Review of Armageddon (1998) by Seth S — 29 Dec 2012

This is not what you would call a good movie. It is a good Michael Bay movie. And those two are not the same. Watching a movie like this is all about expectations. It's a Michael Bay movie. Expect characters to do stupid things. Expect there to be some exceptionally dumb dialog. Expect everything to be done heavy-handed. I expected all these things and wasn't disappointed. But what propels this movie a bit higher is that there are flashes of a legitimately good movie here. Not long flashes, but they are there.

A meteor is hurtling to earth. If it hits the earth, there will be total destruction. The best and brightest scientists decide the only way to stop the meteor is to drill an explosive into the rock and remotely detonate the explosive. To complete this mission, NASA will need the best oil driller to plant the explosive. They contact Harry Stamper and his crew. Harry is the best oil driller on the planet, and it's up to him and his crew of misfits to save the world.

Bruce Willis is good enough in his role as Harry Stamper. Not his best performance, but certainly not his worst. Ben Affleck is hit or miss as A.J. Frost, Harry's best crew-member. Affleck gets better by the end of the movie, though his acting is a bit sketchy at the beginning. Billy Bob Thornton plays the most responsible and serious character in the movie. It was welcome to have at least one character that seems to be taking this whole thing seriously. Liv Tyler's acting is a bit rough around the edges as Grace Stamper, Harry's daughter and A.J.'s love interest. The rest of the cast does well enough, though some of them can be over the top at times, like Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, and Michael Clarke Duncan.

The action is as you would expect from Bay. Constant and extreme. It became almost hilarious at times how far Bay would push every situation. Everything that can go wrong does. Every chance to sneak in another explosion or action scene is taken. Everything in this movie is done to the max. I kinda did like how extremely Patriotic the movie was at times. That was one of the better traits about the movie.

This is not a bad movie, nor is it a good one. I really like the ending "long-distance goodbye" between Harry and Grace. I liked the final scene between Harry and A.J. I liked the overblown Patriotics. I didn't expect anything more, so I was satisfied.

"The dreams of an entire planet are focused tonight on those fourteen brave souls traveling into the heavens. And may we all, citizens the world over, see these events through. God speed, and good luck to you." 6/10.