... Films such as "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" are two prime examples of this sort of the film, but the one which stands out most in my mind is "Armageddon". Not because it is the most realistic or engaging, far from it, in fact the whole premise of the film is so ridiculous ... Read review
This 1998 testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director ... more
Michael Bay (The Rock,Bad Boys) continued Hollywood's millennium-fuelled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understand what mainstream 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, of course, lovable) 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 fetishising 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 try to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable to populate the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humour andcharisma.When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only whenArmageddontackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not sinceMississippi Burninghave racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's notwhite and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable female characters--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'". Sadly, she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than all 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
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Four billion years ago in the Andromeda Nebula an ambitious project was launched. An ... more
ancient race of aliens seeing that there was no other intelligent life in the Universe set their massive supercomputers the task of seeding more races that could grow to sentience. The project was known as the Omega Program. The human race was the result of this project. However humans were not the only races to grow from the Omega Program and lurking in the future is the deadliest threat the human race has ever faced. In time the products of this Program are destined to clash in violent opposition. Hopelessly outnumbered by the technologically superior enemy Earth has one last hope - the secret fail-safe of the Omega Program - the Delta Boy living avatar of the supercomputer that began life on Earth. His only problem is staying alive long enough to save his future - and that of all humanity...
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2003 - Action & Adventure - Director: Mark Steven Johnson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Joe Pantoliano, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: Great action and humour Disadvantages: Some dodgy special effects and cliche ridden dialogue
►►► Synopsis
When a huge meteor the size of Texas is spotted in the night skies heading our way, spelling out impending doom for the whole world, the brains at NASA come up with a solution to save the day. Employing the services of the world's best deep driller, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his team of men, they put them through a crash course in becoming astronauts in the hope of firing them into space where ... ...and plant a nuclear bomb.
►►► Opinion
For some reason there has been a trend in cinema for many years to launch a big blockbuster film where the basis of the plot is that the world faces impending doom only for the Americans to save the day with some hair brained idea. Films such as "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" are two prime examples of this sort of the ... more
►►► Synopsis
When a huge meteor the size of Texas is spotted in the night skies heading our way, spelling out impending doom for the whole world, the brains at NASA come up with a solution to save the day. Employing the services of the world's best deep driller, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his team of men, they put them through a crash course in becoming astronauts in the hope of firing them into space where they will land on the meteor, drill a huge hole and plant a nuclear bomb.
►►► Opinion
For some reason there has been a trend in cinema for many years to launch a big blockbuster film where the basis of the plot is that the world faces impending doom only for the Americans to save the day with some hair brained idea. Films such as "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" are two prime examples of this sort of the film, but the one which stands out most in my mind is "Armageddon". Not because it is the most realistic or engaging, far from it, in fact the whole premise of the film is so ridiculous that I wonder how the writers can come up with such far fetched ideas. The reason that "Armageddon" sticks in my mind is that it is a big budget production which whilst being stupid is amazingly entertaining with a mix of decent characters, some great special effects, a huge dose of humour and whilst not the most realistic of plots it is one which keeps you watching once you disengage your brain.
As already mentioned, the plot itself is as far fetched as they come and to be honest is so full of holes that you could be excused for thinking that Harry Stamper himself had been practicing his drilling skills with it. But then you wouldn't expect anything more of a modern disaster movie, as the emphasis these days seem to be on entertaining the audiences with big effects and humour rather than tight, realistic plots. Despite being totally unrealistic it does a reasonable job and although not overly complex or dramatic it does keep the audience entertained. There are also several minor sub plots, many of them pretty irrelevant in relation to the telling of the main story such as a father leaving his estranged wife and son, but the one which does seem to tie in is one which revolves around a romance between Harry's daughter and one of his crew. Of course this is pretty predictable stuff and allows for the stereotypical farewell scene where are brave young man has to leave his loved one behind, but it wouldn't be a disaster movie with out this element. There lies the essence of what "Armageddon" is, it is a predictable disaster movie which does not attempt to add anything to this already packed genre, it just tries to do everything as well as it can, whilst not always succeeding. The same can be said about the dialogue which is littered with over the top, cliché speeches which instead of delivering any real emotion or meaning are more comical than anything.
But whilst the plot and dialogue may not be of a high standard, the humour dispersed throughout the film is in my mind what saves it from being a complete and utter joke. From the introduction to Harry Stamper, as we see him launching golf balls off an oil rig at some green peace protestors whilst saying he donates money to them every year, you know that the film will be full of wise cracks especially with Willis in the lead role. Not that all these jokes work and at times you are left bewildered as to what the writers were thinking, but for the majority of the time the jokes are good and add a nice touch to a predictable film. What is really good is for 90% of the film, it moves at a break neck speed not allowing you to think things through before they hit you with the next gag, location shift or special effect. In a way it is like a trailer for a film where they pack all the most explosive bits together cutting out any real meaningful bits which may bore a perspective viewer, in this case of "Armageddon" is has very few meaningful bits anyway and is all about the action and adventure rather than anything else.
