Good Fun

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2005)

Well, I really don't know exactly how plausible this all is, but it's hard to deny this is a fun movie to watch.
Bruce Willis is very good as a supposedly world-renowned drilling expert, asked to save the world by flying up into space, landing on a hurtling asteroid, and drilling down into it so a nuclear bomb can be implanted, hopefully causing the asteroid to disintegrate and float harmlessly past earth.
It feels funny writing that last paragraph, but it actually works in the movie. Obviously, this is the type of movie to put your brain in neutral, and just enjoy it for what it is.
Willis manages a crew of misfits that can best be described as "motley". Billy Bob Thornton does very well as the sober, earnest NASA mission controller. The action is excellent, and the tension is palpable as this motley crew races against the clock, and fights off deadly elements to save the world.
This is very well done, and you end up rooting for this bunch, and get a huge lump in your throat at the end. By the time the movie is done, you will feel exhausted.
It's a fairy tale, yes, but it's presented well and acted well, and is thoroughly enjoyable.