#40: BAY, Michael: Armageddon (1998)
BAY, Michael (United States)
Armageddon [1998]
Spine #40
DVD
OOP
Armageddon [1998]
Spine #40
DVD
OOP
Bruce Willis and an all-star cast of roughneck oil drillers blast off on a mission to save the planet in Michael Bay's doomsday space epic.
153 minutes
Color
Color
Stereo
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 1999
Director/Writers
Story by Jonathan Hensleigh and Robert Ray Pool.
Adaptation by Tony Gilroy and Shane Salerno.
Screenplay by Hensleigh and J.J. Abrams.
Michael Bay was 33 when he directed Armageddon.
Other Bay films in the Collection:
#108: The Rock (1996)
The Film
Other Bay films in the Collection:
#108: The Rock (1996)
The Film
Narrator (Charlton Heston)
"This is the earth at a time when the dinosaurs roamed a lush and fertile planet. A piece of rock just six miles wide changed all that. It hit with the force of 10,000 nuclear weapons. A trillion tons of dirt and rock hurtled into the atmosphere, creating a suffocating blanket of dust the sun was powerless to penetrate for a thousand years. It happened before. It will happen again. It's just a question of when."
100% entertainment, but Bay populates the explosions with excellent actors and the film reflects this excellence with very little down time between the various ticking clocks.
Bruce Willis (Harry S. Stamper) is, as always, superb. And the writers fleshed out all of the supporting characters, giving the actors plenty of screen time to make an impression. Ben Affleck (A.J. Frost) is a little goofy; Liv Tyler (Grace Stamper) makes the most out of the sole female role; Billy Bob Thornton (Dan Truman) delivers much-needed gravitas ...
Stamper's crew is beautifully delineated with solid individual characteristics: Will Patton (Chick Chapple) has some nice tugs-at-your-heartstrings moments as the divorced dad who belatedly becomes a hero figure for his son; Steve Buscemi (Rockhound) is a scene-stealer as the whacked-out genius with some memorable one-liners; Michael Clarke Duncan (Bear) doesn't need to say a word to register on the screen; Bay cast Owen Wilson (Oscar Choi) with only his work on Bottle Rocket (1993) {Spine #0000G/#450} to his credit at that time.
More gravitas: Keith David as General Kimsey.
And superb comedy credit has to go Peter Stormare (Lev Andropov) for his hilarious turn as the crazy Russian cosmonaut who saves the day several times.
In one of his first big assignments, Trevor Rabin contributes a suitably tense, crackling score.
Film Rating (0-60):
"Despite what you may have heard, Armageddon is a work of art by a cutting-edge artist who is a master of movement, light, color, and shape — and also of chaos, razzle-dazzle, and explosion. (It was no surprise to me to learn that as a thirteen-year-old, director Michael Bay blew up his toy train set with firecrackers so he could photograph the result with his mom's 8mm camera.) If he weren't working in Hollywood, Bay would be the darling bad boy of the intelligentsia. As it is, he sometimes falls under suspicion for having been nominated for multiple MTV Awards, and for having won every accolade available to directors of commercials, including the Clio and the prestigious Director's Guild of America 'Commercial Director of the Year' title. Armegeddon is only his third movie, but it came under fire from some critics who had praised his second, The Rock (1996) {Spine #108}, and for its same characteristics: fast cutting, impressive special effects, and a minimum of exposition."
Nicely edited, with pertinent contributions from two actors, the director and producer.
2. Featuring cinematographer John Schwartzman, NASA consultant Dr. Joe Allen, and asteroid consultant Ivan Bekey.
The two consultants bring a lot of real-world contributions to the film.
Gag reel
Deleted scenes
Storyboard and production design drawings
Analyses
Gag reel
Deleted scenes
Storyboard and production design drawings
Analyses
Great extra. The destruction of Paris, for example, required so much practical pyrotechnics — today it could be done entirely with digital tools.
On the look of Armageddon
By Aerosmith, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” plus interviews with band members.
Extras Rating (0-40):
Extras Rating (0-40):
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