Rock Bottom

Rating: 1/10 (1 August 2001)

I usually avoid most summer 'action' flicks, because I can tell by the ad campaigns that they are going to suck big time. Unfortunately, I got dragged to this at the multiplex, and my fears were more than justified.
"Armageddon" is as bad as big-time blockbusters can get. It's no fun to rip it, really - it's just too easy of a target. What bugs me is all the self-righteous comments on IMDB from users trying to justify their own low, low, LOW standards to discriminating moviegoers like myself.

There is something called "suspension of disbelief" that is the basis for enjoying films or plays. It means that the creators attempt to present a story in a reasonably plausible fashion, in order to allow the audience to forget they are watching something fictional and react as if the events were actually occurring. THAT is why this movie is so hated - it makes no pretense of believability or originality, it just tries to beat you into submission. When I am paying $9 to see a movie that cost more than $100 million, I should not have to turn off my brain to get my money's worth.

Check out some of the classic action movies, like "Road Warrior", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the original "Terminator", or, more recently, "Braveheart", and you will see the difference. None of these films is exactly a documentary, yet they manage to entertain without assaulting the viewer.