(1998)
2
Jason Clark
Exactly what you'd expect from the Jerry Bruckheimer school of action extravaganzas, this gargantuan asteroid-hitting-Earth tale works on its own blockbuster terms, but offers nothing that countless other big-budget offerings haven't. Drenched in director Michael Bay's signature orange hues and amber waves of grain, Armageddon bogs itself down in an unbelievably silly romantic subplot with wide-eyed lovers Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler that is actually harder to stomach than its hackneyed and contrived space logic. Bruce Willis employs his trademark scowl here, but the movie has some expert components, namely Billy Bob Thornton's measured, intelligent turn as a NASA honcho and an amusing Owen Wilson as one of our unlikely heroes. The film contains a certain dumb charm, but that's hardly a reason to make it memorable. Interestingly, the film was a box-office smash in America and overseas, despite it being the oft-cited example of Hollywood soullessness by critics all over the nation, who deplore its quick-cutting, fast-food sensibilities.
Armageddon on AllMovie
Armageddon (1998)
