Michael Bay’s Armageddon is remembered largely for its massive-scale destruction and complete disregard for scientific accuracy, so much so that it’s actually become a recurring joke at NASA how badly the movie gets virtually everything wrong.
However, there are two aspects of the disaster epic that remain sorely underrated and rarely mentioned.
The first is the sheer strength of the ensemble cast, which has to be regarded as one of the most wonderfully bizarre and eclectic gatherings you’re ever likely to see. Only in a $140 million slice of nonsense would you get Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Peter Stormare, Jason Isaacs, Eddie Griffin and many more in the same film.
The second, and arguably the greatest thing to have happened to Armageddon since it was released 23 years ago, is Affleck’s DVD commentary. The star positively roasts everything as hard as he possibly can, and it’s a riot listening along to the Academy Award winner tearing it down at every turn.
Despite its many flaws, and the vast oodles of cheese that cover mentions of space dementia, Aerosmith power ballads, and the unwanted sexualization of Animal Crackers, Armageddon remains a ton of fun. Disney Plus subscribers clearly agree, after it managed to enter the orbit of the platform’s Top 20 most-watched list, as per FlixPatrol.