set in 1989 Films set in 1999 Films set in 2029 1998 drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language science fiction drama films