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From Amazon.com
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Amazon.com Essential Video
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Armageddon (blu ray)...a fun adrenaline-filled film experience,
By
This review is from: Armageddon - BD [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
In 1998, "Armageddon" was the second highest grossing movie that year (to date: $201 million), just behind "Saving Private Ryan" (to date: $216 million). It has since grossed $554 million worldwide.
The original Touchstone DVD release was non-anamorphic. The Criterion release was slightly improved, but still the video was non-anamorphic. This long awaited blu ray release is worth the wait, and represents the definitive version of this movie. Video: This 1080p AVC MPEG-4 transfer (aspect ratio 2.35:1) looked fantastic, considering the age of this movie. The blacks are inky black with lots of details. The picture was full of vibrant colour. The special effects, although dated, still looked awesome. (4.5/5) Audio: The DTS MA 5.1 mix is much improved from the previous lossy Dolby Digital mix. The result was simply awesome. One could close one's eyes, and just hear discrete sound from individual speakers. The bass also rocked the entire house. To hear Aerosmith singing their #1 hit "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" was very satisfying. (4.5/5) "Armageddon" is a fun fun adrenaline-filled pop-corn film experience with stunning imagery. This blu ray video is totally superior to all previous "Armageddon" home video releases, which featured non-anamorphic video. They looked so bad today that I do not even feel like a double dip. If you like explosions, space shuttles, with a love story, this is the movie for you. One minor point: When the Russian astronaut banged on the computer in the Space Shuttle to restart the engine, he noticed that the parts were "Made in Taiwan". And when I looked at the 3D glasses that I sneaked out from IMAX a few weeks ago, guess what, they were also "made in Taiwan". Some things simply don't change. This blu ray disc is highly recommended.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptionally well-crafted story line,
By
This review is from: Armageddon 98 (VHS Tape)
For me, this is an incredibly difficult movie to review and critique. I feel that the movie did a phenomenal job of developing the story; however, the acting in the movie left something to be desired.In case someone has not seen the movie, I do not want to give much of the story away. An asteroid, classified as a global killer (a global killer meaning that if it impacts earth, there will be total destruction of life), is on a collision course with earth. NASA comes up with the idea of landing on the asteroid, drilling a hole, and dropping a nuclear weapon in the hole and blowing up the asteroid with the intent of splitting it in two and altering its path so it misses earth. While it is a simple story, the movie does an exceptional job developing the plot into a 2-hour movie. The movie incorporates a "gloom and doom" plot with a second story of love, romance, and hope. The first plot is about an oil driller and his band of misfits attempting to work with a group of highly educated astronauts and military pilots to drill a hole on the asteroid (and of course the work together as well as Worcestershire sauce and ice cream). The second story line involves one of the oil drillers falling in love with the owners daughter. The relationship reminds me of a terrible "teen-age" relationship with the seemingly perfect love that young people share coupled with a resentful father who seems to not want to lose his daughter. It is difficult to explain how well the two story lines integrate without ruining the movie for someone who has not seen it. While the plot is superb, the acting in the move is just so-so. I thought the acting of the three headline actors (Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler) was weak at best; they had their great moments, but mostly their acting seemed almost emotionless. I did think a couple of the lesser known actors (mainly Michael Clarke Duncan as "Bear" and Peter Stormare as the Russian astronaut) were incredible in this movie. Personally, due to the overwhelming depressing plot about the end of the earth, I don't think this is a movie I would cuddle with on the couch with a new date. However, I nonetheless think the plot is excellent and I do highly recommend seeing this movie. I give the movie 5 stars for how the movie integrates the two story lines together and develops them into a great plot, not the acting in the movie.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love this movie!!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Armageddon (DVD)
Okay, there's a reason that we go to the movies...to escape everyday life and just enjoy some good old fun for a couple of hours and this movie does it. I don't know, maybe I'm just a Bruce Willis fan, but this movie did entertain me and it's on cable right now and I'm watching it, which is what compelled me to write and defend this fun movie because everyone else is trashing it!
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