Having sat down in 2022 to watch the 1998 action sci-fi movie "Armageddon" for the fifth time or so since it was released, I have to say that director Michael Bay's movie continues to be as enjoyable and entertaining today as it was 24 years ago.
The storyline in "Armageddon", as written by J. J. Abrams, Jonathan Hensleigh and Robert Roy Pool, is rather enjoyable. Sure, it is pretty straight forward stuff, generic and predictable to the core, as it usually is with these end-of-the-world-by-celestrial-bodies-hurling-towards-Earth kind of disaster movies. So you know what you are in for and what you are getting, and the movie's ending is every bit as predictable as you would expect. But it works. Oh yeah, it works.
Aside from having a good and enjoyable, albeit a somewhat cheesy and generic, storyline then "Armageddon" has a really, really impressive cast ensemble. There are so many great talents and names on the cast list here that it is bordering on being overwhelming. With the likes of Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, William Fichtner, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Stormare, Jason Isaacs and Keith David, among many others, then you truly are in for a spectacular cast ensemble. I am not a fan of Ben Affleck in any ways, but I will say that "Armageddon" is by far one of his more memorable and better movie performances. It was Peter Stomare that stole the show here for me, with his performance as the aloof Russian astronaut Lev Andropov.
Visually "Armageddon" is quite good, even 24 years after it was released. And an action sci-fi such as "Armageddon" would have failed catastrophically if it didn't have proper special effects. And believe you me, the special effects hold up even today. So thumbs up to the CGI and special effects teams for this achievement.
"Armageddon" is a timeless movie, a classic in its genre, no doubt about it. Campy and cheesy, for sure, but this is entertainment done right.
My rating of "Armageddon" lands on a well-deserved eight out of ten stars.
The storyline in "Armageddon", as written by J. J. Abrams, Jonathan Hensleigh and Robert Roy Pool, is rather enjoyable. Sure, it is pretty straight forward stuff, generic and predictable to the core, as it usually is with these end-of-the-world-by-celestrial-bodies-hurling-towards-Earth kind of disaster movies. So you know what you are in for and what you are getting, and the movie's ending is every bit as predictable as you would expect. But it works. Oh yeah, it works.
Aside from having a good and enjoyable, albeit a somewhat cheesy and generic, storyline then "Armageddon" has a really, really impressive cast ensemble. There are so many great talents and names on the cast list here that it is bordering on being overwhelming. With the likes of Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, William Fichtner, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Stormare, Jason Isaacs and Keith David, among many others, then you truly are in for a spectacular cast ensemble. I am not a fan of Ben Affleck in any ways, but I will say that "Armageddon" is by far one of his more memorable and better movie performances. It was Peter Stomare that stole the show here for me, with his performance as the aloof Russian astronaut Lev Andropov.
Visually "Armageddon" is quite good, even 24 years after it was released. And an action sci-fi such as "Armageddon" would have failed catastrophically if it didn't have proper special effects. And believe you me, the special effects hold up even today. So thumbs up to the CGI and special effects teams for this achievement.
"Armageddon" is a timeless movie, a classic in its genre, no doubt about it. Campy and cheesy, for sure, but this is entertainment done right.
My rating of "Armageddon" lands on a well-deserved eight out of ten stars.