Armageddon

Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film directed by Michael Bay.

Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film directed by Michael Bay. It follows a team of oil drillers recruited by NASA to destroy an asteroid before it hits Earth.

What it is

The film centres on NASA’s attempt to stop a Texas-sized asteroid from colliding with Earth. A group of blue-collar deep-core drillers, led by Bruce Willis’s character Harry Stamper, is sent into space to drill into the asteroid and plant a nuclear bomb.

Key details

Released on July 1, 1998, the film stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, and others. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and features music by Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams, including Aerosmith’s hit ballad "I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing."

Why it matters

Armageddon became a major Hollywood summer blockbuster and is widely recognized as one of Michael Bay’s signature disaster films. It also had a broad audience in Canada, where Bay’s action films and Aerosmith’s theme song were widely recognized in mainstream popular culture.