A huge steaming pile of jingoistic rubbish...almost

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 1998)

There's only one way this movie could have been saved...kicking Michael Bay, Bruce Willis, Bruckheimer, et al out of the space shuttle and letting Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton go after the asteroid.
There were almost no scenes in this movie that didn't make me groan. C'mon, slow motion shots of kids running around with flags? Bay might as well splash subliminal messages that we're un-American if we don't like the movie.
Liv Tyler, normally an above average actress, was so shabby and hollow she was almost unattractive (almost...) Of course, the script didn't do her any favors and don't get me started on that.
As I mentioned the only saving graces were the performances by the "supporting" actors in the quest to save the Earth and without the dragging, cookie cutter, paint-by-numbers presence of Willis, Affleck, etc. this could have been an entertaining, if mindless summer movie. Instead it's just revolting drivel.