To date, 20% of people who voted on this movie gave it a 9 or a 10. I was one of them, and I would like to elaborate on the reasons why:
(1) The movie attempts to be realistic. The scenario it describes, broadly, is not impossible. Tomorrow might be the day we learn about "Ireland-type" impact as shown in the movie (I am not an expert on this, but my understanding is that it is true that sufficiently small objects can be detected only too late for any action to be taken). I like that there are no super heroes in this movie and no futuristic technology (although the timing might be off on some elements of the story). On other hand, as other comments mention, there appear to be many goofs, some of which are quite embarrassing; and the more technical one goes, probably, the more one finds. For myself, only a moderately critical viewer, however, this did not create mental blocks to enjoying the film.
(2) The movie underlines the importance of the development of technology and investment in outerspace / NEO exploration. In a scenario like this, no data is excessive and no technical capability of humanity is wasteful. From my very subjective perspective, space exploration is one direction of human effort that is bound to pay off in one way or another (and the movie highlights just one of the ways). My hope is that publicity to the topic and the field will create greater awareness of this in general public and will bring in more converts.
(3) The movie highlights the "higher self" of the United States, as a country, nation, and culture - the notion that a nation can sacrifice itself for the good of the humanity. From a sarcastic perspective, I guess, this can be the most unrealistic part about the movie, but I, personally, don't adhere to this. More than that, I think that most nations and people would do the same if given a chance. In a way, the movie highlights the "higher self" of humanity, which we tend to loose sight of in daily life. Personally, this was the inspiring part about the movie.
I bought this movie at an impulse and later, at home, was very disappointed to find out that it had under 5 average rating on IMDb. I almost did not watch the movie to not waste the time. I did eventually, on a mood upswing, and am very glad I did - it resonated with me. I hope some other people will enjoy it too!
