Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton
• Directors: Michael Bay
• Writers: Story By Robert Roy Pool And Jonathan Hensleigh, Adaptation By Tony Gilroy And Shane Salerno, Screenplay By Jonathan Hensleigh And J.J. Abrams
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
• DVD Release Date: January 5, 1999
• Run Time: 151 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,367 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000G3PA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,190 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #55 in Movies & TV > DVD > Science Fiction
• Learn more about "Armageddon" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

From the blockbuster-making team who produced and directed PEARL HARBOR and THE ROCK (Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay) comes the biggest movie of 1998 -- ARMAGEDDON! Starring the explosive talents of Bruce Willis (DIE HARD), Academy Award(R)-winners Ben Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING) and Billy Bob Thornton (SLING BLADE), Liv Tyler (INVENTING THE ABBOTTS), Steve Buscemi (CON AIR), and Will Patton (INVENTING THE ABBOTTS), ARMAGEDDON is a meteor storm of action-adventure moviemaking that has you on the edge of your seat forgetting to breathe! When NASA's executive director, Dan Truman (Thornton), realizes the Earth has 18 days before it's obliterated by a meteor the size of Texas, he has only one option -- land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drillers on the asteroid and drop a nuclear warhead into its core. Spectacular special effects, laugh-out-loud humor, great characters, riveting storytelling, and heartfelt emotion make ARMAGEDDON an exhilarating thrill ride you'll want to experience like there's no tomorrow.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 92 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection of material October 2, 2000

By Charles Oppermann

Format:DVD

The Criterion Collection release of Armageddon is a treat. It offers 2 commentary tracks, one featuring the director Michael Bay, actors Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has comments on several interesting things. Affleck's commentary is sometimes very funny. The other commentary track features the Director of Photography and special effects people.

The commentary includes interesting details, including background information on the characters and filming locations. Note: The commentary is raw and sometimes laced with profanity, although the movie itself is rated PG-13, for reasons explained in the commentary.

Although it's not much, this collection is also a Director's Cut and has a couple scenes added, notable of which is Harry Stamper's character visiting his father before launch. Some other scenes are cut slightly differently, adding some depth to the story.

The Gag reel on the second disk is extremely funny, raw, and not your typical "behind-the-scenes" documentary.

The second disk also features a tremendous amount of information on the special effects and includes many different trailers and promo material. The Aerosmith song video is also included.

While the story can be nit-picked, it's still very exciting and enjoyable.

Overall, if you liked the movie, the Criterion Collection release is the DVD to have.

40 of 55 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars No anamorphic version? For shame! April 12, 2002

By Lance Arthur

Format:DVD

Although I think the movie is an over-loud, completely illogical and fairly disorienting piece of Hollywood claptrap, as far as big Summer blockbusters go it's hard to beat Armageddon. But I wanted to add a large, hairy and potentially sales-limiting aside to all the other reviews. If you're upgrading to a widescreen TV thinking this DVD will showcase the new technological wonders of prograssive scan and 16x9 flat screens you'll be sorely disappointed when you find that there is no anamorphic version on this disc. That's right, friends, even with all the other extras, they couldn't be bothered to include the one feature that truly showcases the cinematography and special effects (which are, let's face it, this film's halmarks cuz it sure ain't the acting and script). On a widescreen TV, Criterion's Armageddon provides black bars above, below and side to side yielding a postcard view of the "big screen" action.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good plot, saaad science May 4, 2000

By "xpio"

Format:VHS Tape

Those of you who complain about a lack of science in Hollywood shouldn't really be complaining. Movies are all about fantasy. But if you want to complain, Armageddon has to be the flagship of anti-science. Whilst pieces of rock and giant vehicles can float across canyons and fly through the air, a pole tossed from the air will land with exactly the same force as it would on earth...on an asteroid. There was a great plot though - reminds me of the old film "Meteor". Good humor, especially when Bruce Willis tries to shoot Ben Affleck for sleeping with Liv Tyler...not to mention my fav charectar, the Russian cosmonaut. Still - how many of you think a nuke explosion in space would look that way. And how come the guys only saved the world in the nick of time - I would like to see them do it with half an hour to spare sometimes. And they seemed very unlucky. Good acting, good effects, bad science. 3 stars. And watch out for Liv Tyler in 2001 where she'll be staring as the beautiful Arwen in "Lord of the Rings". Whoohoo! I can't wait!