Armageddon

I remember seeing this film in theaters when it came out and I am glad I did. In my opinion, “Armageddon” is both Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer’s greatest movie and I support its inclusion in “The Criterion Collection”. It is also a film that introduced me to many actors. After studying film in school, I have come to realize that the story structure is superb and the script is ample entertainment. When you compared it with “Deep Impact”, “Armageddon” is less about realism and more about characters, relationships and adventure. I feel that is exactly what gave it its edge. The film has a crescendo of action as we move towards the climax and because Michael Bay’s middle name should be “action”, we almost get overloaded watching the film.

The characters are well designed and acted out. In my opinion, this team of oil drillers represents one of the best casting jobs from the 90’s. The relationships in the film also are noteworthy. Before “Armageddon”, I was familiar with Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi and Ben Affleck but they began well known for me after seeing this movie. This film introduced me to a huge list of other actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, William Fichtner and Jason Issacs. I think it was great to introduce the character of Harry as he hits golf balls at Greenpeace and tries to shoot A. J. He is a roughneck himself but he is still a leader and good at what he does. Affleck did a good job as the young, hot-dog who’s in love while Tyler was the perfect choice as a beautiful girl in a roughneck world when you consider her lineage. Steve Buscemi’s performance as Rockhound is quite perfect. While all the characters in this film are humorous, Rockhound is the heart of the comedy in this film. Thornton delivers exposition very well and Patton fits perfectly the persona of a right hand man. Michael Clarke Duncan’s best qualities are his appearance and his voice but he is funny in his performance also. The character of Bear seems written for just him. Wilson’s enthusiasm and energy makes him appealing and Fichtner plays a good antagonist. Keith David does a good job and Jason Issacs always performs well whatever role he is in. Issacs opening scene is very well written and that combined with his performance creates a credibly smart persona. We get a very funny contrast later in the film as Harry tells him off for stealing his drill design and putting it together wrong. The second funniest character in “Armageddon” is Peter Stormare as Lev and part of this is due to the lines he has. This Cosmonaut represents the other crazy people around the rest of the world. If there was a need to save the world, not just the US would do it and so we need a character that is foreign but can fit in line with the other characters on the mission. His national pride does not give off the notion that Russia is better than the US but rather adds to his comedy. The largest mistake in the film is the character of Noonan because he is so downplayed. He really isn’t needed in the film at all. I do like how two of the actors playing people at NASA were also on “Apollo 13”. It adds to the realism at NASA. As mentioned, the movie is full of humorous and dramatic relationships. The most important one is that between Harry and A.J. It starts off full of hostility but we come to realize that Harry does care for A.J. and the climax shows great resolution. You believe the love between A. J. and Grace and the friendship between Harry and Chick is genuine. The contrast between A. J. and Lev creates comedy but I particularly like the side story of Chick and his family. You feel for him when you understand what he has lost in life. I like how he visits his ex-wife and his son when he has his day off. The resolution at the end of the film with Chick and his family is very touching.

The story and script of the film is one of the best from any film in the 90’s. I recently found out that J. J. Abrams was a screenwriter on this film and it shows. This was therefore my first introduction to his work.The film is full of memorable lines. The use of the countdown clock is very well done in that we have a crescendo in the story structure that Bay fills with action. The opening sequence with Charlton Heston establishes a mood of credibility with the help of the score. The New York meteor shower scene shows Bay’s talent as an action director early in the film but after 2001, the scene has become too real for some of us. I remember hearing on television that year about how some people were critical of the filmmakers of “Armageddon” because of that scene. In my opinion, they are just storytellers who portrayed an event that ended up resembling an actual disaster three years later. Nobody got mad at Morgan Robertson for his short novel “Futility”. When you see the trade towers during the meteor shower, some eerie things happen. A meteor hits Tower 2 close to the place where it was actually hit on 9/11. Also the damage on the Trade Center in the final shot holds resemblance to the damage that happened in real life. Another uncanny occurrence is portrayal of the Chrysler building destruction. I laugh every time though when the lady in the cab says “I want to go shopping” and the cab driver reacts. We first meet the oil drillers on the rig but we are reintroduced to them as they “come together”. The rig is where the principle oil drillers are established as characters but the supporting team members are fully established as the FBI picks them up. It is so well written, filmed and edited together. There are great lines in both sequences such as “I’ll give ya two guesses but you’re only gonna need one.” and also Rockhound’s line: “Good for you.” We have a great moment when each of the guys agrees to go up in space and we feel their camaraderie. Then following that, we have a hilarious moment when we hear their requests. Let’s face it: If you were the only ones that could save the world, you wouldn’t do it for free. We get a gag in that scene that we also heard in “The Rock” about the Kennedy assassination. I would love to know which of the characters in this movie wanted to know that. The psychology tests are so funny. Rockhound is the only one who really passes in my opinion and he is the one ironically who goes crazy in space. The scene where our characters sing “Leaving On a Jet Plane” lightens the mood a little and we need this as an audience after having experienced some emotional and serious scenes. This movie made the slow motion walk cool again. Every film in the next five years that did it was said to be referencing “Armageddon”. The Russian space station sequence is there to prep the audience for the increase in action that will continue until the end of the film. We then come to “Dr. Seuss’ worst nightmare”. The death of Oscar is important because the audience needs to be worried that some major characters may die before the movie is over. A great action moment on the asteroid is when A. J., Lev and Bear jump the canyon. They celebrate getting off the ground but then see the danger suddenly and can do nothing about it. It is quite funny how things go from great to really bad almost instantly. We as a smart audience know that eventually that the second armadillo will make it to the “Freedom” so we need additional conflicts in the story and we get them. It is quite dramatic when it is revealed that one man must stay behind. A. J. has the lot fall upon him but Harry takes his place forcibly by sabotaging A.J.’s suit. It is a dramatic moment that is written and acted well by Willis and Affleck. Other great lines and moments from the movie include “I'm sure you got a team of men sitting around somewhere right now just thinking **** up and somebody backing them up”, Rockhound’s Wile E. Coyote reference and “This button: I don’t know what that does!” Some apocalyptic movies realistically show the emotional and psychological impact that the end of the world has on humanity. This movie does that but mostly through our main characters and through moments such as the President’s speech.

Even though this was my first Michael Bay film, I feel that it is the peak of his career and also Jerry Bruckheimer’s. While I love a lot of Bay movies and Bruckheimer films, “Armageddon” is just a touch better than any of them. The film had to compete at the Oscars against some amazing nominees and so I am not sad that it didn’t win anything but “Armageddon” should have won Best Visual Effects. Bay’s direction adds the necessary action that this story needed. The screenplay is structured very well and has memorable moments galore. The characters are real as are the relationships in the film. Everyone can relate to them. This is one of my favorite sci-fi films and was a great movie to introduce me to many talented people in Hollywood.

4.5 Stars