Armageddon is a 1998 action adventure and science fiction film about an group of blue-collar deep-core drillers who are sent by NASA to deflect an asteroid on a collision course the Earth. It was directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and featured Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler. The tagline of the film was: For Love. For Honor. For Mankind.

The movie did very well at the box office, selling more than US$ 200 million worth of tickets in the United States.

Armageddon was released during a period when disaster movies were seeing a comeback . Another asteroid impact movie, Deep Impact, was made the same year, along with a reprise of Godzilla. The previous year saw a few volcano-based disaster movies.

The soundtrack featured the song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith (fronted by Liv Tyler's father, Steven Tyler) which was the first number 1 hit of the band's career.

While Hollywood science fiction films often bend the rules of science in order to create a more compelling plot, science critics blasted Armageddon more than most for its poor adherence to the laws of physics. Some even felt that the asteroid, an inanimate object, was portrayed as actively trying to kill the astronauts.

Regardless of the science and its general poor critical reception, Armageddon has been re-issued by the prestigious Criterion Collection, which is widely considered an acknowledgement of a film's excellence and place in the cinematic canon.

Soundtrack

Armageddon: The Album (Sony, June 23, 1998)

Tracklist:

1. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
2. Remember Me - Journey_(band)
3. What Kind of Love Are You On - Aerosmith
4. La Grange - ZZ Top
5. Roll Me Away - Bob Seger
6. When the Rainbow Comes - Shawn Colvin
7. Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
8. Mister Big Time - Jon Bon Jovi
9. Come Together - Aerosmith
10. Wish I Were You - Patty Smyth
11. Starseed - Our Lady Peace
12. Leaving On A Jet Plane - Chantal Kreviazuk
13. Theme from Armageddon - Trevor Rabin
14. Animal Crackers - Ben Affleck

See also

• Asteroid deflection strategies

External links

• Armageddon http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/ at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeanine Basinger's essay on why Armageddon is in the Criterion Collection http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=40&eid=56&section=essay
• Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics review of Armageddon http://intuitor.com/moviephysics/armageddon.html
• Bad Astronomy - The Astronomy of Armageddon http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/armpitageddon.html