“Armageddon” (1998) – Bruce Willis’ Dazzling Blockbuster About Armageddon Disasters

Director: Michael Bay

Starring: Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Billy Bob Thorton

‘A Dazzling Blockbuster’

Over the past decade, the disaster movie genre has not fared so well. Like Titanic ships sinking to the bottom of the ocean, disaster movies have fallen out of fashion. With their loud spectacle, wooden characters and poor storytelling, I’ve found such movies to be a chore to sit through. The main problem is that these movies always focus on spectacle over storytelling. To be fair, audiences flock to theatres to watch these movies for the spectacle. That being said, this leaves no room for compelling character development. For these reasons, it’s rare to come across memorable movies in the disaster genre that are worth seeing.

In a genre which has experienced destruction, “Armageddon” stands out as an exception. Released in 1998, Michael Bay’s movie is a rare disaster blockbuster which works successfully. Boasting breathtaking special effects, captivating visuals and great acting, it’s one of those rare disaster movies that works on every level. At the centre of it all is a phenomenal performance from Bruce Willis, who is extraordinary in one of his finest roles. Although “Armageddon” is undeniably entertaining, it’s not a flawless film. It’s poorly paced, lacking strong character development. Like most of Michael Bay’s movies, it suffers from focusing on style over substance. That being said, the film is still far better than most movies in the genre. It offers exhilarating entertainment that fans of the disaster genre simply won’t be able to resist.

“Armageddon” follows a team of drillers which embark on a mission to stop a meteor causing destruction. Bruce Willis plays Harry Stamper, an oil driller with strong dedication towards his profession. Harry enjoys his profession which gives him satisfaction. However, his life forever changes when he’s sent on a mission to prevent an asteroid putting lives in danger. Assisted by a team of oil drillers, Harry goes on a mission to stop meteors. As he faces intense pressure, Harry wonders whether he would be able to stop a meteroid causing disaster.

Michael Bay is fascinated with disaster films. A famous action filmmaker, Bay has commonly told stories of destruction. With “Armageddon”, however, the filmmaker crafted his first meteoroid disaster blockbuster. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture an asteroid causing disaster, but he succeeded. Through captivating cinematography, Bay captures oil drillers striving to rescue the world from asteroids with painful prices to pay. Visually, the film is a stunning feast for the eyes as appealing as asteroids falling in the skies. Bay deftly uses handheld camera capturing an asteroid causing catastrophe. Handheld camera elevates the scene where meteoroids strike the earth for the first time. Through shaky camera, Bay captures an asteroid causing the world to face a dilemma. Using breathtaking visuals, Bay captures an asteroid attacking earth that’s terrifying.

Another aspect of “Armageddon” which merits appreciation is the action. For a movie made i the 1990’s, it’s a blockbuster which has aged beautifully. Michael Bay has often excelled at creating action sequences for his movies, and “Armageddon” is no exception. Bay effectively uses cross-cutting to stage exhilarating action showcasing bonds between teams on a mission. For instance, cross-cutting elevates the asteroid fight scene. During this memorable scene, the oil drillers seek to prevent asteroids from destroying the world through team collaboration. It is a great action scene showing Michael Bay at his best. Moreover, the musical score is worthy of appreciation Trevor Rabin’s music captures tense situations of asteroids causing destruction. It gives the movie a tense atmosphere. Through awe-inspiring action, Bay captures meteoroids causing destruction.

Amidst the breathtaking asteroid destruction, it’s a shame that “Armageddon” finds no time for telling a compelling story. The film is poorly written, and lacks compelling characters audiences can root for. One of Michael Bay’s weaknesses as a director is his tendencies to focus on style over substance. Bay often pays so much attention to spectacle of disasters it leaves no room for storytelling. Unfortunately, this is the case with “Armageddon”. The focus on visual spectacle leaves no room for strong characters. For instance, we’re seldom given strong reasons to care for Harry beyond the fact that he’s played by a famous actor with a successful career. It’s hard to care for any of the heroes on the mission because we barely get to know them on a personal level. Bay focuses on the lives of multiple characters at once which lives no room for character development. The greatest disaster movies are driven by strong characters, and in this regard “Armageddon” falls short. Through a poor screenplay, Bay creates a movie that won’t blow everyone way.

Thankfully, though, strong performances from the cast keep the movie from falling apart. In a star-studded cast, every actor is able to shine and leave a lasting impression.

Bruce Willis delivers one of his greatest career performances as Harry Stamper. Willis earned appreciation for playing brave action heroes that die hard. With “Armageddon”, however, he took on his first role in a disaster movie. It’s not easy to embody the personality of a hero on a mission to stop asteroid catastrophe, but he succeeded. With powerful expressions, Willis captures the angst, determination and resentment of an oil driller embarking on adventures to prevent a disaster. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the finest movie-stars in Hollywood Today.

The supporting cast is spectacular and worthy of recognition. Ben Affleck is brilliant, bringing charisma to an officer facing a dilemma whose hopes of romance clash with responsibilities of stopping asteroids for NASA. Billy Bob Thornton is excellent, capturing intelligence of a NASA officer with perseverance that is dedicated to stopping a threatening asteroid causing violence. Lastly, Liv Tyler merits appreciation. As Harry’s tormented daughter, she brings feminine energy to the movie.

Despite its powerful performances, however, “Armageddon” can’t quite capture asteroids causing disaster. One area where the film falls short is pacing. Bay’s decision to integrate romantic subplots into the movie is bold but doesn’t succeed. Due to this faulty decision, scenes capturing A.J.’s bonds with a lover aren’t as engaging as his central mission. Whereas this romantic subplot elevated James Cameron’s “Titanic”, it feels out of place in this movie. Moreover, the film builds towards a conventional conclusion. It’s a formulaic ending that’s expected of disaster movies. As Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow” demonstrated, the greater disaster movies are driven by strong characters. Therefore, “Armageddon” is one of those disaster movies which not everyone would adore.

In the end, ,”Armageddon” is a fun but formulaic blockbuster capturing asteroid disaster. An awe-inspiring blockbuster, it proves that disaster movies haven’t lost abilities to captivate audiences.

Nearly 30 years following the release of an iconic film about asteroids causing armageddon disaster putting the lives of individuals in grave danger, it’s a powerful reminder of a classic movie that forever changed the world by proving that it was possible for disaster movies to attract audiences to the theatres by focusing on creating compelling characters rather than spectacle that gained a huge fan following that sci-fi fans will forever treasure.

3.5/5 stars