Ya know, the most commonly heard complaint on THE ROCK was the camera work was too erratic, and that the editing was too fast. Well, personally I loved it. I remember sitting next to Glen at the Arbor theater and physically shaking during the car chase sequence, and again in the mine cart bit. In fact it was Michael Bay's ultra 'slick' style that attracted me to his work beginning with BAD BOYS. So I have to wonder about a review like this that slams the film so strongly for camera movements. Isn't that kinda like criticizing Monet for not painting more realistically? I can just see someone referencing my SPEED 2 review where I griped endlessly about jerky cam, or even my JACKIE BROWN review where I heralded the lack of camera movements. But I really do have problems with this review on a strictly theoretical standpoint. Like criticizing a film for being an action sci-fi film. So we should not love... ALIENS? In science fiction there are many genres, and action surely must be one of them. Does that mean you criticize BARBARELLA for not taking sci fi seriously? Ultimately it all comes down to personal tastes, which means this reviewer is exactly correct... from his standpoint. As was Dave Bowman. At the same level, we will each be right with our own opinions when we see the final film. But I really hope they are dead wrong from my point of view and yours as well, because I want ARMAGEDDON to make me pee myself, thereby ruining the seat I'm sitting in. I want to be sitting next to Glen, and my Dad and to shake and drool and lose control. And these reviews are kinda bringing me down, but I have to believe they are looking through different eyes. After all they are two reviews by people we have never previously heard from. And I have to remember that DEEP IMPACT had disappointing reviews, and I kinda liked that one. Let's keep our fingers crossed, and wait for a more finished test screening. After all this was just the first one, and the film is near finished yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
Okay, here's my opinion of Armageddon, sorry I didn't get this to you last night.
Oh, and my secret spy name is Johnny Bird.
First off, Bowman is right, it's very difficult to suspend disbelief throughout the movie. This isn't science fiction, it's an action movie plain and simple. For some reason the film making community feels that they can make a sci-fi genre film in one of two ways, a cerebral dork fest (2001, one of my favorites, or to an extent, Deep Impact) or a complete action romp with no regard for the science aspect of science fiction. Armageddon, obviously, is of the latter archetype. For the life of me I don't know why someone can't split the difference and make a genuinely good flick. So, that having been said...did it succeed as a cheesy action flick with some space thrown in for flavor?
Partially. I went to see Bad Boys with some friends at a midnight showing way back when. Midnight movies around here are especially cool because you get in for matinee prices, they're packed, and the audience has a tendency to yell at the screen (myself included). Anyway, about fifteen minutes into the film I intended to check out who directed it simply because I wanted to know who was audacious enough to move the camera so damn much. It was Michael Bay, duh. At first I thought, "gee this guy is interesting." Now I think, "gee this guy is a hack." He has absolutely no confidence as a director. He creates excitement MTV style with these ridiculous camera moves.
Character 1: Where's my pen?
(Camera sweeps 360 degrees from Char 1's face around the room, shot of co-worker)
Co-worker: I don't know where'd you leave it?
(Camera flys away from Co-w and zooms in and out four times then flys underneath a table and accidently bumps into Character 1)
Ridiculous no? I'm sure if Bay could defend himself right now he'd probably say, "Hey I'm innovative." Sure, but Christ, save the innovation for when it's useful, like action sequences. I mean there's a simple conversation and Bay is such an egomaniac that he has to remind you he's a camera junkie. Sit still for a minute. There's other ways to build tension, check out a Hitchcock movie for crying out loud, talk to your editor, do some Tai-Chi, but whatever you do calm the F down. Did I mention the movie was three hours long? Three hours of the most frenetic useless camera moves known to man. This movie made me more sea sick than Titanic (ba ba bump).
And the acting. I saw Con Air and said, gee these characters are funny. I saw the Rock and I said, gee these lines are funny. I saw Armageddon and I said, gee these characters are funny and they're saying funny lines. But they're inconsistent.
Bruce, yeah he's Bruce, but he's got a southern accent for the first HALF of the film, then it miraculously disapears. Maybe they're going to add it digitally? Honestly, I think he sucked. His sappy speeches and tough guy crap really blew. He can't play anybody but himself. He really drags the cast down. But he cries in the end, so I'm sure he feels it was a deeply dramatic role sure to win him accolades from some thespian somewhere.
Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler were really good, they definitely had a goofball chemistry going on. Affleck had some genuinely exciting screams and yells, I think the highlight of the film was when he shouts "I love you" to Bruce. But seriously these two were the highlight of the picture.
Steve Buscemi is established as a horny genius. But at times he's down right stupid. Make him more of a genius please. The horny stuff was done just right.
Billy Bob Thornton needs to be careful or else he'll end up being the next Fred Thompson. He's the stereotypical authority figure, but he gives it a twist with some moments of powerlessness. I liked him. I like him in general. My girlfriend in Nashville served him food the other day. He tipped her generously, she'd like to thank him.
The rest of the cast did well, it was funny because I recognized a few of them as comedians from other movies, it's a good choice because they really lighten stuff up. It's kind of like the dirty dozen get to go to space.
So that was the movie. Oh, there's also this cool little jab at Godzilla in the beginning of the movie, it's obvious, they even say, "Godzilla" so it's not much of a secret, but it is funny.
I don't know if Bowman was in too much of a rush to get home, but he missed the best part of the whole show. When I left the theater there was a sea of suits next to the candy counter. They were murmuring frantic yes-man crap at none other than Michael Eisner and Bay. That was probably the highlight of the whole shebang.
