Armageddon 1998

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: If you're going to blow up the world -- or advertise your intentions to do so -- you might as well have some laughs along the way. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Sporadically watchable, it's at its best at those infrequent moments when it doesn't take itself too seriously. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: Just when you think you've had it with this movie, there comes a farcical, rock 'n' roll sort of comedy sequence, or a hilariously goofy line. Read more

Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer: The special effects are the best that $150 million can buy and the script plays like a near-afterthought. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: The only compelling lure is the special effects, which are sometimes impressive, sometimes transparent, yet somehow always inadequate to the apocalyptic task at hand. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: Armageddon, as directed by Michael Bay, doesn't give a hoot about making a deep, humanistic impact on us. Or even a shallow one. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: ...full of sound and fury but without a single new idea to add to the conversation. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: A real movie about courage in space is Apollo 13, in which fear and sacrifice have meaning. This jingoistic, overblown spectacle is about whistling in the dark. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: I must confess that at times I found myself rooting for the meteor to hit the Earth and put us all out of our misery. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: How does Armageddon, a movie obsessed with countdowns and countdown clocks, manage to redefine -- downward -- the standard for summer stupidity? Let me count the ways. Read more

Ted Anthony, Associated Press: It's schlock, sure, but it's fun schlock with good performances and good special effects and a reasonably brisk script. It pushes all the right buttons in two formulas -- action-comedy and adventure. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: Bay directs Armageddon in a way that seems more concerned with constantly assaulting the senses than anything else, hoping perhaps that the quick cuts and constant explosions will distract from his film's many flaws. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: It's strictly a side issue whether mankind will survive colliding with an asteroid the size of Texas; the real question is whether Liv Tyler, who plays Bruce Willis's daughter, gets to keep her boyfriend. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The movie opens with the destruction of Manhattan by meteor shower, and, midway through, Paris gets wiped out as well. Naturally, no one blinks an eye. Read more

Manohla Dargis, L.A. Weekly: Most of the time, Armageddon simply makes your head hurt. Read more

Daphne Merkin, New Yorker: Affleck demonstrates a sexy Paul Newmanish charm and is clearly bound for stardom. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: The end of the world is going to be very noisy and filled with some of the worst dialogue ever. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: ...the latest in a line of increasingly-stupid action pictures that amazes audiences with flashy special effects and nifty action sequences, but leaves them high and dry in both the character and story departments. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie is an assault on the eyes, the ears, the brain, common sense and the human desire to be entertained. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: I hate Armageddon for what it is: the unholy spawn of The Dirty Dozen and Con Air. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: It sure makes an ugly mess. Read more

Peter Rainer, New Times: [Bay's] movies are trailers for themselves. Every scene is all climax and no foreplay. When it's all over you can't remember if you've been watching a movie or just a jumbo-sized coming attraction. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: Along with the rest of the audience, I jumped when I was meant to jump, laughed when I was meant to laugh, and swallowed a lump in my throat when I was meant to feel moved. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: There unquestionably is a lot of energy in Armageddon. But like the pieces of the asteroid that break off and spin harmlessly into space, much of it comes to naught. Read more

Tom Charity, Time Out: This idiotic film is loud, boorish and smart enough to relish its own lunkhead bravado. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Bruce Willis saves the world but can't save "Armageddon." Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Armageddon peels your eyelids back and blows your eardrums out until rational analysis is moot. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: So predictable it could have been written by a chimp who's watched too much TV, the huge movie is as dumb as it is loud, and it's way too loud. Watching it is like putting your head in a tin washbucket while weightlifters whack it with golf clubs. Read more