Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Meteor (1979) movie poster

Spoiler-Free Summary

Meteor (1979) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

Release, runtime and language
1979 · 108 min · English
Directed by
Ronald Neame
Starring
Sean Connery, Richard Dysart, Karl Malden, Trevor Howard, Brian Keith, Henry Fonda
Budget
$16M

Following a catastrophic meteor impact that devastates the Earth, a hardened rancher and a resourceful young woman find themselves struggling to survive. They must work together to escape a group of dangerous mercenaries who are taking advantage of the widespread destruction and desperate situation.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What it is about
  3. 3 Is it worth watching?
  4. 4 After you watch
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like Meteor
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Meteor (1979)

Where can you watch Meteor? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Fawesome, Hoopla and JustWatch TV: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Spoiler-free summary · safe to read

What Is Meteor About? (No Spoilers)

The plot of Meteor (1979) without spoilers: what it is about, who it follows and where it takes place, told without the twists or the ending. Enough to decide whether it is your next watch, not enough to ruin it.

In the aftermath of a world‑shattering meteor strike, the landscape is reduced to ash and fractured hope. The sky, once a familiar canopy, now looms with a perpetual haze that turns every sunrise into a reminder of the catastrophe. Society’s structures have crumbled, and the remnants of civilization cling to survival amid the ruins of once‑bustling towns and empty highways. The tone is stark and gritty, painted with the cold blues of early morning and the muted reds of dying fire, creating a world where every breath feels like a gamble.

Against this bleak backdrop, the hardened rancher emerges as a stoic survivor, his weather‑worn face bearing the weight of countless hardships long before the sky fell. He carries an unspoken code of self‑reliance, honed by years of tending to unforgiving land, and his taciturn nature masks a deep well of resourcefulness. By his side is the resourceful young woman, whose quick wit and innate ingenuity make her a beacon of adaptability in a world that rewards cleverness above brute strength. Their meeting is as much a collision of two worlds as it is a meeting of necessity, each recognizing in the other a chance to navigate the chaos that surrounds them.

Together they must contend with a band of dangerous mercenaries—opportunists who have seized upon the widespread devastation to carve out their own rule. The mercenaries’ ruthless pursuit adds a pulse of relentless tension, turning every step across the shattered terrain into a precarious dance between caution and daring. As the pair learns to trust one another’s disparate skills, the story teeters between desperate survival and the faint, persistent flicker of hope that perhaps, even in the darkest of times, humanity can find a way to endure.

Last updated: August 10, 2025 at 14:13

Was this helpful?

What to expect

Is Meteor Worth Watching? What It Feels Like

Is it dark, sad, slow, intense or confusing? The mood of Meteor (1979) in a few tags, without a word about how it ends. Each tag opens a list of movies that feel the same.

After you watch

Seen Meteor? Now Read the Spoilers

Once you have watched Meteor (1979), come back for the full story: the plot summary with spoilers, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning.

Movie threads

More Movies Like Meteor, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Meteor tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Global Disaster Countdown Thrillers like Meteor

High-stakes international efforts to avert an impending global catastrophe. Movies like Meteor that feature a desperate race against time to prevent a world-ending event. If you enjoyed the tense coordination and high-stakes urgency of Meteor, you'll find similar gripping stories of international crisis and survival in these films.

  • urgent
  • catastrophic
  • tense
  • anxious
  • high-stakes
  • procedural
  • Tone: tense, urgent, catastrophic
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern follows a linear, escalating threat that requires immediate, large-scale action. Characters are often experts or leaders pushed to their limits, focusing on a singular mission with clear, catastrophic consequences for failure.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on a fast-paced, high-intensity plot driven by an imminent global threat. They create a consistent mood of anxiety and urgency, blending procedural elements with the emotional weight of potential extinction.

Bittersweet Post-Apocalyptic Survival Stories like Meteor

Stories where survival is won, but the world is forever scarred. If you liked the heavy emotional weight and the fragile hope at the end of Meteor, these movies explore similar themes of survival in a shattered world. They share a grim yet hopeful tone, focusing on the bittersweet reality of rebuilding after devastation.

  • grim
  • hopeful
  • catastrophic
  • desperate
  • survival
  • destruction
  • Tone: grim, hopeful, tense
  • Pacing: fast, urgent
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The journey begins with a world-altering disaster and follows characters as they navigate the immediate dangers and moral complexities of a collapsed society. The arc typically involves finding a reason to persevere, culminating in an ending that acknowledges survival but mourns what was lost.

Why they belong together: This thread groups films that balance grim, destructive settings with a core of human resilience. The shared experience is one of heavy emotional weight, a tense and urgent pace, and an ending that is more about fragile hope than clear victory.

If you liked this

Movies Like Meteor

Similar movies to Meteor: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Meteor (1979) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Meteor in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app