---
title: "Armageddon"
year: 1998
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/armageddon"
fi1m_id: "armageddon"
imdb_id: "tt0120591"
tmdb_id: 95
wikidata_id: "Q208344"
fi1m_score: 64
critics_score: 50
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-13"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:20.820819+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Armageddon (1998)

Directed by Michael Bay · 2h 31m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Science Fiction, Adventure

## Identity

Armageddon

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/armageddon
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** armageddon
- **IMDb ID:** tt0120591
- **TMDB ID:** 95
- **Wikidata ID:** Q208344
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/95, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q208344

**Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 50 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* An asteroid threatens Earth, and Bruce Willis looks annoyed at the extra work

> Michael Bay’s asteroid disaster film has the cast and the explosive spectacle to make its foolishness enjoyable. The frantic cutting and laboured tenderness make 151 minutes a tougher assignment than it needs to be.

## Synopsis

An asteroid threatens Earth, and a team of drillers is sent to plant nuclear bombs inside it. Bruce Willis plays Harry S. Stamper, the man leading the mission, with Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman and Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost. As the countdown runs, the task puts the crew’s practical skills against a problem on a planetary scale. Liv Tyler plays Grace Stamper, while Steve Buscemi, Will Patton and Michael Clarke Duncan are among the supporting cast. Michael Bay directs this science-fiction disaster film, which follows the mission alongside the personal ties of those involved.

## Review

Michael Bay approaches the end of the world as if leaving a moment unfilled would be a failure of duty. *Armageddon* is enjoyable, exhausting nonsense, with enough wit and physical excitement to justify some, though not all, of its 151 minutes. It wants the ordinary expertise of drillers to look heroic against an extraordinary threat. That is a sturdy idea for a disaster film, and the trouble is how often Bay seems to think it needs another explosion.

The screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh and J.J. Abrams sends Bruce Willis’s Harry S. Stamper and his drillers to put nuclear bombs inside an asteroid. We do not need plausible science to accept that invitation; we need a task we can follow and people worth following. The premise provides both, while the broad characterisations give the actors room to be funny without stopping to explain themselves. When the script turns towards romance and solemn declarations, the dialogue becomes harder to forgive than the mission.

Willis understands how useful a little reluctance can be in a film determined to applaud its hero. His Harry gives the enterprise a human centre, and the supporting cast supplies welcome friction rather than merely standing about to certify his importance. Steve Buscemi’s Rockhound is particularly well suited to the film’s irreverence, while Billy Bob Thornton, as Dan Truman, brings welcome steadiness. Ben Affleck’s A.J. Frost and Liv Tyler’s Grace Stamper fare less well when the writing asks for tenderness: the effort is visible, but so is the calculation.

John Schwartzman’s cinematography gives the detonations enough force in individual images to make the scale of the danger register. We were thrilled by the explosions, then irritated when another burst of destruction arrived before we had absorbed the last. The images earn the first response; Bay’s insistence on keeping them coming earns the second. Michael White’s production design gives the mission a persuasive physical scale, although the cutting leaves too little time to get our bearings within it.

The editors, Glen Scantlebury, Chris Lebenzon and Mark Goldblatt, keep the pressure high and give almost nothing room to settle. At its most effective, that speed makes the mission feel desperately urgent. Too often, however, the next cut interrupts our understanding of what the previous shot established, and the second half becomes difficult to follow for reasons that have nothing to do with suspense. A disaster film needs us to know what has gone wrong before asking us to worry about the next thing.

Trevor Rabin’s score is more effective at urging the action onwards than at making the personal scenes convincing. The music pushes for emotion where Hensleigh and Abrams have supplied too little ordinary behaviour to support it. Bay is comfortable with bluster and jokes, but his handling of affection is heavy, and the actors cannot always make these people seem close. Willis offers something solid enough to care about; around him, the film repeatedly asks for feelings it has not taken time to build.

The familiar pleasure of a disaster film is watching people become useful under pressure, and Bay recognises the appeal of giving that job to drillers. There is affection in the film’s belief that practical workers deserve this sort of extravagant heroism, even when its flag-waving makes that affection feel rather selective. We would have liked more confidence in those people and less anxiety about holding our attention. Keep it for company prepared to laugh at the solemn bits as well as the jokes.

