As a movie, this fits more in the "so bad it's good" category (which is why I, personally, recommend the film); but that's not why I wanted to post a commentary. In the posted comments all but one focused on its flaws; only one went beyond that and mentioned the relevance of this movie and I wanted to expand on that.
If remembered at all, "Meteor" is noteworthy as the film that finally sank the venerable American International Pictures. There was an excellent PBS documentary not long back called "The Monster that Ate Hollywood". One of the central themes was just how much movies like "Jaws" and "Star Wars" changed Hollywood - and not necessarily for the better.
AIP made its money as a distributor of low-budget movies designed for the drive-in market but, like many others, it became enraptured by the mega-millions to be made in one blockbuster movie - rather than thousands on a string of small, frugal (but profitable) movies. "Meteor" was AIP's "swing for the fences"; its "blockbuster" movie.
You can also call it really bad timing. This was the late '70s - before computer generated digital special effects made it possible for "low budget" movies to have "high class" special effects the looked believable on the big screen. It was also before VHS/Beta created a whole new revenue stream for movie studios and before cable TV with a channel devoted to Science Fiction.
So, "Meteor" was made the old fashioned way - signing up big stars (with big salaries); bringing together lots of technicians to build sets and create special effects (also expensive); and paying for a costly distribution to lots of movie theaters. The end result was a traditional AIP "B" movie with "A" list expenses. When critics and audiences were less than thrilled with the results, AIP lacked the resources to continue and folded - selling out to Filmways.
If remembered at all, "Meteor" is noteworthy as the film that finally sank the venerable American International Pictures. There was an excellent PBS documentary not long back called "The Monster that Ate Hollywood". One of the central themes was just how much movies like "Jaws" and "Star Wars" changed Hollywood - and not necessarily for the better.
AIP made its money as a distributor of low-budget movies designed for the drive-in market but, like many others, it became enraptured by the mega-millions to be made in one blockbuster movie - rather than thousands on a string of small, frugal (but profitable) movies. "Meteor" was AIP's "swing for the fences"; its "blockbuster" movie.
You can also call it really bad timing. This was the late '70s - before computer generated digital special effects made it possible for "low budget" movies to have "high class" special effects the looked believable on the big screen. It was also before VHS/Beta created a whole new revenue stream for movie studios and before cable TV with a channel devoted to Science Fiction.
So, "Meteor" was made the old fashioned way - signing up big stars (with big salaries); bringing together lots of technicians to build sets and create special effects (also expensive); and paying for a costly distribution to lots of movie theaters. The end result was a traditional AIP "B" movie with "A" list expenses. When critics and audiences were less than thrilled with the results, AIP lacked the resources to continue and folded - selling out to Filmways.