Armageddon came out in 1998 and is a science fiction disaster flick. When it came out it earned over $553 million globally. It was a blockbuster, it was the top film of 1998 and Disney’s most expensive film. It was a success despite being easy to mock. The film was hated by critics and it was nominated for multiple Razzie awards. Bruce Willis even won the Worst Actor award at the Razze.
In April 2013, Michael Bay was in an interview with the Miami Herald for the promotion of Pain & Gain. In the interview, the director said that he regretted that they had little time to shoot the movie, Armageddon. But it was framed in the news, the next day as “Michael Bay apologizes for Armageddon. In June 2016, Ben Affleck roasted the blockbuster, “This is a little bit of a logic stretch, let’s face it.”
Michael Bay’s film did not mean to follow the logic
Though Armageddon deserves all the bashing it gets for defying logic, the maker never intended to make a logical movie. And he said so in a 2001 interview with New York Times. “Armageddon is like a total fantasy for a 15-year-old,” told Michael Bay. He also added, “It’s funny — when the critics tried to review Armageddon. I mean, relax, it’s a popcorn movie. It’s not supposed to be taken seriously.” He even called it fantasy comedy in a later interview.
In fact, Michael Bay has been long hated by critics for making bombastic films. Despite his films being great hits. And though Armageddon is a popcorn blockbuster, it is hard to put it in a genre. Some call it action, others call it sci-fi and another group calls it fantasy. But whatever the confusion, the audience loved it and it turned out to be a blockbuster.
Armageddon is much better than you think
The movie has been written by 9 different writers and is also full of stars, some established and some upcoming stars. Some viewers even considered it a story of the relationship of a father and daughter and also a romance. Though the romance was not meant to be the central plot. Despite its many many faults, Armageddon managed to stay in talks after all these years of its release.
The reason behind it could be that the movie was meant for teenagers and young adults, and they loved it. And now to them, the film has become nostalgic. Plus it is a feel-good movie, the story of an underdog turning hero. But it is also more than that. The relationship between the father and daughter seems quite genuine and is in no way a cheesy one. The comedy in the film is good too. It is a movie that everyone can enjoy and is an escape flick. That one can watch every once in a while to catch a break. In fact, movies like these are not possible anymore.
Related: 22 Hilarious Quotes From Michael Bay’s Armageddon
