Armageddon

Rating:
Summary: Jerry Bruckheimer does it again.
Review: "Armageddon" rocks. Michael Bay did a terrific job of directing this action-flick. Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, and Oscar-winner Biller Bob Thorton give unforgettable performances. Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of "Con Air" and "Enemy of the State" does it again! I think this film will get one or two Oscar nominations but three or four MTV Movie Nominations when it comes to June. Love all Jerry Bruckheimer produced films because he takes action movies to new heights with each movie he produces. If your a real Jerry Bruckheimer fan like me, buy the movie!

Rating:
Summary: Loaded With Action
Review: "Armageddon", featuring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Steve Buscemi, and Billy Bob Thornton, deals with a runaway asteroid that is on a collision course with earth. The only way to destroy the asteroid is to drill down into it and plant a nuclear warhead inside to blow it up. Enter Willis, the owner of an offshore drilling rig, Tyler, his daughter, and Affleck, an employee of Willis' who is in love with Tyler, much to the disgust of Willis. Willis is regarded as the best offshore driller in the world. Thus, he is summoned by Thornton to help destroy the rogue asteroid. Willis and his band of misfits are sent to NASA to undergo space training in preparation for liftoff into space aboard 2 space shuttles. The object is to land on the asteroid itself, drill the hole, plant the bomb, and escape before it detonates. One shuttle is lost, but Willis and his crew manage to land on the asteroid and drill the hole. However, there is a malfunction with the bomb, and the only way to detonate it is manually, so someone must stay behind and sacrifice themselves for the good of the earth.

There are some neat moments in the film, such as the group singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and the actual space scenes are good as well. Steve Buscemi's character was my favorite. I enjoyed his wise-cracking remarks and cynical views throughout the film. This is a good action packed, fun film to watch more than once.

Rating:
Summary: I Wanted the World to End When I Saw This Movie
Review: "Armageddon," which is at the top of my list of the most awful and embarrassing films ever made, is not entirely worthless. It is a lesson in how not to make a film. It's bombastic, monotonous, loud, over-staged, emotionally empty, crude, humorless, unsophisticated, over the top, and entirely irrelevant. Now, I can already hear the rejoinders: lighten up, it's only a movie. True, but then again, nothing is "only a movie," given that "Armageddon" cost millions upon millions of dollars to make, earned even more, and was seen by countless numbers of people. And given the centrality of film to our culture and the ways in which filmgoers personalize, love, hate, and discuss film, we can't be so complacent to say it's "only a movie."

Michael Bay is the kind of director who wields his camera as if it were a jackhammer. Jerry Bruckheimer has his name on many an expensive and high-grossing film but has yet to make a single noteworthy and intellectually important cultural contribution. Put the two together and you get a disaster. "Armageddon" has caricatures for characters, a silly and wholly unoriginal premise (how many "save the world" films must we endure?), forgetful and unintelligent dialog, ultra-thin human relationships, comical situations (even though the situations are supposed to involve danger and seriousness), and, above all, what could possibly be the most god-awful, empty, annoying, and artless visual style ever to make it to the silver screen. Michael Bay's visual language is the celluloid equivalent of the Tower of Babel. The rapid-fire editing, in which no image seems to last for more than five seconds, might seem unique and impressive (some excellent films have been made with this type of MTV-style approach), but Bay's style doesn't work because he has nothing to say with his camera, nor does he employ his technique with any sense of authority or judgment; he doesn't understand nor realize the artistic and ideological aspects of such jarred aesthetics. There's nothing deep underneath the surface, and, what is more, the frenetic pacing and editing become monotonous and meaningless the second it becomes clear that Bay does not understand changes and nuances of tone. Instead of being awed, the viewer is pummeled. It's incredibly stupid, to put it blatantly.

Everything in the film is on the surface. Even though a huge meteor is hurling towards the earth (and will wipe out all life -- oh my God!!!), there's no sense of urgency. The emotions are obvious, simplistic, and ham-fisted, cued with visuals and music that tell you what to feel and when (Hollywood films in general are adept at doing this). There's not even a remote sense of passion between Affleck and Tyler (Affleck's delivery is as wooden and perfunctory as usual). And the characteristics of the other characters are presented in the same ham-fisted, egregious manner: yes, yes, we know that Buscemi has some odd quirks; yes, yes, we know that William Fichtner takes his job seriously. And, gee, thanks Mr. Bay for the close-ups of Billy Bob's leg brace, just in case I didn't notice that he was crippled.

Of course, one could argue that "Armageddon" is a fun romp, but it's evident that Bay and Co. intended the film, aside from a few apparently comic situations (which aren't funny at all), to be a serious disaster movie. Well, it's not serious, but it certainly is a disaster.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun
Review: "Armageddon" is definetely one of my new favorites. It's not subtle, it's not serious, it gets right to the action and has a lot of fun with it. I didn't watch it for its humanity (that's what Deep Impact is for), I watched it for a good time. And Armageddon provides that.