Of course all modern day disaster movies need a strong lead and in the case of "Armageddon" they have come up trumps with Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper. Easily mixing "Die Hard" style action with "Moonlighting" humour he is near on perfect for the role, my only issue comes when he has to deliver some actual meaningful dialogue, as he actually looks like he is laughing. To be honest, he probably was as the dialogue was so cheesy I would have struggled to keep a straight face whilst trying to deliver it. Adding to the mix you have the romantic pairing of Ben Affleck as Harry's top driller A.J. Frost and the gorgeous Liv Tyler as his daughter (Harry's that is). Whilst the romantic plot they have to work with is nothing but tosh, they at least manage to give the viewer some youthful eye candy, especially as the majority of the cast which includes Billy Bob Thornton, Will Patton and Steve Buscemi are not the most conventionally handsome of stars. One high light of the film is Rockhound played by the aforementioned Steve Buscemi, whose geeky appearance is at odds with the rugged muscular looks of his fellow oil rig workers, but whose one line gags are on par with the quick fire wise cracks from Willis. As you can see, there are a few big name stars in "Armageddon" and that is without mentioning Owen Wilson, William Fichtner and Michael Clarke Duncan to name a few more, but big names does not mean big performances and whilst no one really puts in a duff turn, there is nothing award winning about any of them either.
It may come as no surprise when you learn that "Armageddon" is the collaboration of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay who between them have made films such as "Pearl Harbor" and "The Rock". Whilst they may not have had the best material to work with when it comes to the plot and dialogue they have managed to turn into a reasonable disaster movie which will entertain as well as make you inadvertently laugh. Although some of the special effects they use are pretty spectacular, likewise some of them are just too fake which is quite unusual seeing that Bruckheimer is quite a stickler for accuracy when it comes to his films. Of course you cannot talk about "Armageddon" with out mentioning that song, you know the one, "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, the rock ballad which seemed to be everywhere for at least a year after the films cinematic release. Personally I hate it, but it is synonymous with the film, I prefer the seemingly impromptu performance of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" which is actually sung by the actors themselves.
►►► Summary
So where do I stand on "Armageddon", well it is predictable, cliché and full of holes not just with the plot but the dialogue and some of the special effects, but despite that I actually enjoy it. It is one of those films where you can just sit back, disengage brain and enjoy the quick fire wise cracks, over the top special effects and simple plot. Add to this Bruce Willis who is in fine form through out the whole film and you have a reasonable way to spend a couple of hours, although at 150 minutes it is quite long. Of course this is not going to be everybody's cup of tea but if you like action, blockbusters such as "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Rock", then there is a good chance you will enjoy "Armageddon".
►►► Price & Availability
Amazon.co.uk: £5.98
►►► Technical Details
Certificate: 12 Duration: 150 mins Year of Release: 1998 Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Michael Bay Writer(s): Robert Roy Pool, Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve Buscem, William Fichtner, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Stormare, Ken Hudson Campbell, Jessica Steen, Keith David, Chris Ellis, Jason Isaacs
Advantages: Bang, crash wallop what a picture Disadvantages: The Cheesiest Trailer I've ever seen. Buscemi Deleted scene. girlfriend on the sideline sydrome
...The Review The Film Armageddon arrived on our screens as one of the two big meteor pictures of 1998. The other being Deep impact. This was the action movie version rather than the dramatic version that deep impact was. It was third of the (currently) five film run from Michael Bay and high octane producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It was also their first outing without the late Don Simpson. The film is definitely designed to be fun rather than serious despite ... ...no time setting up character instead it goes straight in the destruction of the Chrysler Building in New York. It then follows this later in the movie with attacks on various world cities including the total destruction of Paris. The performances are universally great in this movie. Not only do we have Willis turning in one of his everyday hero performances we also have Coen Regulars Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare. John Carpenter regular Keith ...
Pa8ax 16.11.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Armageddon (DVD)
Advantages: Good action packed movie with some great visual effects Disadvantages: End of the world again....
Armageddon (Film Review Only)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Plot.
============
Earth is about to be hit by a huge meteor, which will cause total devastation. Earth wants to fight back, and N.A.S.A. has come up with a plan. Send two shuttles up to the meteor and drill a big hole in the meteor. Fill the hole with a nuclear bomb and blow the meteor in half, causing the two halves to deflect different directions and totally miss earth. Simple ... ...N.A.S.A.'s executive director, Dan Trueman (Billy Bob Thornton), realises that there is 18 days left before it will be destroyed by a huge meteor heading straight for it in outer space he has to come up with a plan fast. He needs the help of Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), an Oil Rig drilling expert and his half-baked crew of rough and ready men. N.A.S.A are going to send up two space shuttles, one containing Harry and half of his crew, and the second ...
welshwickedone 30.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Armageddon (DVD)
Advantages: Special effects, sound, action Disadvantages: Cracker scene
...doesn’t.
