Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Giant-sized end-of-the-world scenario too scary for tweens.
Parents Need to Know
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Armageddon
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 17 parent reviews
Parents say that this movie is not suitable for young children due to intense disaster sequences, strong language, and some sexual content, making it more appropriate for a mature audience. Many reviewers praised the film as an instant classic, highlighting its great cast, humor, and themes of familial bonds, while acknowledging that it contains violence and some mature elements.
- mature content
- action-packed
- strong language
- family themes
- great cast
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 16 kid reviews
Kids say the film starts off slow but improves, featuring strong language and some questionable behavior from characters. While it offers thrilling destruction and emotional moments, many reviewers warn it's not suitable for younger audiences due to violence and adult themes.
- boredom at start
- strong language
- intense violence
- not for kids
- emotional moments
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
A giant asteroid ("the size of Texas") threatens to wipe out everything and everyone on Earth. NASA chief Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) cooks up a crazy, last-ditch plan involving a crack team of drillers, led by Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis). They will board a rocket, land on the asteroid, drill an 800-foot hole, and plant a nuclear bomb, splitting the asteroid in two before it can reach the Earth. Many complications arise, including overshooting the landing site, and a case of space dementia. But Harry becomes most perturbed when he realizes that his best right-hand man, A.J. (Ben Affleck) is secretly in love with his beloved daughter Grace (Liv Tyler).
Is It Any Good?
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Michael Bay (The Rock, Pearl Harbor), ARMAGEDDON is a super-packaged product, designed and marketed rather than created. It's noisy, glossy, and excessive, and more than a tad simplistic -- but it's also nearly irresistible. It has a huge cast of stars and character actors, all playing instantly likeable misfits and outsiders that grab our affections and never let go.
The cliffhanger setups and payoffs come right out of the silent era, complete with ticking clocks counting down to the last second, but these creaky old devices still work like gangbusters. The movie's major drawback is that it cheerfully plays with the terrifying concept of the complete extinction of everything and everyone on Earth. Younger and sensitive viewers who think a little too much about this setup may find themselves lying awake for nights afterward.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's violence and destruction. Was it frightening, or thrilling? Why do you think it made you feel that way?
How would you feel if you found out the Earth was ending in just a matter of days? What would you do with the time? Would you risk everything for a chance to save the Earth?
The main characters, the drillers, were all misfits and outcasts, gamblers, drug users, womanizers, quick-tempered, foul-mouthed, etc. How did you like them as you met them onscreen? How much did you trust them with the fate of the Earth?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 1, 1998
- On DVD or streaming : January 14, 2003
- Cast : Ben Affleck , Billy Bob Thornton , Bruce Willis
- Director : Michael Bay
- Studio : Touchstone Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 151 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sci-fi disaster action, sensuality and brief language
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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