*Fi1m score 64, published 13 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews split almost evenly, leaning slightly negative. Where critics like it, they like it as spectacle: the scale of the detonations, the asteroid-drilling set pieces, and a supporting cast, Steve Buscemi and Owen Wilson in particular, that keeps the tone knowingly daft. Several doubters concede it is watchable whenever it stops taking itself seriously. Bruce Willis is singled out by admirers as the film’s heart, and Film Comment goes furthest, ranking it as Michael Bay’s finest.

The complaints cluster on Bay’s editing. Variety, the Los Angeles Times and Roger Ebert all find the cutting so rapid that the action becomes incomprehensible and the emotional scenes hollow. The New York Times treats it as jingoistic product rather than a film. The spread is wide, from near-rave to outright dismissal, and it has a shape: the harshest verdicts come from the American dailies of 1998, while later revisits from Time Out and Den of Geek are kinder, taking the silliness as the point.

## Straight answers

**Is Armageddon worth watching?**

*Armageddon* is worth watching as enjoyable, exhausting nonsense, and we scored it 64. Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi and Billy Bob Thornton make the drillers' mission funny and easy to follow, but the frantic cutting and laboured romance make 151 minutes a long evening. Keep it for company prepared to laugh at the solemn bits as well as the jokes.

**How long is Armageddon, and what is it rated?**

*Armageddon* runs 2h 31m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is an action and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch Armageddon in the US?**

*Armageddon* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Armageddon, and is it suitable for children?**

*Armageddon* carries a UK 12 certificate, with explosive destruction on a planetary scale but nothing our review found frightening beyond the spectacle. The detonations are loud and relentless rather than gory, and the tone leans on jokes and bluster. Younger children may find the constant noise wearing; teenagers who enjoy action films should be fine.

**What should I watch after Armageddon?**

After *Armageddon*, try [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) (1953, Fi1m 90): Working men handle dangerous cargo, with suspense built from painstaking physical detail. Then [*Sunshine*](https://film.one/film/sunshine-2007) (2007, Fi1m 74): Another desperate space mission, with greater dread and more patience for silence.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Film Comment** (90/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/bay-watch/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (85/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/armageddon-review-movie-1998-1221857/)
- **The New Yorker**, Daphne Merkin (70/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/07/13/it-came-from-outer-space)
- **Empire**, Angie Errigo (65/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/armageddon-review/)
- **Time Out**, TCh (60/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/armageddon)
- **Total Film** (40/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/armageddon-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (30/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-01-ca-65420-story.html)
- **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps (30/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/armageddon-1798196334)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (30/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/armageddon-1200453934/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (10/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/armageddon-1998)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (10/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/01/movies/film-review-henny-penny-gets-the-president-s-ear.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (75/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/armageddon-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **Den of Geek**, Lisa Bernier (70/100, inferred): 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. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/armageddon-1998-lookbackreview/)

## Details

- **Director:** Michael Bay
- **Director:** Michael Bay
- **Screenplay:** Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams
- **Story:** Robert Roy Pool, Jonathan Hensleigh
- **Cinematography:** John Schwartzman
- **Editor:** Chris Lebenzon, Glen Scantlebury, Mark Goldblatt
- **Music:** Trevor Rabin
- **Production design:** Michael White
- **Costume design:** Magali Guidasci, Michael Kaplan
- **Producer:** Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay, Gale Anne Hurd
- **Cast:** Bruce Willis as Harry S. Stamper; Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman; Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost; Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper; Will Patton as Chick; Steve Buscemi as Rockhound; William Fichtner as Willie Sharp; Owen Wilson as Oscar
- **Runtime:** 2h 31m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 1 July 1998
- **Genres:** Action, Science Fiction, Adventure
- **Budget:** $140 million
- **Box office:** $554 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-13.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1999: Best Sound (nominated); Best Sound Editing (nominated); Best Visual Effects (nominated)
- Saturn Awards 1999: Best Science Fiction Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *Deep Impact* (1998): A planetary catastrophe given more breathing space and a stronger domestic focus.
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: Working men handle dangerous cargo, with suspense built from painstaking physical detail. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)
- *The Wandering Earth* (2019): Planetary rescue taken to further extremes, with engineering made everybody’s urgent concern.
- *The Poseidon Adventure* (1972): A disaster ensemble whose squabbling survivors give the spectacle a human scale.
- *Sunshine* (2007), Fi1m 74: Another desperate space mission, with greater dread and more patience for silence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sunshine-2007.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/armageddon