Put Your Guns Down, I'm Not A Michael Bay Fanboy!

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2008)

I don't belong to the apparent elitists who despise Michael Bay's film-making because he doesn't direct Schindler's List or Pulp Fiction, but I don't belong to the fanboy cult of Michael Bay either, I just enjoy a good movie every once in a while and Michael Bay just so happens to have a few of them on his resume. Michael Bay is to big budget action movies as Hitchcock is to thrillers or George Lucas is to science fiction. He makes films that are loud, fast, action-packed and quite frankly, fun to watch. Isn't that what movies are supposed to be about? Armageddon was probably the most anticipated movie of 1998 (other than maybe Saving Private Ryan) . I'd rank it in my top two or three of 1998 (The others being Saving Private Ryan and American History X). It's not the next Schindler's List and it doesn't strive to be. It stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in the main roles. The supporting cast is underrated, well-balanced and fun to watch, from Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson and Steve Buscemi down to lesser know actors Marshall R. Teague and Jessica Steen.
Yes, the plot and premise may not be the most believable, but neither is King Kong, Lord of The Rings or Star Wars. These pseudo-critics on IMDb whine about "poor science" behind the movie, or the poor plot or the stereotypical cast. You know what? Who friggin' cares? It's a movie that's made for sheer fun, for entertainment, for bringing your family to enjoy a couple of hours of action, thundering explosions, fast vehicles and a little romance. Armageddon, despite what the Ebert and Roeper apprentices in here think, is entertainment at its best. Stop whining and enjoy yourself.
We are all familiar with the story by now. An asteroid the size of Texas is on path to impact with Earth, which would destroy all forms of life on it. The world only has 18 days until impact. The only way to stop it is to blow it up from the inside by drilling to its core. For that, NASA recruits the worlds's best deep-core driller in Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his renegade drilling crew. The crew, along with some NASA astronauts and an unlucky Russian cosmonaut, journey to the asteroid and embark upon the mission to destroy it and with that, save the entire planet.
Along the way, the crew endures despite losing lives, having to overcome huge obstacles, and having to make decisions that will affect not only the world but themselves. The movie is filled with a few emotional moments that will bring tears to some eyes, a score that is grandiose and is a large part of the film, and strives to be patriotic and the cinematography reflects it. I couldn't help but feel patriotic and moved while watching the movie. The sound and visual effects in the movie were awesome, which its four Oscar nominations reflect. (Home theater aficionados will also appreciate the visual and sound effects in this movie).
This movie is a lot of things. It's fun, it's moving, it's sad and it's romantic. Above all, it's one of the more entertaining movies I have seen. The cast had a lot of chemistry together and seemed to have a lot of fun which is reflected in the film. This was Ben Affleck's first big box-office action movie and he gives a good first effort. Bruce Willis takes on the role of Harry Stamper with ease like the action movie veteran he is. Liv Tyler is sweet as Harry's daughter and their emotional goodbye is to be remembered.
With having said all that, the Criterion Collection release of Armageddon is a treat. It offers 2 commentary tracks, one featuring the director Michael Bay, actors Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has comments on several interesting things. Affleck's commentary is sometimes very funny. The other commentary track features the Director of Photography and special effects crew. The commentary includes interesting details, including background information on the characters and filming locations. Note: The commentary is raw and sometimes laced with profanity, although the movie itself is rated PG-13, for reasons explained in the commentary.
Although it's not much, this collection is also a Director's Cut and has a couple scenes added, notable of which is Harry Stamper's character visiting his father before launch. Some other scenes are cut slightly differently, adding some depth to the story.
The Gag reel on the second disk is extremely funny, raw, and not your typical "behind-the-scenes" documentary. The second disk also features a tremendous amount of information on the special effects and includes many different trailers and promo material. The Aerosmith music video for "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" is also included, although I've never watched it, and probably never will.
In conclusion, Armageddon was the second-highest grossing film of 1998 narrowly behind Saving Private Ryan. That might be something for critics to think about, because obviously A LOT of people saw this movie. All in all, don't listen to the critics here trying to become the next "Top 500 reviewer." See the movie, it's a blast.