Rating:
Summary: Exhilirating, Moving And Fun.
Review: "Armageddon" is in the great tradition of silly summer fun. Like all good action films, it's implausibilities are forgotten because it's so effective. "Armageddon," the latest from master of action films, Director Michael Bay, is a go for broke action extravaganza that serves as an example of what "Deep Impact" is not. This movie is full of great comic angles, touching romance, a great look in it's cinematography, and fantastic special effects. Even the performances are entertaining and convincing. But what makes "Armageddon" a good experience is that it's fun. I was never bored while viewing this film. Sure it has some weak points, but you don't notice much. There are moments of breathtaking scenery like when the shuttles fly over the moon as pieces of the asteroid crash on it's surface. Michael Bay is a skillfull director who is the best out there today in the action movie business. In the end, "Armageddon" delivers with thrills, spectacular visual effects, and lots of fun.

Rating:
Summary: Major disappointment
Review: "Armageddon" stars Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi and many other likeable and capable actors. It is not their fault that the movie is a disappointment. It's not that I don't like films that have no ambition except being great fun, because I believe that this is a very high ambition. Only few recent pictues succeeded in being just that and "Armageddon" is definitely not one of them. It has great special effects, yes, but it has no real momentum. The editing is the worst thing of this film. Michael Bay mistakenly believes that the more cuts I have per minute the more exhilerating and relentless is the action. A fatal error. He should study the action scenes of films like "The Terminator" or "Face/Off" frame by frame. What's more, the screenplay gives us no characters to root for. The wisecracks of the squad is alternately stupid, unfunny or both. All this ends up to a rather boring film that also seems to go on forever because you feel already sleepy halfway through.

Rating:
Summary: The most RIDICULOUS movie I've seen in a LONG time.
Review: "Armageddon" went head-to-head against "Deep Impact" in the theatres, and I chose to see "Deep Impact" first, since it seemed to be a more thoughtful, serious look at the possibility of a comet impacting Earth. After surviving the disappointment of "Deep Impact," I thought, "How bad could ARMAGEDDON possibly be? Sure, the science might be bad, but it's probably just a lot of rollicking good fun." How WRONG I was! Apparently the producers of this movie felt there was no need to speak with technical or scientific consultants; I can't imagine anyone but male high school dropouts enjoying this film. Sure, there's a lot of explosions, flashing lights, Aerosmith, cheesy sets, flag-waving, and clouds of testosterone pouring off the screen, and if that's your cup of tea, go get this movie. But if you've got an IQ of at least 90, avoid "Armageddon" like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: I'm just glad I didn't pay to see it
Review: "Armageddon," directed by Michael Bay, marks a new low in sci-fi/action cinema. The film tells the story of an oil drilling crew, led by Bruce Willis, which is recruited to blast off into space in order to help stop a killer asteroid from destroying the earth.

The story is both stupid and unbelievable. The script is full of cheesy, embarrassingly unfunny attempts at humor. The obligatory romance between Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler is a waste. The action sequences are far too loud and chaotic; they seem like something conceived by hyperactive 4-year olds. And ultimately, the film goes for cheap, manipulative sentimentality, rather than believable emotion.

"Armageddon" is not a total waste. The hard-to-swallow story at least held my attention. And Steve Buscemi (in a supporting role) has a few fun moments. But overall, this is a disappointing film.

Rating:
Summary: Armageddon outta here !
Review: "Hollyward" just invented futuristic kitsch!... Much as I like MOST Willis' films, he did his best in a noisy (can't that band get into tune, man?) totally non-credible story. Having said that.. I'm sure texans must've liked it!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfull movie overall
Review: "This is the earth, at a time when dinosouars ruled a vast and fertile region. A piece of rock just six miles wide changed all that. It happened before, it will happen again, the only question is when." These are the first words you hear when you begin to watch this movie. They are the first on a long list of the words in this film that will take your breath away and touch your heart. In watching this it focuses on the lives of people just like you and me and makes you realize how incredibly real this situation actually is. It ties together a wonderfull comedy, drama, and action packed thriller all in one. It has one end where these are normal people in their everyday life and you get to see all of the funny mishaps and jokes and fun personalities on an oil rig in the east china sea. At the same time you are brought into a realionship between too people that gets turned into a modern day romeo and juliet story. Then there is also the fact that a huge asteroid is about to crash into earth "killing everything and everyone you know" as said by Harry Stamper played by BRUCE WILLIS. How these three things tie together, well just watch and see, but I must warn you, have tissues handy. because this one is a tear jerker. A great movie and definetly worth it.