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| Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler,
Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Peter Stormare |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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General
Kimsey: The fate of the planet is in the hands of a bunch of retards
I wouldn't trust with a potato gun.
A
group of deep core drillers is assigned to stop a meteor hurtling towards
Earth from outer space.
 One
of those massive Hollywood productions marketed so heavily and so massively
that somehow everybody ends up seeing it, in spite of the fact that
few people would classify it as a good or even as a satisfactory movie.
Cut together at a frantic pace, with non-stop dizzying camera moves,
expensive but somehow resolutely unimpressive effects sequences, and
a general jokiness undercutting any sense of suspense or drama, Armageddon
ends up an exhaustive, overbearing assault on the sense that leaves
the viewer numb rather than overawed. The jokes are forced and overly
obvious, and the actors never get a chance to build a performance in
the constant succession of chaotic action set pieces. |
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A
non-anamorphic movie-only DVD was first released for Region 1, followed
by a two-disc Special Edition from the Criterion Collection (also non-anamorphic).
The first Region 2 DVD release carried an anamorphic transfer but was
spread across two sides of a flipper disc. That release was recently
replaced by a two-disc Special Edition, with the same anamorphic transfer
on the dual-layered first disc, and a selection from the extras on the
Criterion Region 1 special edition on disc 2. The Region 2 Special Edition
served as basis for this review.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
2.35:1. The finely detailed image has bold, fully saturated colors and
great black levels, but is sadly marred by an overabundance of distracting,
completely unnecessary edge enhancement, giving characters an ugly edge
that stands out around them. There is some occasional grain in a few
sequences, but nothing to seriously detract from the transfer.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix features an abundance of split surround
effects, though the track is neither as powerful nor as detailed as
one would expect nowadays from a high-profile action epic like this.
The .1 LFE is put to good use throughout, giving plenty of power to
the film's more intense scenes.
First
up, the deleted scenes consist of three-and-a-half minutes of
combined deleted scenes and outtakes, rather brief but pretty fun to
watch. The optional director's commentary specified in the packaging
is nowhere to be found on the disc itself. Much more substantial are
the sections dedicated to special effects sequences. Three key
effects supervisors offer fascinating commentary along with an informative
and varied selection of effects footage in various stages of production
for the film's key set pieces. Similarly, production designer Michael
White provides a great commentary track along with a production design
featurette. Two sequences are presented in a storyboard-to-screen
comparison, offering further insight into the detailed level of
design that went into this monster production. The music video
for Aerosmith's hit single Don't Wanna Miss a Thing is preceded
by a short interview with the band members. The theatrical trailer
rounds out this nicely produced set of extras. The
animated main menu screen starts with an explosion, then leads into a
montage of brief images from the film, accompanied by a music cue from
the score. Menu screens on both discs have a good, consistent design with
excellent notes on the extras.
Noah
Eamon
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Armageddon.
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to return to the front page.
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