Armageddon

In the summer of 1998, two apocalyptic movies were released in which the basis for Earth's potential obliteration was in the form of a huge meteor hurled towards us on a collision course. The two blockbusters duking it out were Deep Impact and Armageddon, with dazzling special effects and big time explosions, especially from Armageddon, because you know who was directing. That's right, Michael Bay, the man who throws in a fiery explosion like it's a greeting in dialogue. After seeing them both, it was clear which one emerged the victor and that was the much more entertaining and explosive Armageddon.

Armageddon seems a little outrageous on the notion that the world's best oil drilling team is summoned to nuke an incoming Texas-sized meteor. I guess, that's the entertainment value playing into effect and where the laughs come flowing out as a team of misfit, overgrown hooligans are trained to become astronauts.

Hey, it's a Michael Bay summer, popcorn flick bonanza, where he has to stuff explosions to the max and joke-cracking characters into a very serious end-of-the-world scenario. I wouldn't expect anything less. For your money's worth, this is one entertaining movie. With an all star cast, Armageddon is fleshed out as a pure adrenaline rush that is better than the average action flick.

Bruce Willis has an arsenal of talent behind him including Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, and Liv Tyler, whose father even sings the main theme, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." It had a solid blend of humor and seriousness as the world is on the brink of all life being exterminated from the heavens above. Bruce Willis maintains throughout as his crew's antics don't exceed their duties. Armageddon is serious when it needs to be not forgetting its full intentions.

Armageddon can be summed up as an outrageous spectacle that has no disregard for anything in its way. It surpasses Deep Impact, leaving it in a dust cloud, dumbfounded and unsure what to do. Its heart is in the right place though, as it delivers laughs and entertainment consistently throughout.