Just back from Prague and with new reviews to write :)
Just back from Prague and with new reviews to write :)
Member since:09.03.2007
Reviews:36
Members who trust:18
I’ve come to realise that writing a film review on Ciao is a lot harder than…say writing a review about a computer. On one hand if you give too much away about the plot then people who haven’t seen the film hate you. Alternatively don’t say enough and even more people hate you and complain that you haven’t given them enough information. I hope this review manages to strike a balance, but I am sure I will find out if it 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 repair mission, which is rudely interrupted with a swarm of meteors that destroy the shuttle and send one of the crew members off into space with a broken mask. Cut to New York City and these same meteorites rain destruction on the city – all in glorious CGI wizardry. To be 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 everyone and everything.
In situations like this you would expect NASA to call on their top scientists and devise a solution, but it seems like the only person who can save the world is a roughneck oil driller named Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his team of oddball co-workers. Together they must fly to the asteroid and destroy it. All in less than two and a half hours, with plenty of time left for schmaltz and soft rock ballads.
Why I like it ========= I first went to see this when it came out at the pictures and I was blown away by the visual effects and sounds. Seeing it in a cinema with the wide screen and Dolby surround sound really added to the atmosphere. I have managed to recreate this partly with my wide-screen telly and surround sound speakers and I am happy to say it loses very little in terms of video and audio impact. As mentioned previously the visual effects have aged very well and still look as realistic as they did back then.
I think I liked this film as well because it is a topic I am genuinely interested and I know that one day the earth could be threatened by a giant asteroid. I hope that if it is then we have better people to call on than Bruce Willis though!
This type of film is what I think would be called ‘A no brainer’. You aren’t going to get deep plotlines or 3-dimensional characters. What you will get is loads of action, some genuinely funny moments and surprisingly enough some quite touching moments, which is unusual for a Bruce Willis film.
One thing I should warn any potential viewer of is that this film contains possibly the most sickening 5 minutes of dialog I have ever seen in my life. I challenge anyone to watch the “animal crackers” section without either throwing up or laughing hysterically. I know it is meant to be a touching scene with someone who is putting his life on the line, but this scene is really, really bad.
Extras ===== The DVD I am reviewing here is the ‘2-disc special edition’, as I could not find that on Ciao and this seemed to be the nearest equivalent. Therefore some of the features I list here might not appear on your version.
- Audio commentary - Deleted scenes - Storyboard and Production Design drawings - Analysis of Special Effects - Theatrical Trailer - Featurette by Production Designer - Aerosmith Music Video.
Conclusion ========= I would rate this film in my top 10 films of all time. I don’t know what this says about me, but some of my other favourite films include Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption, so I have managed to convince myself that I don’t just like a film because it has good special effects. If you are looking to be entertained then this is a great film and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you are looking for a though provoking film then I suggest you look elsewhere.
Believe it or not there are websites setup to debunking the science behind films like Armageddon. Apparently sound does not travel through the vacuum of space. Yeah, well that’s probably true but who cares. It is a FILM for goodness sake, not a scientific documentary. If you can suspend belief for the couple of hours that it is on then you will enjoy it.
Cast === Harry Stamper – Bruce Willis Dan Truman (NASA) – Billy Bob Thornton Ben Affleck – A J Frost Liv Tyler – Grace Stamper Steve Buscemi – Rockhound Michael Clark Duncan – Bear Will Patton – Charles ‘Chuck’ Patton
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
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
I fell asleep on this one and haven't tried watching it again since lol. Good review!
Soho_Black 11.07.2007 14:38
Sorry for the H, but if this is to be a full DVD review, I would prefer to see a review of the extras in similar detail to the way you've reviewed the film, rather than just a list of them.
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)
Jun 15th, 2007
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (88%):
helpful by (6%):
