Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton
• Directors: Michael Bay
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Touchstone / Disney
• DVD Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Run Time: 151 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,370 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305311463
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,328 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Armageddon (The Criterion Collection)" 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

Bruce Willis and and an all-star cast of roughneck oil drillers blast off on a mission to save the planet in Michael Bay's doomsday space epic.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 94 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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Can be good fun November 10, 1999

By A Customer

Format:DVD

Lighten up, pop open a bubbly, suspend all belief and have a good time. This is the sort of movie you watch just to have some mindless good fun. Sure the 'science' is laughable. Sure the characters are two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. Sure the dialogue is sophomoric. So what? Enjoy yourself.

40 of 56 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.

21 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Relax and enjoy one of the best films of 1998 February 10, 2006

By really2k1

Format:DVD

I don't belong to the apparent elitists who despise Michael Bay's filmmaking because he's entertaining for it's own sake. Michael Bay is what he is the same as Hitchcock directed psychological thrillers or George Lucas directs science fiction. He makes films that are loud, fast, action-packed and quite frankly, fun to watch. Isn't that what movies are supposed to be about?

Armageddon was probably the most (other than maybe Saving Private Ryan) anticipated movie of 1998. I'd rank it in my top two or three of 1998 (The others being Saving Private Ryan and American History X). It's not the next Schindler's List and it doesn't strive to be. It stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in the main roles. The supporting cast is underrated, well-balanced and fun to watch, from Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi down to lesser know actors Marshall R. Teague and Jessica Steen.

Yes, the plot and premise may not be the most believable. But neither is King Kong, Lord of The Rings, Star Wars or whatever. These pseudo-critics on Amazon.com whine about "poor science" behind the movie, or the poor plot or the stereotypical cast. You know what? Who friggin' cares? It's a movie that's made for sheer fun, for entertainment, for bringing your family to enjoy a couple of hours of action, thundering explosions, fast vehicles and a little romance. Armageddon, despite what the Ebert and Roeper apprentices in here think, is entertainment at its best. Stop whining and enjoy yourself.

We are all familiar with the story by now. An asteroid the size of Texas is on path to impact with Earth, which would destroy all forms of life on it. The world only has 18 days until impact. The only way to stop it is to blow it up from the inside by drilling to its core.... For that, NASA recruits the worlds's best deep-core driller in Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his renegade drilling crew. The crew, along with some NASA astronauts and an unlucky Russian cosmonaut, journey to the asteroid and embark upon the mission to destroy it and with that, save the entire planet.

Along the way, the crew endures despite losing lives, having to overcome huge obstacles, and having to make decisions that will affect not only the world but their own personal lives. The movie is filled with a few emotional moments that will bring tears to some eyes. The score is grandiose and is a large part of the film. The film strives to be patriotic and the cinematography reflects it. I couldn't help but feel patriotic and moved while watching the movie. The sound and visual effects in the movie were awesome, which its four Oscar nominations reflect.

This movie is a lot of things. It's fun, it's moving, it's sad and it's romantic. Above all, it's one of the more entertaining movies I have seen. The cast had a lot of chemistry together and seemed to have a lot of fun which is reflected in the film. This was Ben Affleck's first big box-office action movie and he gives a good first effort. Bruce Willis takes on the role of Harry Stamper with ease like the action movie veteran he is. Liv Tyler is sweet as Harry's daughter and their emotional goodbye is to be remembered. (Home theater aficionados will also appreciate the visual and sound effects in this movie).

Armageddon was the second-highest grossing film of 1998 narrowly behind Saving Private Ryan. That might be something for critics to think about, because obviously A LOT of people saw this movie. All in all, don't listen to the critics here trying to become the next "Top 500 reviewer." See the movie, it's a blast. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Armageddon December 17, 2002

By Nathan Dickey

Format:DVD

Armageddon is the low-intelligence, B-type film that seems to have become so typical of uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with the exception of last year's Black Hawk Down, which I have not seen, yet, and which has gotten positive reviews. The plot structure is very weak, and the characters are paper thin.

The film opens with a meteor shower raining down on the earth from space, debris from an asteroid the size of Texas. After a sequence of mass destruction taking place in a big city, the government learns of the Texas-sized asteroid, and that it's going to strike Earth, which would result in the end of mankind.

The solution is to form a group of expert drillers who must travel to the asteroid and drill a hole through it, so the asteroid splits in half. That way, hopefully, the split asteroid chunks would miss Earth on it course through space. So a misfit group of oil drillers find themselves the ones for the job. The fate of planet Earth rests on their shoulders . . .

In my opinion, Armageddon is worth the rental price, nothing more. The film is miscast, and, as I've said before, the storyline is weak and the character development is almost nonexistent. In my opinion, at least. Rated PG-13. 2 stars out of 5.