Armageddon | 
| Actors: Ben Affleck, Clark Heathcliffe Brolly, Steve Buscemi, Ken Hudson Campbell, Keith David
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy Used: $2.24
You Save: $12.75 (85%)
New (60) Used (103) Collectible (7) from $2.24
Rating:  1245 reviews
Sales Rank: 796
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 150 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: DISD15639D
ISBN: 1558909001
UPC: 717951000842
EAN: 9781558909007
ASIN: B00000G3PA
Theatrical Release Date: July 1, 1998
Release Date: January 5, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
The latest testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continues Hollywood's millennium-fueled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understands what mainstream American audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid- fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but lovable, of course) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishizing of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also tries to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable and populating the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humor and charisma. When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable females--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'," but she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Product Description
AFTER NEW YORK CITY IS DAMAGED BY HUNDREDS OF SMALL METEORITES, NASA DISCOVERS AN ASTEROID IS ON A COLLISON COURSE WITH EARTH. THEY RECRUIT THE BEST DEEP CORE DRILLER IN THE WORLD, HARRY STAMPER, TO TRAIN ASTRONAUTS WHO WILL GO TO THE ASTEROID, DRILL INTO THE CENTER AND DETONATE A NUCLEAR WARHEAD.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1240 more reviews...
 Bad Reviewers April 29, 2009
K. Lee (Maryland)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's really sad to see so many brainiacs trying to decipher the movie. No wonder they can't enjoy the movie. They are too busy trying to find every single scientific mistake, instead of relaxing and enjoying the movie. It's a sci-fi Hollywood picture and not a physics test. Most Americans don't care if the gravity was accurate or not. They made us believe the rotation of the asteroid gave a certain amount of gravity. It's a movie and not a documentary. If I wanted to be bored about scientific facts, I would tune into the PBS channel. The people who gave bad reviews are the same people, like my wife, try to figure out the ending and looking for every flaw. Just relax and watch the movie. Stop being such a nerd! Stop comparing a movie to the book version. Stop writing reviews because you have nothing better to do with your time. I assume you are those boring people on dates or an unpleasant spouse. You might enjoy the twists at the end like 6th Sense and The Village if you weren't trying so hard to examine the movie.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. This was a very fun and entertaining movie. The cast did a great job! It was action packed and suspenseful. Special effects and sound effects were out of this world. I can't wait to get this in blu-ray.
Note: For all those smart as# reviewers out there. Please look up the definition of science fiction. There is no need to bash one of my favorite movies. Drink a beer and try watching the movie again. You will feel like 90% of the other American's out there that enjoyed the movie. :)
Masculine counterpart of Deep Impact April 26, 2009
David Govett (Davis, CA, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Armageddon is the masculine counterpart of the feminine Deep Impact, which emphasizes human relationships and serial sacrifices. (For that reason, I suspect that males tend to rate Armageddon highly, but females don't.) The story is well conceived and written, and the ending pays off, if a bit perfunctorily once back on earth. Steve Buscemi and Will Patton stole the movie. Willis was a tad hysterical; Affleck, a bit of fluff added as chick-bait. All in all, a satisfying evening's entertainment.
 Roughnecks in Space April 22, 2009
M. B Cole (Las Vegas, NV)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Earth is in trouble once again. An asteroid the size of Texas is headed straight for our planet. Life will be extinguished once it hits. Every plan that NASA or any government agency from any country seems futile. Except one. The plan is to drill 800 feet into the asteroid and drop a nuke down there to blow up the asteroid from the inside and hopefully ejecting the pieces far enough from each other to completely miss Earth. Though NASA is trained in many things and are geniuses at many things, drilling is just not their forte. So they look for the number one driller in the country... Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis). Harry runs an oil rig out in the ocean with his rag tag crew along with his daughter. Wherever he goes, they go. So when NASA proposes/begs for Harry to help them, he says he'll do it as long as the rest of the crew comes with. With only 17 days until the asteroid hits, they have 12 days to train and then launch into space along with actual astronauts to dig a hole into a rock and blow it up.
Michael Bay, whether you love him or hate, can put some crazy action scenes together. Sometimes they are really good, and sometimes they are edited just enough to where you can't really see what's going on. I am a sucker for a Michael Bay film though. I'll watch them all. I might not like them all, but I will watch them all. I liked Transformers, yet I hated it also. And I'll definitely see Transformers 2. I know the man isn't the best director in the world but I'll go into his movies every time shutting my brain completely off and enjoy the heck out of some crazy intense action scenes.
