Title: Armageddon
Debut: 1998
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton (remember him?) and Ben Affleck
Directed by: Michael Bay
Summary: (From IMDB): When an asteroid the size of Texas is headed for Earth the world’s best deep core drilling team is sent to nuke the rock from the inside.
What we fondly remember: I mean, it’s a Ben Affleck movie! What’s not to remember fondly? And remember how many times you heard that Aerosmith theme song on the radio that year? I think I heard it 5,653 times. And liked it until well into the 4,000s.
What was refreshing: For PG-13, Armageddon is surprisingly low on violence and sexuality. There’s language, but I think the f-bomb is only dropped once. It makes for a great intro to action-adventure doomsday movies. Or a first Bruce Willis movie, if you want to look at it that way.
Red flags: Disclaimer: we watched this movie only with our 10 and 12 year olds. We felt the theme of impending doom was too scary and the language too heavy for the seven-year-old. That said, there’s only a few sexual references. At the beginning, Willis’ character finds his daughter in bed with Affleck’s character. Nothing is shown, really, but it bears explaining. There’s a little more skin on the last night before the mission, when the various characters are saying goodbye (and one is headed to a strip bar) but again, I didn’t really need the fast-forward button. There’s language, but the only violence is in the form of some big bombs. I’ll take that only gun fire any day.
Kids’ Review: Love, love, love. They felt like they were allowed to watch a ‘grown up movie’, and they were! They loved the action, the plot was not babyish by any means, but not complicated either, and they even got the humor. They were on the edge of their seats, and it was truly a fun experience to experience it all with them.
Want more after the credits roll? Catch up on past reviews here!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Of the two comet-is-going-to-hit-earth movies that came out simultaneously that year, I always preferred Deep Impact. I can’t stop rolling my eyes at these movies that take every landmark on earth and demolish them. I liked the humanness of the story in Deep Impact…but for the boys, I suppose all that stuff is too girly. :)
Kathleen Basi recently posted..Boys, Fashion (or not), and Homelessness: a 7QT post
You know, I was thinking of Deep Impact as well– and I think the government conspiracy, and the family issues (divorce, wedding your teens to save your daughter, the lottery for anyone under 50) may have led to a LOT of discussions. That being said, I enjoyed Deep Impact much more than Armageddon.
Sarah recently posted..Days 2, 3, and 4. And #OperationPlayMore. All In One Post. Because I can.