Good entertainment in spite of flaws

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 1999)

"Armageddon" is one of those films that you are not supposed to like. Probably because it's more about special effects than an interesting script. So, having said that, I must admit that even though I didn't want to like it I actually did. Sure, I'm not saying that I like it in the same way I like, for instance, Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night" or Tamahori's "Once Were Warriors", but I still like it. It's not a masterpiece, but I think it is great entertainment and sometimes that's exactly what I need, two hours of watching a film that doesn't force me use my brain too much.
And Billy Bob Thornton's in it! I actually didn't know that before I saw this film (shame on me, because Billy Bob is one of my favourite actors). And Steve Buscemi was hilarious. Peter Stormare was kind of irritating, he needs to get other parts than the ones he's been doing lately (like a German nihilist in "The Big Lebowski" and Velvet in "8MM"), he was still pretty funny though. Bruce Willis was not very good, I think we're all tired of watching him save the world or a city or whatever. Liv Taylor is not the best actress around, but then her part didn't demand much, so I guess she did alright. Ben Affleck was nothing special. I hardly remember he was in the film at all.
Well, good entertainment, at times a lousy script, though, and good performances from at least two people of the castÂ… I'm not ashamed to give this film 5/10.