When a rogue asteroid threatens mankind's extinction, NASA
​recruits the world's best oil-drilling team to destroy the asteroid.

ACTION/SCI-FI

Armageddon (1998)

Directed by Michael Bay

Written by Jonathan Hensleigh and J.J. Abrams

Starring Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, Will Patton, William Fichtner, Peter Stormare, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, Ken Campbell, Keith David

Oscar Nominations - Best Sound, Best Sound Editing,
​Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song (I Don't Want to Miss a Thing)

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Connor Eyzaguirre

December 21, 2022

8/10

Before the Transformers franchise revealed to the world just how full of shit and hopeless Michael Bay is as a filmmaker, he dominated the 90s with his gargantuan action hits like Bad Boys, The Rock, and of course Armageddon. This is the ultimate disaster porn extravaganza, complete with an Aerosmith-led soundtrack and an ensemble of 90s character actors like William Fichtner, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Owen Wilson just to name a few. The visual effects still hold up, and the film's script is goofy but just sappy enough to bring out some tears in the finale. Plus, it's always great to get Bruce Willis when he was still trying.

NASA has just discovered an asteroid the size of Texas that is on a direct collision course with Earth. They have eighteen days before impact, and the best plan they've got is to land a crew on the rock, drill into it, and detonate a nuclear weapon inside it, thus splitting it in two and causing it to miss Earth entirely. To pull this insanely complex job, they bring in Harry Stamper (Willis), the best oil driller on the planet. He brings his team with him, and NASA trains them to be astronauts. It's all insanely far-fetched and ludicrous, even for a science fiction movie, but something about it works. Maybe it's the ensemble, maybe it's J.J. Abrams's script, maybe it's impossible to say no to 90s Bruce Willis.

Armageddon is about a half-hour too long. I'll chide it that. But frankly, I don't really care. It just means more to love. It's a visual spectacle of Earth-shattering devastation, complete with genuinely emotional character moments and sacrifice. It's everything a Michael Bay movie should be. I hope one day he goes back to his roots of original, exciting action movies.