'This is so much fun it's freaky' - Rockhound. My review of Armageddon on Blu Ray......

Armageddon is a great movie.  There I've said it, let the abuse begin......

Released in 1998, it tells the story of a bunch of redneck oil drillers who are drafted by the US government to land on an asteroid to drill a hole, drop a nuke into it and save humanity.  It is preposterous to the nth degree, but hell is it ridiculously entertaining.  From the offset, when we meet Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his crew, it's tongue is firmly in cheek, and it stays there for the duration of the movie.

What makes this a great movie is that it all comes together so well.  First up, the cast is fantastic.  Sure Bruce 'The Man' Willis is front and centre, but this is a true ensemble piece.  Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, the list goes on and on.  They all know the type of movie they are making, and there is a great comedic chemistry there.  Take the scene early on when they agree to take on the mission, and they make a list of demands should they be successful.  Michael Bay actually just told the actors to put down whatever they want on the sheets, it wasn't in the script.  From parking tickets being wiped off their records, to a summer stay at the White House, the scene is funny and reaches a great crescendo when they say they never want to pay taxes again.....ever.  Who wouldn't ask for that?  It's a sense of fun and humour that continues throughout.  Sure these guys are saving the world, but why can't they have a bit of fun along the way?

The other reason the cast works so well is that they all create varied and flawed characters.  They may all get limited screentime in comparison to Harry and AJ (Ben Affleck), but they make the most of it.  From Will Patton trying to reconnect with his son and possible ex-wife, to Steve Buscemi taking out a huge loan from a dangerous loan shark, believing he won't make it back, they all have different motivations for agreeing to take on this dangerous and frankly ridiculous mission.

This brings us to AJ and Grace (Liv Tyler).  It is their relationship, as well as Grace's relationship with her father, Harry, that gives the movie heart.  Some people might say it's contrived, and sickly, but it feels genuine to me.  The animal crackers scene is often maligned, but I'm sorry, if you haven't talked like that to a girl, when no-one else is around, then you're either a liar or have always been single!  The best and most true line comes at the end of the scene when Grace asks, 'Do you think anyone else in the world is doing the same thing as us right now?', and AJ's response is 'I hope so, otherwise what the hell are we trying to save?'.  Shakespeare it may not be, but it's honest and it rings true.

This brings us to the action of the movie.  If there's one thing Michael Bay has always done well in his career, it is blow shit up and make it look great.  The opening meteor shower that hits New York at the start sets the example.  Then we have meteors hit Southeast Asia, and Paris.  This was a smart move.  Although the movie is unapologetically draped in American patriotism, there are at least attempts to show this is a worldwide disaster, and not only the United States will suffer should the asteroid hit.  On Blu ray especially, the action is phenomenal.  The picture is crisp and clear, and for a movie which is over 12 years old, Armageddon could easily stand up against today's effects driven movies.  In fact, put it side by side against something like Clash of the Titans and I know which one I think looks better.

Then there's the action sequences in the Russian space station, and upon the asteroid itself.  Against a ticking clock that will spend the end of humanity, these sequences are tense and best of all they feel dangerous.  You know that not everyone is going to survive, and this is important in increasing the threat level against these characters we have spent the first half of the movie getting to know, and rooting for to succeed.  We want Harry to be triumphant.  We want Oscar (Owen Wilson) to see it through just for the passion to be part of 'a historic mission.  Deep blue hero stuff'.  We want Rockhound (Steve Buscemi) to get home and face the loan shark knowing he saved the world.  We want Chick (Will Patton) to find happiness reconnecting with his son.  We want AJ and Grace to have their happy ending.  There are so many characters and motivations, that there is always a character to root for.

It's the little things that transform this from a good movie to a great one. 

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

There is a lot of set up, and it all gets paid off in the end.  For a no-brainer action blockbuster, it has both heart and smarts.  From Harry making sure that Truman gets a mission patch from the spacesuit, to Molly Mounds the stripper treating Rockhound as her hero when he returns.  Everyone who survives gets their happy ending.  Which of course brings us to Harry's fate.  Who didn't shed a tear when Harry sacrifices himself, so his daughter can get married and live a happy life?  It begs the question, that if we only had two minutes left to talk to the person we loved the most in the world, what would we say?  What would we make sure that they knew?  And then there's one final tense scene where Harry gets blown off his feet, and only just detonates the bomb with seconds to spare.  Tremendous stuff.  Well acted, well directed, well scripted and gorgeous to look at.

*SPOILERS OVER*

Maybe the reason this movie has stayed with me, is because I was 15 when it came out and watching movies on the big screen was such a pleasure.  It reminds me of a simpler time, when characters were purely good, motivations were clear and director's like Michael Bay were simply out to entertain you.  If I put it beside other big budget blockbusters of the last few years, only The Dark Knight, Inception and Avatar hold up.  Even Michael Bay has hit a downward spiral, with the likes of his Transformers movies and The Island, no match for his earlier output of Armageddon and The Rock.

The only downside to the blu ray release is that is almost entirely devoid of extras.  Now I have the Criterion Edition on DVD and the extras are exhaustive.  Totally worth checking out if you can get it cheaply on DVD just for Michael Bay and Ben Affleck's commentary.  Affleck - 'I just ask Michael would it not be easier to train astronauts to drill a hole?'.  Michael Bay - 'Shut the fuck up Ben, it's a movie'.  It's this attitude that led to, personally, one of my favourite movies of modern times.  Logic goes out the window (there can be no explosions in space due to the lack of oxegen), and all out balls to the wall entertainment has taken its place.  The lack of extras are disappointing, but made up for by the fact that along with The Dark Knight, and North by Northwest, this is one of the sharpest, most gorgeous Blu ray transfers I have seen.  

So make some popcorn, switch of the lights and your brain, put it on the biggest screen you have and crank up the sound.  Armageddon is back to own your ass all over again.  Watch the scene below and tell me you don't want to drop what you are doing and watch it right now.  Until next time.............