I knew that there were two asteroid movies the year that this came out, and after the disappointment of Deep Impact, the more realistic movie, I was hoping this was going to be a lot better. There was going to be a third movie, which was written by James Cameron. Entitled ’’Angels Falling’’ or something similar, it never got past scripting when it was learnt that production of Armageddon and Deep Impact were well under way.
Having seen both the US and UK trailers for Armageddon, I felt that perhaps I had seen all of the best bits of the film already, but I was wrong. The film still contains many more surprises.
The film starts with a small meteor shower destroying a NASA shuttle, and this is just a warning of the things to come. The rest of the meteor shower comes down and takes out a few city blocks of New York city. This is a great thrilling opening, with explosions and destruction. From here we move onto the NASA scientists talking to the top people in America and confessing they new nothing of this meteor shower. This is due to the fact that their budget only allows them to watch and track a small part of the heavens. They cannot see everywhere.
After some new searching, they discover a new asteroid the size of Texas, and it’s heading for Earth. They calculate that they have around eighteen days before the asteroid hits. They enter into a brainstorming session to try and figure out a way to avoid the catastrophe.
Around this point the film switched to an oil rig, where we are introduced to Harry Stamper (played by Bruce Willis) and the rest of his oil rig crew. The whole introduction is Harry chasing one of his youngest members, Frost (played by Ben Affleck), who he has discovered, was sleeping with his daughter Grace Stamper (played by Liv Tyler. This sets up the relationships for the rest of the film, with Harry having no trust or faith in whatever Frost does.
Meanwhile NASA decide that the best way to destroy this asteroid, will be to blow an explosive nuclear device, 800 feet inside the asteroid, so that it will split in two and the halves will both miss the Earth. To do this they will require the best drillers on the planet. NASA goes out and finds Harry Stamper and convince him and his crew to do the job.
I won’t go into the movie any further because I don’t want to spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it yet. But what follows is Harry and his crew being trained as astronauts in two weeks, followed by the mission to the asteroid. Unfortunately, I believe that the beginning of the movie is lot more entertaining than the end. The climax can’t match the set up.
The acting is your usual blockbuster stuff, nothing special. Bruce Willis plays Bruce Willis as usual. He never seems to change from film to film. Liv Tyler is attractive but doesn’t really do anything and there’s the rest of the drilling crew. The best member of them is Rockhound (played by Steve Buscemi). He is just the funniest guy in the film with all the best lines, no one else comes close and when he goes mad on the asteroid in the second half, is a great comic relief.
The special effects are very good and do the job extremely well and its worth seeing the film just for the destruction of France (in a none I hate the french way). This is another one of those brainless action summer films which does become confusing a little in the middle, but its great entertainment which will not look the same at home on your television.