Armageddon (1998)

The critic hails Armageddon as Michael Bay's finest and a crowning achievement and personal guilty pleasure, praising its grand scale, team of macho drillers, and the joyful, lulling quality of its chaotic asteroid-drilling sequences.

The critic calls it a dazzling, warp-speed blockbuster and smart, polished entertainment that exceeds typical FX/disaster film expectations. He singles out the expert scripting by Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams and uncredited contributors, along with Michael Bay’s confident direction that balances action, visuals and personal moments.

The critic half-likes the film despite initial reluctance, finding its visual spectacle awe-inspiring even as the plotting in the final act defies explanation. She singles out the brilliantly orchestrated detonations and the director's kinetic style for comment.

The film is a doomsday countdown spectacle of extreme tosh from Bruckheimer and Bay that delivers more big bangs than its rival Deep Impact. It offers a million laughs, many unintentional, and stands as the silliest but best-shot popcorn movie in a dismal summer.

The critic calls the film idiotic yet smart enough to relish its own lunkhead bravado, with Willis leading drillers on a mission to plant nuclear bombs inside an asteroid. It praises the sterling supporting cast and tongue-in-cheek tone while noting that Bay cannot sell sincerity and the lovey-dovey scenes are hokey.

Big explosions and over-the-top characterisations deliver thrilling set pieces perfect for excitable 12-year-olds, but the plot-free second half fails to deliver satisfying payoff or linear storytelling. It amounts to a $140 million pizza-and-six-pack film rather than a worthy action classic.

The critic finds the film big and clumsy, sporadically watchable in moments when it does not take itself seriously, but ultimately undone by its grandiosity, frantic editing that obscures the action, and weak emotional elements.

The critic finds the film an assault on the senses with little substance beyond explosions and quick cuts, criticizing its incoherence, clichés, and disposability while noting it distracts from its many flaws.

The critic finds the film effects-obsessed and dramatically benumbed, with incoherent staging and an editing style that amounts to a sensory pummeling. He singles out the lack of dramatic rhythm or character development as resulting directly from the director's cutting style.

The critic calls the film an assault on the senses, loud, ugly and fragmented, with a ridiculous plot full of cliches and editing so rapid that action sequences are incomprehensible.

The critic views the film as an overblown, jingoistic product rather than a coherent movie, with no believable moments and embarrassingly hollow heroics. She singles out the comparison to Apollo 13 as a real film about courage in space.

The critic finds the film energetic and committed, going for broke without apologies and believing in itself. He praises the witty script and the ad-libbing from Steve Buscemi and Owen Wilson but complains about an overused slo-mo cliché.

The critic calls Armageddon a highly entertaining popcorn disaster movie that delivers laughs, tears, memorable lines from its supporting cast, and strong emotional moments alongside its over-the-top action and absurdity. Bruce Willis is singled out for praise as the film's heart and heroic everyman.