Armageddon

[TRi]

I saw Armageddon two nights back and boy, was it ever a great movie!
I personally cried through some scenes (I usually never cry) and I was astounded by how good the movie was altogether.

Here is the plot: (Highlight to read, some =may not want the plot.)

Before the film’s title appears onscreen, a narrator (Charlton Heston) informs us that during the time of the dinosaurs, a six mile-wide asteroid struck the Earth at the present day Yucatan Peninsula, causing catastrophic damage to its ecosystem. We are also informed that the probability of a similar disaster in our time is very high.

In the middle of an EVA around 1998, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is struck by thousands of tiny meteoroids and explodes in space. Shortly after, an area of Earth between Finland and South Carolina is bombarded by more meteorites. Several landmarks and skyscrapers in New York City are destroyed due to a similar bombardment.

NASA scientists, led by Dan Truman (Thornton), determine that the smaller meteoroids were forced towards Earth by a much larger asteroid the size of Texas. The team also determines that this asteroid will strike the Earth in 18 days, causing the total destruction of all life. They work frantically to develop a plan to stop the asteroid, though most scenarios are dismissed as impractical due to the size and speed of the object.

NASA finally decides to recruit Harry Stamper, reputed to be the best deep core driller in the world. They find him on an oil platform in the South China Sea where he is in the process of drilling for a Japanese company and firing one of his lead crew members, A.J. Frost, for insubordination. We also find out that A.J. has had a romantic relationship with Stamper’s daughter, Grace, for several months, a fact that Harry is infuriated to discover.

Harry agrees to take on the job of destroying the asteroid. The plan is to approach the asteroid from behind, land on it, drill to 800 feet, plant a nuclear bomb in the shaft and detonate it remotely after evacuation. The deadline for detonation is a distance from Earth called "zero barrier," which will allow the two halves of the asteroid to miss Earth when split apart. Harry recruits a motley crew made up of his best workers and they prepare for the mission through rigorous space travel drills, modification of their equipment and pointed psychological tests to determine whether they are able to work in space. Near the conclusion of the training phase, Rockhound borrows money from a loan shark and is later arrested in a strip club. Chick attempts to make amends with his estranged wife and their son. A.J. proposes marriage to Grace and she accepts: they will marry when (and if) he returns from the mission.


A.J. and GraceAt the end of the training missions, a meteor penetrates the Earth's atmosphere and collides with Shanghai, annihilating the city and causing the deaths of some 50,000 people. The event triggers massive press attention, and light is shed on NASA's once-covert operation as the world fixes its eyes on Stamper and his team.

The two shuttles take off into space and head for the Russian space station Mir orbiting Earth to stock up on the fuel required for the mission. Once both successfully docked in the station, the two teams meet Russian cosmonaut, Lev Andropov, who has been in the station for 18 months. Lev sends AJ down a shaft to monitor the pressure of the fuel exchange. Unfortunately, some of the fuel leaks into the electrical system causing a chain reaction which sets fire to the fuel pod. The crew must abandon the station, Lev and AJ barely escaping as it explodes. The crews escape all accounted for, with 90% of their fuel and Lev now on board the Independence.

The next day, the two teams proceed to Phase Two of the mission - to slingshot themselves around the far side of the moon so they can land on the asteroid from the back as it goes by. The primary boosters of the Independence are destroyed, however, by a tail debris and it hurtles out of control as another piece of rock smashes the front windows, sending pilots Davis and Tucker flying into space. This mishap kills crew members Oscar, Freddie, and Lt. Halsey. The shuttle crash-lands and only AJ, Lev and Bear survive. The Freedom sustains damage as well, but is able to land safely.

On the asteroid, communications on the Freedom are out, leaving the crew with no way to contact Earth. After determining that they have overshot their landing site and are sitting on an area comprised of iron ferrite, making it extremely difficult to drill, the crew begins their project anyway, but quickly figures out that the drilling will be nearly impossible, delaying the mission.

The Freedom crew find their troubles are compounded when Colonel Sharp informs NASA that they will not be able to complete the mission on time. The President allows the Air Force to initiate the premature detonation of the bomb in the hopes that the asteroid will be deflected enough to miss Earth. A fight ensues on the shuttle between Sharp and Stamper over whether to shut it off. Harry is able to subdue Sharp and convince him that he can make the depth of 800 feet. Colonel Sharp and Nuclear Technician Gruber are able to defuse the bomb mere seconds before it detonates.

One of Stamper’s crew, Rockhound, has a negative psychological reaction to working in space, aptly named space dementia. He causes a distraction while playing with a Gatling gun, nearly shooting a few crew members. While they attempt to bring him under control, the drilling vehicle hits a gas pocket, blasting it off the asteroid, taking crew member Max with it. On Earth, the media report that the mission has failed. An asteroid fragment penetrates the atmosphere and strikes Paris, sending a shock wave that destroys much of the city.


The crew.As they wait out their ultimate fate, the crew discovers that A.J., Lev and Bear have survived the crash of the Independence and have arrived at the drilling site in the second Armadillo. Despite some arguments between A.J. and Harry, he decides to let A.J. continue, and they drill successfully to 800 feet. Following a few more mishaps, including A.J. being trapped in the shaft, they plant the nuke and prepare to evacuate. However, another quake occurs, killing nuclear technician Gruber. The remote-denotation trigger on the bomb has also been damaged, which means that one of the crew members will have to stay behind in order to manually detonate the bomb.

The team draw straws to see who will stay behind and activate the bomb, A.J. drawing the short straw. As he and Harry return to the drilling site, Harry pulls out A.J.'s oxygen feed tube and forces him back into the shuttle, telling him to take care of Grace.

When they are ready to leave, they find out that the shuttle is unable to launch. After the shuttle is "fixed", by Lev banging a wrench on the instruments, they take off, leaving Harry behind. Harry contacts Grace at NASA headquarters and they exchange their last, emotional goodbyes. Harry is hindered by several quakes, but manages to reach the detonator. His last thoughts are of Grace as he pushes the button just before zero barrier is breached. The asteroid is blasted in half and the two pieces miss collision with Earth by 400 miles.

The Freedom crew lands safely back on Earth and are met by NASA officials and their loved ones (including Chick's wife and son and the stripper Rockhound had been seen with earlier). Sharp says he wanted to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man he ever met. Grace and A.J. are reunited and the final scenes of the film are of their wedding. The camera then zooms in on the photographs of the deceased crew members in the church. During the credits, more moments of the wedding are shown.



Just incredible. This movie was an Academy-Award Disaster/Science fiction film for the ages.

Discuss.

[Mikepain911]

Yeah, I watched it like 3-4 months back. It was really good and the ending was sad. I nearly cried. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. It is very good.

[TRi]

Originally Posted by Mikepain911

Yeah, I watched it like 3-4 months back. It was really good and the ending was sad. I nearly cried. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. It is very good.

Yes, Although at the end, I did cry. It was a movie that I won't soon forget.
=)