The reviews lean negative on Armageddon, though even some detractors find pleasure in its explosions, effects and cast. Praise clusters around the scale of the spectacle and the performers’ ability to make the mission entertaining despite its absurdity. More receptive critics enjoy the loud bravado, humour and action without asking for much plausibility. For them, the film’s willingness to be ridiculous helps it along, while its attempts at sincere romance are harder to accept.
The sharpest objections concern frantic editing, confused action and characters given too little development. The spread is wide: critics disagree not just about whether the spectacle compensates for the storytelling, but about whether the storytelling works at all. The Hollywood Reporter praises the scripting and direction, finding Bruce Willis credible as an ordinary man turned hero. Variety finds the film dramatically numb and incoherent, with the editing turning its effects into an ordeal.