Armageddon

Play trailer

2:23

Armageddon

PG-13

Released Jul 1, 1998

2h 30m

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

177 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. (Ben Affleck), who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter (Liv Tyler), until the mission proves otherwise.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Lovely to look at but about as intelligent as the asteroid that serves as the movie's antagonist, Armageddon slickly sums up the cinematic legacies of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay.

Read Critics Reviews

Matthew Rozsa

Salon.com

"Armageddon"'s animus toward scientists and science runs so deep that, on an intuitive level, a viewer could be forgiven for thinking that the mistakes are somehow connected to that anti-intellectual prejudice...

Rated: 0.5/4

Jul 4, 2023

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

We're talking non-stop action and noise. That doesn't make it a bad movie; rather, the audaciousness of the way it has been put together eventually becomes amusing.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Jack Mathews

Newsday

For its targeted young audience, this is summer entertainment at its superficial, excessive best, a combination roller coaster ride and fireworks show, with doomsday as its funhouse theme.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Steve Persall

Tampa Bay Times

A boys-with-toys extravaganza dripping with testosterone and male bonding. It grabs moviegoers by the collar and bullies us into having a good time.

Rated: B

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Chris Garcia

Austin American-Statesman

Armageddon is slam-bang sensory overkill. It's loud. It's heavy-handed. It's melodramatic. It's an explosion of baroque excess that splats on the screen and bludgeons the audience into a collective migraine. It's the best American movie of the year.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Rene Rodriguez

Miami Herald

Armageddon isn't made for grown-ups, and it isn't made for kids, either; I'm not sure it's made for human beings, period. It's a banal, mechanical film, replete with cheap patriotism and bogus sentiment.

Rated: 1/4

Jun 22, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Dave G

Watch Deep Impact instead.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

Full Review

NASHVILLE I

One of the most entertaining and delightfully memorable films of our lifetime. This is the ONE exception to Michael Bay films. Unlike every other thing Michael Bay’s ruined, Armageddon has incredible music giving you goosebumps throughout, digestable explanations, A+ effects, and an intangible sense of wonder and suspense. The reason critica hated it, is because the dialogue isn’t conventional to what epics were back then, and Bay at the time was loathed by several insustry blue bloods. Rest assured Armageddon’s a masterpiece

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Film moved at snails pace. Terrible script. Most likely missles would have been launched at the asteroid, rather then manned space flight. Written for Bruce Willis to be the 1990s super hero. I wanted to like this movie more.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

W. Scott S

One of my all-time favorite movies. I saw this in the theater when it was released multiple times. The definition of a summer blockbuster which did not disappoint. It didn't feel like 2hr and 30min. It was a fun and enjoyable experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/07/25

Full Review

Max W

With Michael Bay's talent for action sequences, Armageddon flourishes on the big screen. However, its weak handling of dramatic scenes and excessive use of commercial elements result in a film that boasts a dazzling exterior but lacks the substance to withstand the test of time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/04/25

Full Review

Nick R

It's probably Michael Bay's best movie. But to be fair, that bar is exceptionally low. So low that even his best film cannot possibly be good.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Michael Bay

Director

Bruce Willis

Harry S. Stamper

Billy Bob Thornton

Dan Truman, NASA Administrator

Liv Tyler

Grace Stamper

Ben Affleck

A.J. Frost

Will Patton

Charles "Chick" Chapple

Deep Impact

45%

43%

Deep Impact

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Deep Impact

The Avengers

5%

15%

The Avengers

Watchlist

Stargate

54%

73%

Stargate

Watchlist

Timeline

13%

45%

Timeline

Watchlist

War of the Worlds

76%

42%

War of the Worlds

Watchlist

TRAILER

for War of the Worlds

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

What to Watch This Week: Joy Ride, Insidious: The Red Door, and More

“Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong” About… Armageddon

Armageddon vs. Deep Impact: Which Space Rock Opera Smashes Its Competition?

Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong About... Armageddon

2:22

Armageddon: Trailer 1

2:23

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. (Ben Affleck), who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter (Liv Tyler), until the mission proves otherwise.

Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Robert Roy Pool, Tony Gilroy, Shane Salerno, Jonathan Hensleigh, J.J. Abrams
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Criterion Collection, Touchstone Home Video
Production Co: Valhalla Motion Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Digital Image Associates, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Rating: PG-13 (Sci-Fi Disaster Action|Brief Language|Sensuality)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $201.6M
Runtime: 2h 30m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Surround, DTS, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now