FAQ for
Armageddon (1998) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Armageddon can be found here.

No. Armageddon is based on a screenplay by American screenwriters Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams, and Robert Pool. The movie was subsequently novelized as Armageddon (1998) by M. C. Bolin.

An asteroid the size of Texas is on a collision course with Earth. NASA puts together a team of oil drillers, lead by Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), considered to be the best deep core driller in the world, and plans to send them up to the asteroid in order to plant a nuclear warhead 800 feet deep inside of it. The hope is that the warhead will blow the asteroid into two pieces, both of which will safely fly past the earth.

There is evidence that Earth was hit roughly 65 million years ago by a stellar object that was at least 6 miles wide. The impact location was in the Gulf of Mexico, just above the Yucatan peninsula (Chicxulub crater). This event would have caused giant tidal waves (tsunamis) and clouds of superheated vapor and dust, causing direct destruction. Moreover, the impact would have caused a chain reaction of global earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Indirect effects would be the mass production of carbon monoxide, causing a dramatic greenhouse effect, and the ejection of dust into the atmosphere, which would have seriously affected plantlife and the entire foodchain. This event is widely believed to be the cause of the massive extinction on Earth in that period. That said, not all life was obliterated; that is why we exist. There are, however, scientists who claim that the impact alone was not enough to create a total extinction. Some theories postulate that climate changes had already caused many species of dinosaurs to disappear, and that the meteor was yet another cause; other theories state that there were multiple impacts on other places and that the combined effect caused the extinction.

Harry says no and explains that he has drilled all over the world for thirty years but still doesn't know everything. He calls drilling 'an art', probably meaning that it is a profession that requires experience and instinct; not an exact science that can be simply taught in 12 days. Teaching drillers to be astronauts in 12 days would be easier, provided that they don't have to fly a shuttle or repair NASA machinery; they already have the physical build to survive the trip, they are used to rough conditions, and they only need to learn to work in zero G environments.

The song is titled 'Leaving on a Jet Plane'. It was written by John Denver in 1966 and recorded by various artists, including the Chad Mitchell Trio, Spanky and Our Gang, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

It's not entirely far-fetched. First off, Harry runs his own drilling company. He is in charge of an entire oil rig with dozens of employees, so he's likely got his hands full most of the time. Also, there are likely rotating shifts on the rigs. So AJ (Ben Affleck) and Grace (Liv Tyler) wouldn't be on the rig 100% of their lives. Harry would likely spend more time on the rig than either of them. Thus, AJ and Grace may have started seeing each other off the rig and continued on and off. It's entirely possible that, when Harry catches them, it was the first time they had been on the rig at the same time while in a relationship or they simply stopped being so careful and that's how Harry caught them.

There's a bit of fleeting dialog when Stamper's roughnecks are going through their NASA training: Harry says that they have to "split the asteroid on the fault line", meaning that there was a gigantic crack already present in the asteroid - by drilling deep enough to expose or come within a short distance of the fault, the explosion would be sufficient enough to crack the asteroid the rest of the way. It's a quick moment in the film, easy to miss.

INDEED!! It's a big budget action film so it's automatically going to play fast and loose with science. The IMDB Trivia page did list several obvious errors and implausibilities, however there were so many that someone felt there were too many to be handled on the page so they have a general disclaimer at the top.

When Independence crashes, Oscar (Owen Wilson), Noonan (Clark Heathcliffe Brolly), and the two pilots are killed. A.J., Bear (Michael Clarke Duncan), and Lev Andropov (Peter Stormare) survive. All of the crew on Freedom survive with the exception of Max (Ken Hudson Campbell), who is killed when the first 'Armadillo' explodes.

AJ Draws the short stick designating him as the one who must stay behind on the asteroid in order to detonate the bomb. As Harry and AJ enter the airlock, Harry rips AJ's airhose and pushes him back into the airlock, taking AJ's place as the detonator. 'You're goinna take care of my little girl now,' Harry tells him above his protests. 'I always thought of you as a son...I'd be damn proud to have you marry Grace.' As pilots Sharpe (William Fichtner) and Watts (Jessica Steen) prepare the ship for liftoff, Harry makes a final call to Grace in order to say goodbye. When the ship's thrusters refuse to start, Watts attempt to fix them without success. Obviously tired of Watts' take charge attitude, Lev pushes her aside and bangs the thrusters with a pipe wrench, getting them to start. With Freedom at a safe distance and only seconds left until the asteroid hits zero barrier, Harry detonates the bomb while his life passes before his eyes. The asteroid breaks in two and passes the earth as expected. People all over the world begin coming out of their hiding places. When Freedom lands, the survivors are given a heroes' welcome. In the final scene, Sharpe asks to shake Grace's hand, 'the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I ever met.'

Only minor changes were made for the Director's Cut. The most striking scene is probably the one where Harry is visiting his father. There are also several other extensions and sometimes some lines of dialogue were added but overall these scenes aren't worth mentioning. A detailed comparison between both versions can be found here nonetheless.

Yes, even though both the DVD and Blu-ray versions feature the Theatrical Cut of the movie and not the Director's Cut there is a minor difference between these versions. A shot of the radio telescopes at the beginning has been replaced by another one. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be found here.

Stanley Anderson, who plays the President in this film is also uncredited as the President in The Rock (1996), another Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer film. In both films there is a scene where he stands in silhouette against a bright window while contemplating a decision that would doom the heroes. This has led many to believe that the two films are connected. However, other actors are in both films but play different roles, so a connection is unlikely.