The first time I saw Armageddon was about 5 months after I had joined the military. Group of us went to see this in the theaters, and every one of us sat back and enjoyed the ride. All the action, the funny lines, the military/NASA scenes, space, explosions, and hot women were everything us boys were looking for in a movie. Even today, while I've grown up over those last 11 years, it's still a fun ride. Eye rolling yes, but fun ride none-the-less. To really enjoy a Michael Bay movie, you really do have to throw reality out the window. I'll give just ONE example of what I mean. While watching this the other night, me and my friend were commenting on the `things that just aren't right' in the movie and one was fire. There was fire in outer space. One of the space shuttles crash onto the rock and pieces of it were on fire. Really? There's no oxygen, but it was burning like a camp fire. I said it, my friend laughed, and then said "let it go." And that's what ya gotta do with these types of movies.
Though you can constantly pick out the bad from a Bay movie, there is just a lot that is usually good also, but people tend to try and ignore it, or just plain out don't care and just want to bash it anyways. Bruce Willis plays, once again, a great apple pie eating American hero. He's just made for it. And it works 100%. From his funny lines, to his `I won't take no for an answer' attitude, and to his sweet and protective fatherly moments... he's just the man. Liv Tyler is great as the `sort of angry at her father daughter, yet slightly shows it in her eyes that she loves him' daughter. She's great at the water works and definitely tries to pull the strings on mine when lets it go. Ben Affleck is definitely funny, but sometimes a little over the top. But it's ok with me because I'm a fan of Ben. Yeah I said it. I think he's funny. Watch some commentaries with him, especially with Kevin Smith (Silent Bob), on some movies he does, and you probably will bust out laughing. Because of his commentaries, and outtakes, and other little things he does, I've grown to like him more and more as an actor. Steve Buscemi is a god of course in just about everything he does and it's the same here. I didn't like the whole space madness thing at the end with him, but still, at least he's funny. It's not only the actors themselves that are funny, but the whole chemistry between them. Everyone just seemed like they were having a good time making this movie and it really shows when you see the groups of guys together doing whatever they are doing at that time.
I didn't watch most of the extras on this Criterion, but I did watch the outtakes (I always watch those). It was pretty funny, but wow there were a lot of F bombs. I don't mind at all, but I'm sure most do, so be prepared. Most from Billy Bob...hehe. And the trailers were pretty good to. I like how you think Armageddon is going to be some love story between Affleck and Liv Tyler, and then all of a sudden, BOOM, meteorites are flying through NY tearing it to shreds. Funny trailer.
In the end, if you like your popcorn summer action flicks where you don't really have to think that much, then step right up and watch Armageddon. I still love this movie to this day no matter how over the top and silly it can get.
P.S. When I watched this in the theater I was without about 10 military guys. One of the guys, who was sitting a row in front of me, started to sniffle and turn his head. I said "Hey "enter name here"... you crying man?!?!" pretty loud and he said "NO!" with sniffles and tear wipes. Hilarious considering he's was one of those `I'm hard' types of guys. Also hilarious since all the people around us started laughing with us. Ah...memories.
Awesome movie!! February 18, 2009
Olde American (Richmond, Virginia)
This is delightfully jingoistic movie, great to watch with dad or son. A gaggle of white working class Americans and a token black guy save the world....again!
 Look out! Space Rock! January 16, 2009
Craig Edwards (By the sea in NC)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Armageddon (1998) I think that title's short for "Armageddon sick and tired of overly adrenalized adventure movies where every piece of mechanical equipment breaks down when it is most needed." Well, maybe not, but in any case we got oil man Bruce Willis and his colorful crew of rowdy roughnecks trying to save us from a giant asteroid headed right for Earth. They are hired to shuttle out to the big space rock, drill a deep hole, and chuck in a nuclear bomb in order to split the asteroid in two and save the day. But that's after a lengthy and fairly amusing NASA training session for the lovably wacky oil guys. Finally, they take off to intercept the giant pet rock from hell, but unfortunately, this is where the overabundance of prefab crises overwhelms any entertainment value the movie had in the early reels. At two and a half hours, the audience has way too much time to think about implausible action scenes; lightning fast editing that makes the implausible action scenes difficult to follow; and to ponder questions like "why are there big giant machine guns mounted on the space rock dune buggies?" So, I'd chalk this one up as a loss. Also with Ben Affleck (Phantoms), Liv Tyler (Empire Records), and Steve Buscemi (Con Air).
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