Armageddon (1998)

After discovering that an asteroid the size of Texas is going to impact Earth in less than a month, NASA recruits a misfit team of deep-core drillers to save the planet.

Director:

Michael Bay

Writers:

Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay), J.J. Abrams (screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Harry S. Stamper
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Dan Truman
Ben Affleck	...	A.J. Frost
Liv Tyler	...	Grace Stamper
Will Patton	...	Chick
Steve Buscemi	...	Rockhound
William Fichtner	...	Colonel Willie Sharp
Owen Wilson	...	Oscar
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Bear
Peter Stormare	...	Lev Andropov
Ken Hudson Campbell	...	Max (as Ken Campbell)
Jessica Steen	...	Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts
Keith David	...	General Kimsey
Chris Ellis	...	Flight Director Clark
Jason Isaacs	...	Ronald Quincy

Storyline

Due to a shuttle's unfortunate demise in outer space, NASA becomes aware of a doomsday asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth. It seems that the only way to knock it off course is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear weapon. But as NASA's under-funded yet resourceful team train the world's best drillers for the job, the social order of the world begins to break down as the information reaches the public and hysteria results. As high-ranking officials play politics with the effort, the drilling team all faces deep personal issues which may jeopardize humanity's last chance...

---

Plot Keywords:

cranberry | asteroid | astronaut | outer space | bomb | 

---

Taglines:

All the time in the world is all they've got.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi disaster action, sensuality and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #40.

---

Goofs

When the oil well "blows out," pipe starts flying into the air and oil shoots out everywhere. It does not happen like this. When an oil well "blows out" while drilling, the drilling fluid would be the first to come out, followed by the oil. Besides, the crew would shut the blow out 'preventers' long before the fluid would fly out as forceful as shown. Also the pipe would not fly out unless no preventive measures were taken. In a subsequent shot, they show one of the roughnecks turning a valve to shut the well in. In real life, the blow out preventers would have to be closed by actuating a hydraulic closure ram.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
[Camera shoots past the moon to slowly zoom in on the Earth]
Narrator: This is the Earth, at a time when the dinosaurs roamed a lush and fertile planet.
[From behind the camera, a giant asteroid appears, speeding towards the Earth ahead of it]
Narrator: A piece of rock just 6 miles wide changed all that.
[Blazing through the atmosphere, the asteroid impacts with a spectacular display of fire and destruction]
Narrator: It hit with the force of 10,000 nuclear weapons. A trillion tons of dirt and rock hurtled into the ...

---

Crazy Credits

Portions of the video of Grace Stamper and A.J. Frost's wedding are shown during the final credits.

---

Alternate Versions

The TV version concludes on the runway after the return of the shuttle crew. The wedding scene and related "home movie" footage is not shown.

---

Connections

Referenced in Transformers (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Mister Big Time
Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Aldo Nova
Performed by Jon Bon Jovi
Courtesy of Mercury Records, a PolyGram Company

User Reviews

I'm 38. Today I watched this movie first time

With horrible movies coming out month after month I searched for a good movie. And I found Armageddon on HBO GO and remembered that I never watched this movie in full. So many years after release, I took the time, headphones, 50 inch tv and some popcorn. Let me tell you one thing - THIS IS ONE FANTASTIC MOVIE. They don't make movies like this anymore. We give oscars to crap today, this was pure pleasure and I'm glad I never wathched it before. I always caught part of it. But today, 22 years later hehe :) man, I miss the old movie making skill.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Indonesian

Release Date:

1 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Armageddon

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Theatre - 615 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$140,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,089,972, 5 July 1998

Gross USA:

$201,578,182

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$553,709,788

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Valhalla Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min 153 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS DTS 70 mm (70 mm print) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (5.1) Broadway Surround (1998)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1