Armageddon
Directed by: Michael Bay
Rated: PG-13
Running time: 144 minutes
Houston we have a problem, call in the misfits!
Interesting who makes up and contributes to solving the problem in this movie. I’m not talking about the great cast, such as Bruce Wilis or Billy Bob Thornton. Not even that of Ben Affleck, Will Patton or Liv Tyler. Rather it’s the misfits (a hand full of oil drillers), that came to the rescue, when the educated and honored (government bigwigs) could do nothing in stopping an asteroid from colliding into Earth.
Misfits, have long existed in this society of education, money and respect. No one bothers to see who they are or even care to find out how they maintain their day-to-day lives, yet these men (off a dirty, almost forgotten oil rig) saved the day. Goes to show all have there place in this world, in the movie and in the real world.
Harry Stamper is played by Bruce Wilis. He comes across as a rough and tough kind of guy and doing a great job, I might add. He is the owner of the oil rig and has also raised his daughter around his dirty, rugged life-style. He loves her and would have put the guy who moved in on his little princess, in his place real quick. Little does he know one of his own crew members has moved in and played house with her already (or is it he refuses to see?).
Grace is played by Liv Tyler. She displays a look of innocence and beauty with just enough wildness to make her character believable (also the soul female main character). She is head over heels for a young oil driller, but shows her strong love for her dad, which she calls by his first name, Harry.
A.J. is played by Ben Afleck. His cocky attitude shows up early in the movie but mellows with the help of Harry’s demeanor. His love for Grace is evident from start to finish.
The rest of the gang are a combination of crazy, out of shape and off-the-wall guys. When these guys are offered the job of saving the world their demands are simple in comparison to the task at hand. They want money, to pay no more taxes and notability without care or woe. With little thought of whether that will return to their mundane drilling jobs. They are quickly trained as want-a-be astronauts and instructed of their mission, with a true to life astronaut accompanying them.
Billy Bob Thornton plays the NASA Chief who would direct the misfits to either doom or glory. He’s an actor who could have easily played a misfit but pulled off his character well.
The mission had it’s ups and down, laughs and suspense and special affects. I thought the ending was a surprise, as how often do you see a big star die on the screen (I’m not telling who). I watched this movie a few times and found it interesting, creative (short of some weakness in the story line) and entertaining, but hey what does a woman know about a sci-fi movie anyway (does that make me a misfit too!) So go take a peek for yourself.