Many things have been said against Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of such high octane cookie cutter action films as Bad Boys, The Rock and Con Air, but one thing can surely be said in his favor: He knows how to open a movie. When Bruckheimer and his director Michael Bay sought to introduce their biggest movie yet, Armageddon, the story of a planet killing asteroid hurtling towards the helpless Earth, he enlisted the resonant, doom-prophetizing voice of Charlton Heston.

In Armageddon, NASA learns that the only way to avert the end of the world is to explode nuclear missiles in the center of the rapidly approaching asteroid. The result would be to split the doomsday rock in two. These fragments, still big enough to destroy all life on Earth, would theoretically head into separate, safe trajectories if exploded in time. In order to get the missiles deep enough inside the asteroid for such an explosion to work, NASA must use oil drilling techniques. For this it has to turn to one of the world's top oil rig experts, the gruff Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), and his ragtag crew of roughnecks.

Heston delivers his brief introduction with spirit and an appropriate touch of menace. As for the others in the film, Bruce Willis gives his usual charismatic turn, while newcomer Ben Affleck thrusts himself into superstardom as the impluse young A.J. Frost. Liv Tyler is passable as Willis' daughter/Affleck's love interest. The suporting cast of character actors, led by the always quirky Steve Buscemi, hit their marks well, inciting a chuckle when appropriate or tugging on a heartstring when called for. Will Patton's Chick has some particularly effective scenes where he, a prodigal father, tries to make peace with his ex-wife and young son just before the crew heads into space (not knowing if he'll return).

Armageddon may be hokey and predictable, but with a whole lot of adrenaline and melodrama mixed with a little bit of humor, the film churns on and on like a well-oiled machine. And that's exactly what the movie is, mechanical. However, all the parts of the machine work well enough together that the viewer just looking for some mindless entertainment won't be bothered. That said, Armageddon may be a satisfying popcorn film at first glance, but it is so formulaic that it just might leave you feeling cheap and a little bit dirty in the morning.

Heston's performance: 3/5 Stars.
Overall Film: 3/5 Stars.

--Chris Kivlehan

Cast

Bruce Willis as Harry Tasker
Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman
Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost
Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper
Will Patton as Charles "Chick" Chapple
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound
Charlton Heston as Narrator

Crew

Michael Bay / Director
Jonathan Hensleigh and J.J. Abrams / Screenwriters
Jonathan Hensleigh and Robert Roy Pool / Story
Shane Salerno and Tony Gilroy / Adaptation
Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay and Gale Anne Hurd / Producers
Jonathan Hensleigh, Chad Oman and Jim Van Wyck / Executive Producers
John Schwartzmann / Cinematographer
Trevor Rabin / Original Music
Touchstone Pictures / Distributor

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