Armageddon Review

Armageddon

Release Date: 20th August 1998 - Australia

Production Companies

Touchstone Pictures (presents)

Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Valhalla Motion Pictures (in association

with)

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion

Pictures Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 151 minutes

Budget: $140,000,000

Box Office Gross: $553,709,788 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

When an asteroid threatens to destroy Earth in 18 days, NASA hires a group of oil drillers to head off to outer space to land in the meteor and place a nuclear bomb in its core.

Cast

Bruce Willis - Harry Stamper

Ben Affleck - A. J. Frost

Billy Bob Thornton - Dan Truman

Liv Tyler - Grace Stamper

Will Patton - Charles 'Chick' Chappel

Steve Buscemi - Rockhound

Michael Clarke Duncan - J. Otis 'Bear' Kurleenbear

Peter Stormare - Lev Andropov

William Fichtner - Colonel Willie Sharp

Ken Hudson Campbell - Max Lennert

Keith David - General Kimsey

Owen Wilson - Oscar Choice

Jessica Steen - Jennifer Watts

Jason Isaacs - Dr. Ronald Quincy

Judith Hoag - Denise Chappel

Chris Ellis - NASA Flight Director Clark

Grayson McCouch - Gruber

Clark Heathcliff Brolly - Noonan

Marshall R. Teague - Colonel Davis

Anthony Guidera - Co-Pilot Tucker

Greg Collins - Halsey

J. Patrick McCormack - General Boffer

Ian Quinn - Astronaut Pete Shelby

John Mahon - Karl

Grace Zabriskie - Dottie

K.C. Leomiti - Samoan

Eddie Griffin - Bike Messenger

Stanley Anderson - President

James Harper - Admiral Kelso

Ellen Cleghorne - Helga the Nurse

John Aylward - Dr. Banks

Mark Curry - Stu the Cabbie

Harry Humphries - Chuck Jr. (Cameo)

Dyllan Christopher - Tommy

Judith Hoag - Denise

Sage Allen - Max's Mom

Charlton Heston - Narrator (Voice)

Lawrence Tierney - Eddie 'Grampa' Stamper (Uncredited)

Michael Bay - Scientist (Cameo) (Uncredited)

John Frazier - Priest (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Producer/Director - Michael Bay

