Bruce Willis’ ’90s Sci-Fi Classic The Fifth Element Deserved Better Than Critics Gave It

One of the most memorable bits of “Armageddon” lore comes from the film’s DVD commentary, a clip that later resurfaced online via Newsweek. In it, Ben Affleck recalls asking director Michael Bay a perfectly reasonable question: Why would NASA teach oil drillers to become astronauts instead of training actual astronauts to drill? Bay’s response was blunt and instantly legendary. He told Affleck to “shut the f*** up,” and somehow, that exchange sums up the entire movie’s glorious, ridiculous appeal.

Affleck was hardly alone in wondering whether “Armageddon” made much sense. Critics had plenty of objections when the 1998 disaster blockbuster arrived, and the film still sits at a modest 42% score from professional reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. That number feels harsh for a movie built around a wonderfully absurd premise: an asteroid the size of Texas is racing toward Earth, and humanity’s best hope is a crew of oil drillers led by Harry S. Stamper, played by Bruce Willis. Their mission is to land on the asteroid, plant a nuclear bomb inside it and destroy it before impact. Along the way, the film piles on the melodrama, including Harry’s disapproval of his daughter Grace, played by Liv Tyler, falling for hotshot driller A.J., played by Affleck.

At the time, many reviewers dismissed “Armageddon” as loud, illogical and proudly anti-intellectual. They were not entirely wrong. The movie is drenched in Michael Bay’s signature maximalism, from slow-motion hero shots to roaring explosions, all stretched across a nearly 150-minute runtime. Still, some films improve when judged less by realism and more by what they are trying to deliver. On that front, “Armageddon” remains one of the biggest, boldest and most entertaining blockbusters of its era, and it absolutely deserves another look.

Going after “Armageddon” for its scientific accuracy is a little like riding Space Mountain at Disneyland and complaining that the attraction lacks a proper oxygen system for interstellar travel. That is not the point. You strap in, let the spectacle take over and enjoy the rush. “Armageddon” is essentially a cinematic roller coaster: fast, noisy, sentimental and engineered for maximum impact. It is not attempting to offer a sober meditation on humanity’s place in the universe, nor is it presenting a practical blueprint for planetary defense.

None of that diminishes the value of smarter, more grounded science fiction. Sometimes audiences want thoughtful, challenging cinema; other times, they want the movie equivalent of comfort food. For anyone looking to switch off after a long week, “Armageddon” remains an ideal choice. Ironically, the film may have even helped educate viewers about space travel by inspiring countless scientists to explain everything it gets wrong. Those real-world breakdowns are often fascinating in their own right, and they may stick with audiences even more precisely because Bay’s movie chose spectacle over accuracy.

Pure spectacle is Michael Bay’s entire M.O. That’s why “Armageddon” remains one of Bay’s best movies. It knows what it is and delivers exactly what you came from: Popcorn entertainment with a heavy dose of melodrama and humor to boot.

“Armageddon” isn’t all explosions and guys walking toward the camera looking cool. There’s a strong enough emotional hook between A.J. wanting Stamper’s approval to be with his daughter. And after two-and-a-half hours of character development, Stamper sacrifices himself on the asteroid, giving A.J. his approval for them to marry. It’s one of the most devastating deaths in any sci-fi classic, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a dry eye during that gut-punch. “Armageddon” is unabashedly sincere, where emotional beats aren’t undercut by jokes. The whole thing is silly, but it takes the silliness seriously. 

We’re not saying “Armageddon” deserves to be in the same conversation as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but you have to take the movie for what it is. General audiences have caught on, as “Armageddon” sports a 72% positive Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was even added to the Criterion Collection, a service that restores and preserves older, classic films. It probably isn’t at risk of getting forgotten anytime soon, but Criterion likely added it as a more commercial venture to help fund the restorations of more obscure titles. 

“Armageddon” isn’t perfect, but it also represents a kind of blockbuster we don’t get anymore. The special effects team created real sets and utilized actual explosions. If nothing else, it’s easy to appreciate the artistry on display that’s becoming harder to come by in modern big-budget action movies.