Rewatched this film last Saturday

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2009)

Well I read the review done by Marcus Eden-Ellis from United Kingdom last week and though it to be quite silly, but since I did not see the film recently I couldn't comment. On Saturday as I was flicking through the channels and my missus was sleeping next to me I saw Armageddon on TV, so I started watching it until 1 AM... and today I am going to comment on some of the points that were criticised.
First of all: THIS IS A FICTIONARY FILM!!!! You watch it as fiction, it is pure entertainment. But if you want to be scientifically accurate... there is no proof to say this film is inaccurate... hence the fact that no one on Earth flew a ship onto an asteroid to blow it up... I hardly call that stupid. Remember the world used to be flat until not so long ago, and people got burned at a stake if they said they could fly.
I honestly watched this and 11 years on and I still think it is brilliant just as when I saw it in the cinema. It makes you connect with the characters, you actually feel sad and I bet some people cried at the end. It has plenty of action... and will keep you entertained.
My Defence for the film: Why didn't NASA send its own astronauts?? well let's see, the job was to drill on a new terrain never drilled on before. The drill team have been at it for over 30 years... so professionals... that was their jobs. Just like the pilots for the ships, I could ask why didn't they teach the drillers how to fly the ship and send them without pilots? Oh and if NASA did decide to send its pilots instead of the drillers the film would become Deep Impact:) how about that eh? I have to agree that they didn't need the Gatling guns... specially since they were trying to save space and weight.
"12-inch diameter drills that make 36-inch diameter holes", well lets see the drill head was a lot wider than the pipe... guess that details was missed out by the viewer.
Sun glasses in a space helmet? who cares... I can drop down shades in my motorbike helmet with the click of a button... why wouldn't that be possible in a space suit? Animal crackers scene... what was wrong with that? Couple being silly... romantic...
'personnel trackers' on astronauts? wow that would be very very hard right? since these days you have personal GPS systems to track your kids, dog, wife:)... etc "Ben Affleck succeeds in singlehandedly causing the whole joint to explode in spectacular Hollywood fashion." and I though the space station blew up because of sparks and faulty fuel lines... but maybe I need to watch it again for the 10th time just to make sure.
"800 feet into something the size of TX is less than a pinprick" glad people paid attention to the fact that the asteroid was a lot wider than shallow, so yeah flat way size of Texas, deep... no idea they didn't say but 800 feet was enough to cause the fissures and blow it up.
A gun smuggled onboard? Well since it was a military/NASA/government with civilians I would say that would be acceptable.
I think I covered most of the bad points, but wait the best one: "Space Dementia": Space dementia is the term NASA uses to describe the hypothetical mental condition a few astronauts experience when they're in space. This can be contributed towards feelings of insignificance, insecurity lack of social contact and the astronauts awareness of total isolation from the human race. The truth is actually stranger than fiction. In NASA's guidelines for space station emergencies and crisis's there is also guidelines on how to handle mental breakdowns What should be done when a fellow astronaut goes bonkers? Astronauts are instructed to bind the stricken flier's wrists and ankles with duct tape, restrain the torso with bungee cords and administer strong tranquilizers.
All in all I think I said enough, 11 years on and this film is a classic, has brilliant actors, good action, love story, humour and it allows you to connect with some of the characters.