Story - Robert Roy Pool and
Jonathan Hensleigh

Adaptation - Tony Gilroy and
Shane Salerno

Screenplay - Jonathan Hensleigh
and J.J. Abrams

Associate Producer/Second Unit Director/
Stunt Coordinator - Kenny Bates

Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Barry H. Waldman

Executive Producers - Jonathan Hensleigh,
Chad Oman and Jim Van Myck

Producers - Jerry Bruckheimer
and Gale Anne Hurd

Consultant: NASA - Joseph P. Allen

Technical Advisor - Harry Humphries

Mission Control Advisor - Jerry Bostick

Casting Director - Bonnie Timmermann

Production Designer - Michael White

Vehicle Designer - Harald Belker

Illustrators - Wil Rees, James M. Carson,

Tani Kunitake, James Oxford and

Derek Gogol

Supervising Art Director - Geoff Hubbard

Art Directors - Lawrence A. Hubbs

and Bruton Jones

Assistant Art Directors - Doug J. Meerdink

and Ron Mendell

Set Decorator - Rick Simpson

Property Master - Charles Stewart

Costume Designers - Magali Guidasci
and Michael Kaplan

Director of Photography - John Schwartzman

Director of Photography: Second Unit - Mauro Fiore

Aerial Directors of Photography - David B. Nowell

and Kurt E. Soderling

Aerial Director of Photography: New York -

Larry Blanford

Underwater Photographer - Pete Romano

"A" Camera Operator - Mitchell Amundsen

Second Assistant Camera: Second Unit -

Harry Zimmerman

Production Supervisor - Diane L. Sabatini

First Assistant Director - K.C. Hodenfield

First Assistant Director: Second Unit/Second

Assistant Director - Jeff Okayabashi

Second Second Assistant Director - Nick Satriano

Aerial Coordinator/Helicopter Pilot - Alan D. Purwin

Aerial Coordinator: International Unit -

Frédéric Notth
Special Effects Supervisor - John Frazier

Special Effects Lead: Paris Destruction

Sequence, DQI - John Ziegler

Special Effects Coordinator: Paris Destruction

Sequence, DQI - Richard O. Helmer

Physical Effects Supervisor: Physical Effects -

Richard Stutsman

Visual Effects Supervisors - Richard R. Hoover
and Pat McClung

Visual Effects Supervisor: Buena Vista Imaging -

Mark Dornfeld

Visual Effects Supervisor: Matte World Digital -

Craig Barron

Visual Effects Supervisor: Blue Sky/

VIFX - Richard E. Hollander

Visual Effects Supervisor: Tippett Studio -
Bruce Nicholson

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Erik Nash

Visual Effects Supervisor: Paris Destruction
Sequence, DQI - Hoyt Yeatman

Visual Effects Creative Supervisor: Digital

Domain - Robert Legato
Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain -

Cari Thomas

Visual Effects Producer: DQI - Rae Griffith

Visual Effects Producer: Blue Sky/VIFX -

Josh R. Jaggars

Additional Visual Effects - John T. Van Vliet

Digital Effects Supervisor: DQI - Darin Hollings

Digital Effects Supervisor: Paris Destruction

Sequence, DQI - Dan DeLeeuw

Digital Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Carlos Arguello

Digital Effects Supervisor: Digital Magic -

Bryan Grill

Digital Effects Supervisor: CFC - Rob Hodgson

Digital Supervisor: Blue Sky/VIFX -

Anthony 'Max' Ivins

Digital 3D Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Matthew E. Butler

Digital Visual Effects Producer: Cinesite - Aaron Dem

Animation Supervisor: Tippett Studio - Blair Clark

Directors of Photography: Visual Effects Shoot

Crew - Philip Timme and Tony Cutrono

Matte Painting Supervisor: Cinesite - Charles Darby

Digital Compositing Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Mark O. Forker

Composite Supervisor: Cinesite - Kevin Lingenfelser

Senior Technical Supervisor: DQI - John Murrah

Editors - Mark Goldblatt,
Chris Lebenzon and Glen Scantlebury

Additional Editor - Michael R. Miller

Associate Film Editors - Roger Barton

and Todd E. Miller

Sound Designer - Christopher Boyes

Supervising Sound Editor - George Watters II

Sound Editors - David A. Arnold,

Frank E. Eulner, Scott Guitteau,

Doug Jackson, Suhail Kafity, Jason King,

Adam Kopald, Andy Kopetzky,

F. Hudson Miller, R.J. Palmer,

Bruce Richardson, Christopher Scarabosio,

Ethan Van der Ryn, Gary Wright,

Steve Boeddeker, Ed Callahan, Midge Costin,

David Farmer, Tom Myers, Robert L. Sephton

and Marshall Winn (Uncredited)

Re-Recording Sound Mixers - Kevin O'Connell

and Greg P. Russell

Additional Re-Recording Mixers -

Gregory H. Watkins, Bill W. Benton and

Greg Orloff

Music - Trevor Rabin

Additional Music - Harry Gregson-Williams

Executive in Charge of Music: Walt Disney

Motion Pictures Group/Music Supervisor -

Kathy Nelson

Music Supervisor - Bob Badami

Music Programmers - Don Harper,

Steve Jablonsky, Paul Linford and

John Van Tongeren

Scoring Mixers - Steve Kempster and

Alan Meyerson

Awards

1999 Academy Awards
Best Sound - Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell
and Keith A. Wester (Nominated)
Best Sound Editing - George Watters II (Nominated)
Best Visual Effects - Richard Hoover, Pat McClung

and John Frazier (Nominated)
Best Music, Original Song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" -
Diane Warren (Nominated)

Review

A very entertaining disaster movie is ARMAGEDDON. This film delivers the audience laughter and drama that gives them an appreciation for this entire picture. I don't care about scientific errors; even the space goofs some people noticed. I liked Michael Bay's direction with his incredible action and explosions. The acting performances of Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Steve Buscemi were predictably good for a sci-fi/action movie.

ARMAGEDDON was the second-best film from the director. It's also an explosive and enjoyable popcorn smash for those who love a terrific disaster feature and even the ones directed by Bay (like the Transformers series, which includes Bay's best film ever.)

If you want to see this blockbuster, you must find it on DVD, Blu-ray or the Internet. If you prefer a different asteroid flick, try Deep Impact from DreamWorks.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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