"Geddon" Less Than Expected by Homer Yen (c) 1998
The second movie featuring a big rock from space has hit movie theatres. But despite the fact that this asteroid is the size of Texas and it's imminent collision with Mother Earth would be so devastating that not even bacteria would live, the movie's impact is surprisingly shallow. Maybe it's because this movie comes only a scant 7 weeks after the release of "Deep Impact", which had a very similar premise. Or, maybe it's because the movie makers tried to make this a fun film, but didn't realize that rescuing humanity is not a lighthearted matter. Whatever the reason, the event that is "Armageddon" fails to live up to its hype.
There are only 18 days to impact when NASA learns of the oncoming asteroid (their initial clue is a monstrous meteor shower that pulverizes New York City with an awesome pyrotechnic display). Pressed for time and options, their desperate plan to save mankind is to drill a hole into the core of the asteroid where they will lower and then detonate a nuclear device. If all goes well, the asteroid will split apart and miss the planet entirely. To accomplish this task, they summon Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), the world's foremost deep core driller. He's the kind of man who only trusts himself. He closely guards over his daughter (Liv Tyler) and rejects her wishes to be with fellow oil driller A.J. (Ben Affleck), who is skilled at drilling, but takes unnecessary risks without concern for others. Harry thinks that she deserves someone better than a roughneck. A.J. is just one of a motley crew of roughnecks (all with cool nicknames like Bear, Rockhound, and Chick) that will accompany Harry and make the dangerous journey into space. These guys are truly the wrong stuff and the government expresses deep concern over mission leader and NASA chief Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) for endorsing this plan. But there's no more time, and there are no other options.
"Armageddon" is actually a pretty nifty piece of summer fare. It has lots of nice special effects, but isn't overrun by them. The meteor showers are a wondrous spectacle. Their flight to rendezvous with the asteroid is also visually impressive. And the story, for the most part, finds a nice balance between Stamper as leader of the team and leader of his family. Thornton's role is also a nice touch as the quiet hero that tries to rise above the bureaucracy. I also like Tyler's understated courage at a time when the two men that she loves the most may never return.
However, this film comes across feeling more like a casual buddy movie rather than a tense thriller. None of Stamper's crew seemed to internalize the importance of the mission. During the journey into space, I kept waiting for one of them to ask if they could drive the space shuttle for a couple of million miles. And for people who are on an asteroid hurtling towards Earth at 22,000 mph, they looked amazingly at ease. Another minus was that scenes on the asteroid moved so fast that I didn't have time to think. Camera shots changed so frequently that the 'moment' couldn't be absorbed. The asteroid sequence in "Deep Impact" was far more exciting and better thought out. "Armageddon" does have its moments filled with courage, spectacle and awe. But the audience just never really has the chance to get involved.
Grade: B-
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