The plot
======
Armageddon followed the seeming trend of making two or three films about the same subject each year – the previous year was volcanoes (Dantes Peak and Volcano), last year for some strange reason was magicians (I think), but this particular year (1998) was the year of the asteroid film. Two were released – Deep impact, which I found rather dull and Armageddon, which I found rather less dull.
The story begins with a shuttle ... ...fair the special effects in Armageddon still look great, even 9 years down the line – often films age really badly (Day of the Triffids anyone?), but this has aged very well.
NASA are obviously slightly worried that New York has been obliterated by these meteorites and even more worried when they discover that these meteors are but the vanguard of an even bigger meteor (the size of Texas apparently), which will hit the earth in 18 days and kill ...
fryera2 15.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Armageddon (DVD)
Advantages: Great film, Great soundtrack. Disadvantages:
~I settled down one night to watch this film on video.I knew basically what the plot was about, and i'd heard that it was a very long film, now that can sometimes be the downfall of a movie that's not that good, but after two hours i still didn't want this film to end.
~The plot is this, the shuttle Atlanta, while doing routine work in space, is blown up by a meteor shower.Then soon after New York is bombarded by the meteor's(brilliant special effects), ... ...very powerful telescope see's an explosion in space, and when he tell's NASA they lock onto his co-ordinates, and they discover to their horror(and everyone else's), an asteroid the size of texas heading straight for earth(wouldn't be much of a film if it wasn't would it), and if it hits earth the whole planet will be destroyed.
(great performance by Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Trueman the man in charge at NASA)
~So, they get their heads together, ...
kaztaz 02.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Armageddon (DVD)
Advantages: Special Effects, Plot, Range of Emotions Disadvantages: The Action scenes seemed a little long for me
Armageddon is an old film- first released in 1998, starring many blockbuster actors including of course Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Billy Bob Thornton. I recently watched it for the second time primarily because colleagues were saying it was impossible to watch with bursting into shed loads of tears at the end. (And that was the men.) I could not remember having watched it and thinking I must have missed a decent chic flick, I hastily borrowed ... ...seen it before, but obviously the memory of my tears didn’t stay with me for six years!
Basic Plot
------------
Our delicate Planet Earth is under threat from a meteor attack, perhaps even worse than the meteor which was to have wiped out the dinosaurs and caused the previous Ice Age. In New York City (poignantly still with the twin towers) we find that the city is under attack from a meteor shower, causing severe damage. Scientists determine ...
helencbradshaw 16.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Armageddon (DVD)
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Advantages: Exellent Matches. Disadvantages: Dissapointing Endings to a couple...
WWE Armageddon 2008 DVD
It was the 16th of December and I was ready to watch the last pay per view on the WWE's wrestling card. Every single Wrestling fan knows all about Armageddon and some of the great matches that this pay per view event has held in the past. There have been some memorable matches and contests such as when The Undertaker faced Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2005, or when Triple HHH defeated HBK Shawn Michaels in a 3 stages of Hell match at Armageddon 2002, but some of you may not even know that much about Armageddon so let me tell you what it is all about...
What Is WWE Armageddon
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Advantages: Three stages of hell Disadvantages: The rest is like hell
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All in all Armageddon 2002 was very lacking of any big matches, and the main event is pretty much the only match that served as a way to sell the event. There is a 15 certificate on the event, so obviously the rating people obviously didn't think the main event was too violent. It will run for just under 3 hours, like every WWE event I have reviewed thus far. Except for holding a piece of the HHH/HBK feud there is no other reason to own this DVD, so I would not recommend it to fans and not fans alike. ...
Advantages: The Card, Main Event, Evolution Disadvantages: Pyro
WWE Armageddon was a RAW exclusive PPV and it was brilliant! The highlight of the event was "Evolution" gaining all the titles on RAW. This is well worth a buy. As a reader said my review wasnt clear as to what the event is, The event is a World Wrestling Entertainment Pay Per View from the "Raw" brand.
The first title of the night was the 2nd best of the night. Randy Orton vs Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Title was instantly made a memorable one. Mick Foley was also the Special Guest Referee (Randy Orton and Mick Foley would start to feud after this event). The quality of the match was superb and had High Flying RVD at his best with the all star package Randy Orton dominating. Orton eventually went on to RKO RVD for the win.
It is interesting to mention this PPV featured Jericho and Christian facing Trish ...
Audio Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Storyboard And Production Design Drawings, Analysis Of Special Effects, Featurette By Production Designer, Theatrical Trailer, Aerosmith Music Video
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Ultra Stereo
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Ultra Stereo English
DVD Description
A low earth orbit space station is in the middle of a repair mission with the space shuttle when an unforeseen meteor shower obliterates them both. This sudden event sends fireballs hurtling to Earth and scientists scurrying to telescopes. An amateur astronomer is the first to spy a gigantic fireball headed towards the planet and notifies NASA. Turner (Thornton) informs the president of the asteroid and describes it as being the size of Texas, a planet-killer. With eighteen days to impact, NASA frantically tries to find a solution but ends up turning to an outside contractor. Harry Stamper (Willis) and his team of ragamuffin roughneck oilmen are called upon to save the planet as only they can.
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