When astronomy student learns about an impending asteroid collision with the Earth, N.A.S.A. formulates an odd team consisting of deep core drillers who will protect the planet.
It's such a thrill ride, in fact, that after its 2 1/2 hours of thrills, you're likely to feel more pummeled than entertained, which is just the point.
It's strictly a side issue whether mankind will survive colliding with an asteroid the size of Texas; the real question is whether Liv Tyler, who plays Bruce Willis's daughter, gets to keep her boyfriend.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay are slick Hollywood operators who know exactly what they're doing: Armageddon's heart beats strongly, but it's pumping adrenaline rather than blood.
Orlando Sentinel
June 06, 2014
Just when you think you've had it with this movie, there comes a farcical, rock 'n' roll sort of comedy sequence, or a hilariously goofy line.
By the time Bay and Bruckheimer appropriate John F. Kennedy's image in their final small-town-America montage, it's clear their pomposity knows no limits.
Bay has simply botched the job. His action sequences, especially those on the asteroid, are impenetrable and chaotic. And the narrative, larded with the usual military double-cross, is preposterous.
How does Armageddon, a movie obsessed with countdowns and countdown clocks, manage to redefine -- downward -- the standard for summer stupidity? Let me count the ways.
