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Armageddon
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Disney
Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Steve
Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan
Story by Robert Roy Pool and Jonathan Hensleigh
Directed by Michael Bay
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Theatrical Trailer, Music Video
Specs: Widescreen Letterboxed-2.35:1, Dolby Digital
5.1 English, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, English Subtitles,
Chapter Search
"Armageddon" is no masterpiece, but was THE summer movie
for 1998. If I recall it was the top grossing movie of that
year, and the big July 4th movie ever one ranted about.
I did see "Armageddon" upon it's theatrical release, and
I did enjoy it. Reviews were mixed. Some critics
automatically called it the worst movie of the year, but
some people looked beyond the lack of substance and didn't
take it seriously. Yes, it's not the greatest movie ever
made, but it is entertaining. It was what summer movies were
supposed to be about: a ton and ton of hype and
anticipation, plus to be an entertaining ride for two hours.
"Armageddon" accomplished just that.
"Armageddon" has a really simple premise, nothing too
incredibly original and standard all in all: A team of oil
drillers, lead by Bruce Willis, train for a short time to go
into space and blow up an asteroid the size of Texas before
it crushes Earth. Also in that storyline, there arew a few
subplots to not make it just an action movie. There's a
storyline between Willis' daughter (Tyler) and a fellow
driller (Affleck) to give romance, among other things.
As far as the movie goes, the characters are two
dimensional. Nothing more or nothing less. Every character
is developed nicely and standardly. The special effects are
great (especially the explosions and space scenes), and the
editing is pretty choppy, which is sure to put your head
into a tizzy. While some of the dialogue is hallow, I felt
at times there was a smart line or two. Michael Bay's
direction is decent and gets the job done. Finally, the
movie is pretty predictible. I know many felt the whole
ending was a shock, but I saw it coming (and for those who
didn't see the movie, I will not ruin it for you).
"Armageddon" isn't for everyone. It's just a fun movie to
kill two hours. It won't get you thinking, and heck, it may
kill braincells. As I said, it's one of those summer movies.
It's supposed to be entertaining, and it accomplishes that.
If you're a casual moviegoer and love action, this is the
movie for you.
This is a really solid transfer, and it looks great.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, Armageddon looks
fantastic. Colors are really bold, the picture is really
sharp, and I only noticed some slight dirt and artifacts now
and then. However, my biggest complaint is that it's not
anamorphic. A movie like this could really use the extra
resolution, since it has some excellent shots and visual
flair. Also, this is a nice movie for your home theater
system, and since it's not anamorphic and you got a
widescreen TV, you get screwed that way. But overall, it's
nice.
I almost gave this a perfect score, but there is a slight
problem with the English 5.1 audio. It sounds nice and the
explosions going off in all direction fields is great, but
it's really too overpowering for me. The .1 LFE is used to
it's fullest and sounds great, but all in all, I could go
deaf from all this, it's generally too harsh. But still, the
rockets launching, the music, the drilling, the explosions
are mixed incredibly well and it feels like you're at the
theater all over again. A bit too intense, but really good
otherwise.
The Theatrical Trailer and Teaser are
included, and look good plus sound good. Aerosmith's
Oscar® nominated song and big hit, the Music
Video for "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" is also included.
Of course, the Criterion edition is jammed pack with
extras...
It's basically all your choice now. Some liked the movie,
some ripped it to pieces. But if you enjoyed it and don't
care about extras, go with this version. If you love
supplements, you can get a good amount in the Criterion. The
presentation as far as audio and video is the same for both,
so you're basically paying 20 dollars more worthwhile and
pretty in-depth extras.
 (3.5/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
 (4.5/5)
 (1/5)
 (3/5,
NOT an average)
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