5/5 No other Words than GREAT
  by Elaine Morris (Wylie, TX)
Great Story line -- amazing movie -- holds you in your seat -- amazing music. There isn't a negative thing to say about this movie. Great movie to see during hard times in life.

1/5 Why? Why did Criterion do this?
  by Marc G. Lawson
Criterion says that they do "important" films. This film is about as important as speck of dirt. If they're going for "worst movie ever" importance, then why not do Plan 9 instead?

5/5 Arrmageddon on with the film!
  by The Ruby Contessa (Ohio)
This is one of my all time favorite films!
I only had the VHS and, because I watch it so often I'm certain the tape was wearing thin! I finally broke down and made the DVD purchase when I got a new player for the bedroom....How great to see this in a format that is so much better!
Yeah for the digital world...and Bruce Willis (with a great cast)!!!

4/5 A global killer - nothing survives
  by Jim Gateley (Sunnyvale, CA)
4 of 5 stars for this sci-fi movie. A global killer--nothing survives, not even bacteria. An asteroid the size of Texas is en route to the Earth. With only 18 days before impact what do you do? Some early arriving asteroids (basketball size) rake NYC doing extreme damage. The only choice? Nuke it. How do you do that? Send a crew to drill a hole into the asteroid, implant the nuke, blast-it to break the asteroid into little bits. OK, who do you get to drill the hole? How about a crew of rough-necks (lead by Bruce Willis)? Things get complex when it turns out the asteroid is solid metal and it breaks drill bits.

Very strong acting and characters. Willis really hits a home run with his character. Great special effects. The concept is a bit old, but, this is a fresh version. I do recommend this movie!

3/5 Fun, but Verbose
  by Ana Mardoll (United States)
Armageddon / B00000G3PA

*Spoilers*

If I were rating "Armageddon" based on the first 45 minutes or so alone, I'd probably give it a solid four stars, maybe even five. The movie starts strong, with a canny blend of immediate disaster and relevant exposition (as opposed to some disaster movies that force you to sit through 30 minutes of character set-up before you get a whiff of nature-turning-sour) alongside humorous character introduction. The triangle between father, daughter, and lover is an amusing one, and Tyler in particular shines as she balances a complex tightrope of emotions - distance and frustration, anger, worry, and a touch of amused contempt. The high note continues as the obligatory Introduction/Recruiting scenes start rolling, and the film is canny enough to drape everything in over-the-top humor - the men want to be reimbursed for their efforts by knowing "the truth" about JFK, having their parking tickets overturned, and being taken permanently off the IRS rolls. Even better, Billy Bob Thornton plays the straight man to all this and plays it well, highlighting the wacky fun and exposition.

Unfortunately, about the time after lift-off, the amusing chuckles become less frequent. Frankly, the movie's biggest failing here (in my opinion) is the decision to put so much focus on Affleck. I've got nothing against the man as an actor, but the entire set-up with him being sectioned off with the crazy Russian astronaut solely and specifically for the purpose of him (a) ramping over the moon Dukes-of-Hazzard style and (b) climactically showing up at the last moment when everything has conveniently broken is just so much tedium and is far too long. Frequent shots back to Thornton and Tyler on earth are included here to heighten the tension, but without Willis to play off of, the shots fall relatively flat and begin to occur too frequently.

Ultimately, "Armageddon" is a decent disaster film, and probably one of the best known, but I find I can no longer sit through the entire movie without fast-forwarding through a good deal of the filler middle. I can't help but feel that the final product would have been better if all the side stuff with Affleck had been cut - either such that he was never separated in the first place, or such that his trek back to the others takes place largely outside of the actual movie. I understand wanting to ramp off of moon cliffs as a director - after all, it's cool and it was also probably intended as comic relief - but ultimately I just feel that "Armageddon" is a little too long and a little too bloated at the middle, despite the strong beginning.