Armageddon
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: July 1, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
8
Negative:
7
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Armageddon is as irresistible as it's indefensible. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It looks like a TV ad, or 200 of them strung together, with the same kind of gaudy virtuosity, lavish technique and expensive self-mockery tinging every shot. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
The movie is ridiculous, but since the special effects are really quite impressive, that seems a small point. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
It might make you tense, it might make you nauseous, and its clangorous roar could well give you a migraine headache. Read full review
70
SlateDavid Edelstein
Armageddon is awesome, dude, but it's, like, short on awe. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDaphne Merkin
The surprisingly witty script was worked on by a squadron of writers, including Robert Towne. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's big, it's stupid, it's pretty kick-ass. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Armageddon is a testosterone and adrenaline cocktail, with almost no intelligence added for flavoring. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRon Wells
Sometimes the movie can't decide whether to tug REALLY HARD at the heart strings, or make you laugh at the zany oil riggers. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
When it's all over, you can't remember if you've been watching a movie or just a jumbo-sized coming attraction. Read full review
50
The New York TimesElvis Mitchell
The actors mark time, and the gung-ho heroics on display are embarrassingly hollow. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Bay doesn't stage scenes, exactly -- he stages moments. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Trying to pick faults with a sound-and-spectacle juggernaut like Armageddon is like taking an ant gun to an elephant: All the movie's staggering conventional weaknesses -- ludicrous plot, weak characterization, incomprehensible staging and ambient racket -- are irrelevant. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Yes, it's a testosterone cocktail, but at least it doesn't leave you feeling as though you've been tumbled around in a gem polisher for two-and-a-half hours. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Director Michael Bay's filmmaking style is so frantic and frenetic that it's often impossible to figure out exactly what is happening. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Bay directs Armageddon in a way that seems more concerned with constantly assaulting the senses than anything else, hoping perhaps that the quick cuts and constant explosions will distract from his film's many flaws. Read full review
38
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Armageddon may sell tickets, thanks largely to a high-powered marketing machine that's been conducting its own countdown for the past several months. But it's not a pretty picture. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
There are barrages of fast cuts to distract us from the fact that the director is showing us no real action. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
An assault on the eyes, the ears, the brain, common sense and the human desire to be entertained. Read full review
20
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Much of the confusion, as well as the lack of dramatic rhythm or character development, results directly from Bay's cutting style, which resembles a machine gun stuck in the firing position for 2 and a half hours. Read full review
10
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Not wishing to spoil the fun -- pretty hard to come by anyway in this 1998 blockbuster's 150 minutes -- I won't tell you the outcome, but I'll wager you can guess. Read full review
0
Rolling StonePeter Travers
How do I hate Armageddon? Let me count the ways. Read full review
0
Washington PostStephen Hunter
So predictable it could have been written by a chimp who's watched too much TV, the huge movie is as dumb as it is loud, and it's way too loud. Read full review
More From This Movie

42 Critic Reviews

6.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 82 The Northman
2 81 Everything Everywhere All at Once
3 78 X
4 72 7 Days
5 72 Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL