Armageddon

Armageddon (1998)

Image From IMDB

You know you’re in for an over-the-top excessive treat when the title of the movie explodes and a space shuttle is almost instantly destroyed. And that’s before asteroids rain down on New York causing the type of big budget chaos and destruction only Michael Bay (or Roland Emmerich) can cause. All this before Bruce even sets foot on screen with his shotgun and oil rig.

Armageddon is a Blockbuster Movie. It has everything summer blockbusters used to have before the market became over saturated with super heroes, and big budget movies started to be released all year long. Remember when September was dumping ground season, now every month can be that.

The effects are wild and an incredible mix of practical and CGI. And, while plenty of the CGI looks somewhat dated, the miniatures and practical explosions look amazing. Bay at his absolute finest. Was this one of the last films to really use such incredible miniatures? I miss them so much.

The story is dumb, but that’s what makes Armageddon so brilliant. You’re forced to watch along with the insane plot, otherwise, why are you even here? With a planet killing asteroid on a collision course with Earth our only hope for survival is to blow the asteroid in half, for that we need to drill a hole to its core and set of a nuke. For that we need… oil diggers. Fuck Yeah!

It’s insane, but… it means we get incredibly fun characters all in a fish out of water scenario meaning an endless supply of funny dialogue and situation comedy. Bruce Willis is always dependable in this sort of role, while Billy Bob Thornton gives the movie some gravitas with a performance a lot stronger than it needed to be. Steve Buscemi provides a lot of the humour alongside Michael Duncan Clarke, while Peter Stormare makes a late break to steal the whole film as the Russian Cosmonaut Lev. It’s a solid cast, and despite some comments after the fact, I think everyone knew what type of movie they were in and played their part.

Despite the insane plot and destructive action the movie believe it or not is somewhat restraint at times. There isn’t a set piece every five minutes, instead a number of human plots play out through the movie including Willis, Affleck and Liv Tylers father son daughter dynamic, and Will Patton has a nice side story too. The film wants you too know what these Oil Driller Astronauts are fighting to save, and does a good job.

The third act does eventually descend into Looney Tunes, but in the movies defence they did pre-warn you about that as Buscemi and Billy Bob did discuss how NASA’s rockets are more sophisticated than Wile E. Coyote’s. But, by the time the shuttles are swirling around in asteroid debris, four wheelers are jumping chasm’s in space with Russians hanging from the back of them, Buscemi is armed with a mini-gun, and Willis and William Fichtner fight over a nuke on the asteroid, you’re either all in, or have long since turned it off… so it’s all in good fun.

Armageddon is unapologetic Bayham. A big movie with big stars and a a big concept. It’s a disaster movie action flick which doesn’t skimp on either, yet still finds some room for character, and has a sense of humour through-out, while also some surprising touching moments between the three leads. It’s always going to be remembered as a dumb silly insane movie, and that’s a fair conclusion. But, there is heart in this movie too, both in the story, and the craft. So sit back, and enjoy the insanity with a box of animal crackers.