Superficial and just WRONG - but amusing nonetheless

Rating: 6/10 (23 December 2002)

Armageddon - it's not a new concept. As you may have gathered from the trailer,
SPOILER WARNING
a big asteroid (or comet, they never seem to be able to make up their minds) is heading for Earth, and the only plan that anyone seems to be able to come up with is to send a bunch of oil drillers to drill a hole on this asteroid, drop a nuclear weapon down it, and thus blow it up and save Earth.
END SPOILER WARNING
Is the plot predictable? Oh yes. Is it original? No. Would is work in real life? Over my dead body it would.
Add to that a double overdose of American patriotism, some spotty acting, and you might think you have a big flop on your hands. Which, in a way, you do - but what viewers have to realise is that film is only worth watching if you're willing not to take it seriously, if you're willing to suspend belief for a minute. If you can do that, the film becomes quite entertaining - just don't start looking for seriousness. Quite a bit of the film is (I would say, anyway...) intended to be tongue-in-cheek, I found myself laughing out loud at many, many scenes in the film (especially at some of the to-die(-for) one-liners that the characters seem to sprout at regular intervals.
So: See this film as pure no-brain entertainment. About as deep as a puddle and about as suble as the wrench that Bear holds the first time we see him on the oil rig. But still, in my opinion, entertaining. A light two hours, but steer well clear if you're looking for either real drama, realism (scientific pedants be warned!), real characters, or a real story.