Armageddon (DVD, 1999)

A low earth orbit space station is in the middle of a repair mission with the space shuttle when an unforeseen meteor shower obliterates them both. This sudden event sends fireballs hurtling to Earth and scientists scurrying to telescopes. An amateur astronomer is the first to spy a gigantic fireball headed towards the planet and notifies NASA. Turner (Thornton) informs the president of the asteroid and describes it as being "the size of Texas," a planet-killer. With eighteen days to impact, NASA frantically tries to find a solution but ends up turning to an outside contractor. Harry Stamper (Willis) and his team of oilmen are called upon to save the planet as only they can.

Those asteroids that hit this morning... those were nothing, the size of basketballs and Volkswagons. This new one we're tracking is the size of Texas, Mr. President. It's what we call a 'global killer'... the end of mankind. Half the world will be incinerated by the heat blast, the rest will freeze to death in a nuclear winter. Basically, the worst parts of the Bible.

Armageddon is a taut fast-paced thriller which starts off great but gets tiresome toward the end. The plot is simple: an asteroid is headed on a collision course toward Earth. To stop it, the US government sends a bunch of roughneck oil drillers into space to drill a hole in the asteroid so they can drop and detonate a nuclear weapon inside, before it is too late.

The problem with disaster movies is that it is very hard to find an antagonist, i.e., someone you hate by the end of the movie. After all, an asteroid or a volcano or a twister doesn't give a rat's arse about what humans think (it can't). Some movies try to cast natural disasters as either a force out to teach us a lesson or as an evil entity. Wisely enough, the primary focus in Armageddon is the motley crew and not the rock floating through space.

I thought the visual effects were cheesy and the dialogue was corny. The character (we're introduced to one too many) development is non-existent. The acting is mixed: Bruce Willis is a great actor and he gets a lot of the spot light. Most of the other actors are just there for the entertainment value. Christopher Walken, er, William Fichtner, does a good job as captain of the space shuttle, but he appears to be the only one taking the movie seriously. Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck, as lovers, have the chemistry of oil and water. The sound track is dated (music by Trevor Rabin, who, although a great musician, could've done better here).

The one saving grace is that the action and suspense sequences are great. The attempts at humour work for the most part and make this movie enjoyable. Worth the matinee fare.

Sure, "Armageddon" is noisy and has the subtlety of a video game, but with a more focused story that concentrates on fewer characters, it is able to rise above its action movie trappings and provide the emotional highs requisite in your prototypical disaster movie. Though it does not venture into the philosophical, moral, and social implications of such a devastating event, which "Deep Impact" attempted with mixed results, "Armageddon" is certainly more enjoyable and satisfying nonetheless. If you only see one 'falling rocks' movie this year, this is the one.

Out of all the movies I've ever seen in my life, this is my all-time favorite. It's funny, it's sad, it's action-filled, it's overall GREAT. Basically, a huge asteroid is heading towards Earth and when it hits, it will cause a holocaust--all living things will die, and not even bacteria will be able to survive the blow. The asteroid is too big to be blown off course by something on the surface, not even if it's a nuclear weapon. They decide that the only way to save the Earth is to actually drill 8000 feet into the asteriod and drop a bomb inside it, causing the rock to split and the halves to miss Earth. Harry Stamper, played by Bruce Willis, head of an oil-drilling team, is called upon to lead the mission to the asteriod, as the drill being used is one he designed. He and his team - A.J. (Ben Affleck), Rockhound (Steve Buscemi), Oscar (Owen Wilson), Bear (Michael Clarke Duncan), and many more, train for weeks to go into space and complete their mission. The plot may be a bit far-fetched, but it is played out wonderfully by a great cast. The script was written with a lot of talent, and it really shows through with intense drama and hilarious wit. I love this movie, it makes me laugh and cry and sit on the edge of my seat every time I watch it. I would reccomend it to ANYONE.

It had been awhile since I last saw the movie, but I was surprised to realize that a few of the lines had eked into my daily language without me really attributing it to the "Armageddon" movie. "We've got NO time, NO time!", "American components, Russian components, all made in Taiwan!", "It's a Rus-sian space station", etc. They all have their own specific meanings in my little world.
I still love this movie because the characters are still loveable. Ben Affleck is forever young, and Bruce Willis is forever charming, and Bruce's buddies are still loyal and true -- faults and all. I still get teary-eyed when Chick meets hostility from his ex-wife when he drops the shuttle toy off for his son, and then she and his son meet him when they land. That hits home for me. Or when Harry finally tells A.J. that he loves him and would be proud for him to marry Grace. And Bear is...well, loveable Bear and Rockhound is still the comic relief (and I can get Steve Buscemi's "Fargo" performance out of my head).
The topic is still very relevant as well. We all get caught up with our life on this little blue ball of a planet and forget that meteors do float around out there every day. According to NASA's website, the next "size of Texas" meteor headed our way will be able to be seen by the naked eye on 4/13/2029. It's called Asteroid 2004 MN4 (look it up on Google). According to NASA's estimates it will MISS us, but still it will get CLOSE. I'm just saying that meteors are still a very real possibility and therefore this movie topic is still relevant.
I wish Bruce Willis would go back to making the movies that let him shine as the Bruce we all know and love. But alas, time does march on...

I recently bought the movie Armageddon on dvd at it was excellent. I would recommend this movie to any adult or teenager that's looking for an entertaining movie with action, humor, small love story and some reality. The movie does have some adult situations and some vulgar language so I would not recommend a youngster to watch it. This movie has major movie star power yet somehow they directed it nicely where no one person overpowered the other. The extreme reality of a meteor ever striking the earth AGAIN and destroying everything on earth makes this movie more believable and enjoyable. A off shore drilling crew led by Bruce Willis is called upon by NASA to save the earth from total annihilation. The love story involves Liv Tyler(daughter of Bruce Willis) and Ben Affleck (2nd best driller of the crew) which is done nicely and involves everyone but does not come close to overshadowing the movie. NASA led by Billy Bob Thorton has to bring everything together and make it happen. This is not an easy task when dealing with a drilling crew whom has not trained for the rigors of outer space journey plus he must contend with "the government" whom are on his back wanting to just handle the situation in their own hasty way as opposed to just leaving it to the experts and having faith and trust. All in all this movie is one to watch and will leave you filled with laughter, suspense and tears.