Ciao let me come back :)
I hope I will get to see some old friends :)
Ciao let me come back :)
I hope I will get to see some old friends :)
Member since:21.01.2002
Reviews:91
Members who trust:28
***** PLEASE NOTE***** I wrote this opinion on Dooyoo back in February. I didn't post it on Ciao. However, someone else on this site has taken it upon themselves to post it word for word and claim it as their own. I HAVE CONTACTED CIAO ABUSE. So, here it is, with my name on it. I wrote it. Check if you want. Look on Dooyoo in February. My user name there is the same.
I would be grateful if you could go to the other opinion and re-rate accordingly.
Oh, and it really upset me because it was the first opinion I ever wrote, and I thought it was good!
Let’s face it, the UK (region 2) DVD market is usually a bit of a joke. While our friends across the pond in Region 1-land get gorgeous first releases packed with yummy extras, we get palmed off with basic discs. New films are still being released on Region 2 DVD with extras lists consisting of “interactive menus and scene access”; if we’re really lucky we might even get a theatrical trailer (woo hoo!).
Those of us who love the undoubtedly superior sound and picture quality of DVD (plus, of course, you never need to rewind them), dutifully shell out our fifteen quid or so to buy the latest releases. We moan about the lack of extras, but we lay down the dosh anyway. Then, a few months later, out comes the super-duper, special collector’s, whistles and bells version, and off we trot and buy that one as well.
This is a marketing ploy that must have made the industry a fortune. The DVD market is the fastest-growing consumer market in history, so why not have two bites at the cherry. The difference is, the Americans wouldn’t stand for this. Why are prices so much lower in the States? Because consumers won’t pay more.
We Brits, however, we say, “That’s just what things cost; please take all our money and please don’t knock us over as you run, laughing hysterically, all the way to the bank.”
I’m glad I got that rant off my chest. So, to Armageddon. Having learned from the above, I (with great difficulty) held myself in check when the film was first released on DVD. With a film as visually rich and exciting as this, I knew there was a better disc waiting in the wings. And, lo and behold, a few months later, there it was. The Criterion Collection, Special 2-Disc Collector’s Edition – the DVD lover’s Holy Grail, with more mouth-watering special features than you can shake an extremely large stick at.
We will ignore the fact that the plot of the film is implausible and accept that, unless you are totally anally retentive, it is great fun and incredibly entertaining. If you are contemplating buying the DVD, we will take it as read that you actually like the film.
The film stars Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi and Will Patton, amongst others. And it's the story of a ragtag band of roughneck oil drillers who are sent into space by NASA to blow up an asteroid which is heading towards earth.
It's a fantastic no-brainer of a film, with great action, likeable characters and an awesome soundtrack.
And so to the DVD.
We start with subtitles in French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and English for the hearing impaired. Not much use to me, but if I was French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian or deaf, very useful.
Next we have some deleted scenes. This is a director’s cut of the movie, so some scenes missing from the original release have been popped back in. They also give you the ones that stayed on the cutting room floor. It would have been interesting if director Michael Bey had recorded a voice-over telling us why he left them out, but you can’t have everything.
The featurettes on this disc are awesome. Eleven of them pertain to special effects in the film; how the opening scenes of the destruction of the space shuttle were done; the meteor shower over New York (which is kind of difficult to watch in a post-September 11th world); the destruction of Paris (my personal favourite); and various others.
Some people might say that knowing how special effects are done spoils them – not me. I am endlessly fascinated by these featurettes. I love seeing how computer effects are blended seamlessly with live action and model effects. The section on how the destruction of Paris was filmed - blending images of buildings being blown up in the computer with live explosions shot in a sandpit – was particularly interesting.
There are a further six featurettes about production design; how the asteroid was modelled; the space vehicles used in the film, et cetera.
These mini-documentaries give you a real feeling for how film makers work and the endless tiny details which go together to make a great action film.
Storyboards of two of the main action sequences of the film (the rock storm and the Armadillo jump) are also included, along with the original theatrical trailer and the music video for “I don’t want to miss a thing” with an intro chat by Aerosmith.
Finally, the feast of extras ends with two (yes, count ‘em, two) commentary tracks - one by director Michael Bey, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and actors Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck – the other by director of photography John Schwartzman, NASA consultant Dr Joe Allen and Asteroid Consultant Ivan Beckey.
The former is full of fascinating little snippets from the director. For example, Michael Bey felt that the real NASA compound wasn’t “sexy enough” for him. He felt that the audience would not find the real buildings believable, considering the viewer’s romantic perceptions of the work that goes on there. So, they used a striking glass and steel structure as their NASA headquarters – in reality it is the offices of a health food company. Little snippets like these feed my insatiable curiosity about the film industry and only add to my sense of satisfaction on viewing the film.
The latter commentary is also full of interesting detail about the technical and scientific aspects of the film. Do you know the difference between an asteroid and a meteorite? This commentary will tell you. And yes, the technical advisors told the director that there are no explosions with balls of fire in space because of the lack of atmosphere – but it looks good! It’s a bit dry in places, but fascinating none the less.
Now for the science bit – the disc offers Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and the picture format is 2:35:1 widescreen. If you have the right hardware, this disc offers the true home cinema experience. Dolby sound makes the great sound effects and stonking score seem enormous and the pin-sharp picture quality makes the visual aspects of the film almost as rewarding as they were in the cinema. Try watching the big special effects sequences on ultra slow playback and you will get a new respect for the technicians who created them. If you don’t have a huge widescreen TV and Dolby, it still sounds and looks great.
The interactive menus are beautifully programmed and the 31 chapters (in a 147 minute film) mean that you can dip easily into your favourite bits.
On a more practical note, the discs come in a nice, robust, hard plastic double flipper case, with an attractive cardboard outer sleeve. This is not the most important piece of information in the world, but when I shell out twenty quid, I want attention to detail.
So, in conclusion, this is a great film that truly benefits from the enhancements of DVD. The extras are fab and comprehensive, informative and interesting and the quality is great. It is a worthy addition to any true DVD lover’s collection, but shop around before you buy because it is available for as little as £14.99. My only complaint is why did we have to wait so long!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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: 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
It's a shame there are so many evil copy monsters out there. Great op. <>
Calypte 31.05.2002 10:57
Glad you got the plagiarism problem sorted - I had the same the yesterday, on 'the other side', but - and how dumb is this? - they'd copied and pasted the review on the same site!!!? :o
Howiemon 26.05.2002 18:25
Noooooo AJ, Armageddon is pants, pants, pants! However, you're opening rant had me cheering all the way - you go girl!! And fair do's, it is a good DVD although I hasten to add that I borrowed it, and didn't buy it. Superb review, but why have I only had 1 e-mail alert when you've written about 10 new ops? You've been a proper busy lass and I've missed it! Photo's an evryfink. I shall be having words with the Ciao Gods. (BTW - Michael Bay, with an 'a' not an 'e')
When NASA's executive director Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) makes the terrifying ... more
realisation that the Earth has just 18 days before it's obliterated by a meteor the size of Texas he has only one option - land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drille...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Bang, crash wallop what a picture Disadvantages: The Cheesiest Trailer I've ever seen. Buscemi Deleted scene. girlfriend on the sideline sydrome
Pa8ax 16.11.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Armageddon (DVD)
May 20th, 2002
very helpful by (98%):
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