Subject: Review: Armageddon (1998)

From: [email-masked] (Mart Mapes)
Date: 20 Jul 1998 05:18:41 GMT

Armageddon
A film review by Marty Mapes
Copyright 1998 Marty Mapes

**1/2 (out of 4) Armageddon is an engrossing, engaging film. For sheer
escapist entertainment, it is quite successful. On the other hand, there are
a few too many angles from which to attack this film — science, depth,
originality, editing — you name it. 

After a documentary segment showing the asteroid that wiped out the
dinosaurs, the movie cuts to an oil rig. Here we meet the heroes of the
film, a crew of drillers, taunting a ship of Greenpeace protesters (the
first in a series of scenes flaunting Bruckheimer's conservative politics).
It is also here that the film sets up the shallow drama of Harry (Bruce
Willis as his usual self), the leader of the roughnecks, discovering his
daughter Grace (Liv Tyler) in bed with one of his drillers, A.J. (Ben Affleck). 

Meanwhile, several sequences show us that asteroid fragments are bombarding
the earth. Truman (Billy Bob Thornton, who is good, but underused in the
role), a higher-up at NASA, learns that these fragments have been shot at
the earth by an asteroid "the size of Texas." He mobilizes his crew to learn
that the real asteroid, "a global killer," is headed right for us. 

Truman calls on Harry and his drillers to accompany two crews of astronauts
to land on the asteroid, drill to its core, and drop in a nuclear bomb. The
blast will split the asteroid in two, with each piece flying harmlessly past
the Earth. 

As I said earlier, there are many points from which to attack this movie.
Science is one (see the linked ABC science writeup.) Predictability is
another. I won't give away any details here, but 30 minutes into the film,
you will know the outcome of all the story lines, including the love story
between A.J. and Grace. Originality is a third. Not only is this the fourth
asteroid movie in a couple of years, but much of the film's melodrama was
lifted straight out of INDEPENDENCE DAY. Finally, the editing (by Mark
Goldblatt et al.) was the biggest problem of all for me. 

During some of the more tense action sequences, like when the first shuttle
must try to land on the asteroid, quickly-cut closeups are edited together
instead of giving the audience a better idea of the big picture. The result
is visual confusion, which I guess for some people, is a substitute for
dramatic tension. There are also montages that are made of seemingly random
images. There are several shots of the Iwo Jima statue in Washington DC,
even though the statue plays no part in the movie. It is possible that Bay
and Bruckheimer found a parallel between the little island of Iwo Jima and
an oncoming asteroid, but I doubt it. It is more likely that they were
trying to distract the audience with patriotic images. 

In addition to the golden silhouette of the Iwo Jima statue, there are other
slow-motion shots of Kodak Americana: a rugged dad and son looking out their
window with concern, the congregation of a small church gathering at dusk.
These sequences make the movie look like a commercial for the U.S. Army or
Dr. Pepper. The whole effect is apparently supposed to infuse the audience
with pride in America. It has nothing to do with the plot, it's just there
for, well, I don't know why it's there. I had a similar complaint aboutCON
AIR, last year's Bruckheimer action flick, but at least in ARMAGEDDON, the
characters are fighting to save the world, instead of striving for the
violent slaughter of a planeload of criminals. 
If the exaggerated patriotism and death-to-criminals attitude makes you
think Bruckheimer's a little conservative, you don't know the half of it. In
addition to the scene of our heroes taunting the Greenpeace ship at the
beginning, there are other subtle conservative messages. The drillers have
to be brought in from their vacations. Several of them are hard to catch.
One in particular is photographed in silhouette as he rides his horse
(looking like the Marlboro Man) away from two black helicopters. The
drillers agree to save the planet, but they demand to never have to pay
taxes again. Ever. 

I don't argue with the director's politics or patriotism PER SE, it's the
fact that I felt I was being force-fed these unarguably glorious images. To
sweeten the taste, Trevor Rabin's score copied the Irish-orchestral sound of
the music in TITANIC. With all this emotion and glory, one wasn't allowed to
question the meaning of what was going on. 

And yet, perhaps that's why I ultimately found the movie engrossing and
engaging. I allowed myself to be swept away by the familiar story and the
well-paced action. None of my complaints occupied my mind long enough to
distract me from the fun. There's a lot wrong with the movie if you think
about it, but it can be enjoyable. 

Just check your brain with the usher and enjoy the ride.

Check out more current movie reviews at http://www.indra.com/~mmapes/