Review of Armageddon (1998) by Filipeneto — 19 Feb 2018

What would happen if our planet were suddenly threatened by the imminent collapse with an asteroid? Was humanity prepared to stop it or destroy it? This disaster film talks about it. Directed by Michael Bay, it has a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams and other contributors, and has Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in the lead roles.

We are facing one of the most famous disaster films made by the American film industry, a machine that is always ready to find new ways to destroy the planet. But in this film which was more damaged was the movie itself! Let's begin by the actors: Willis is excellent in action movies and is always ready to save the day since "Die Hard". His interpretation is good and the same can be said of most of the actors. But the script could have been much better. The idea of ​​using a nuclear bomb to split an asteroid and alter it's trajectory is simply not realistic or plausible enough since that bombs aren't stronger enough to do that. Even less plausible is the idea of ​​equipping amateurs, without any training or some previous trip to space, with multi-million dollar equipment and use them as a last hope of Humanity. This is a joke that only some minds in Hollywood could imagine and an attack against the intelligence of any viewer who has a minimum of logical sense. The illogical disaster that this film is, however, turns out to be softened by the love story between A.J. and Grace, moving like any other where the lovers are separated against their will. Some of the film's scenes are mere U.S. propaganda: the asteroid pieces have reached all except the U.S. (was that a minor problem?), who saves the day as usual, with great waves of American patriotism. The Russian space station, old and obsolete as a museum, is destroyed in the process, as well as it's single cosmonaut, who seems constantly drenched in vodka and has an absurd accent in an insulting stereotype to the Russians. Is this a remnant of the rivalry between the two countries?

While Bruce Willis is the great hero of this film, this is a film that was destroyed by two asteroids: the lack of logic of it's script and story and the American desire to do patriotic propaganda. "We saved the world. Russia, France and China may have gone to hell but the rest is fine thanks to us". Hollywood still didn't understand that the U.S.A. can be rich but they aren't the policemen of the world.