Armageddon
For love. For honor. For mankind.
Country
Genre
Budget
$140 000 000
Box office
$553 709 788
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Camera operator
John Schwartzman
Composer
Artist
Michael White, Brett Paton, Doug J. Meerdink
Audition
Editing
Short description
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
What's left behind the scenes
- Liv Tyler auditioned for the film twice, but was only cast after a third attempt. The film was released on Liv Tyler's birthday (she turned 21).
- The musical theme for the film—"I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing"—was performed by Liv Tyler’s father, Steven, as part of the Aerosmith band. This song held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
- Michael Bay played a cameo role in the film – he played one of the operators of the Hubble telescope at NASA.
- Excerpts from the initial scenes of the film, showing small meteorites falling on New York and a panorama of destroyed Paris, were used in "Alien" (2001) for scenes depicting the bombardment of Earth from space by aliens (the meteorites "transform" into rockets).
- The gravity on the asteroid is almost Earth-like, which is impossible given its small mass.
- During the launch of the Space Shuttles in the film, the solid rocket boosters separate simultaneously with the external fuel tank – in reality, this tank should continue to fuel the three main oxygen-hydrogen engines on the Shuttle for another seven minutes.
- According to the filmmakers, the Space Shuttles are fueled by oxygen, to obtain which they flew to the Russian station "Mir." Strictly speaking, the fuel is both oxygen (oxidizer) and kerosene or hydrogen (fuel), so formally it is correct. However, liquid oxygen was never and could never have been on "Mir." And storing it in orbit for a long time is technically extremely difficult, especially in quantities sufficient to refuel the Shuttles.
- The astronauts stay on the asteroid thanks to some "low-thrust engines" which are shown in the film as propellers that cannot work in a vacuum. All drilling equipment is also equipped with such engines.
- There cannot be an atmosphere suitable for breathing on the asteroid. But an atmosphere sometimes appears: the drillers almost always drill in spacesuits with helmets. But in one scene, Harry is next to the drill with his helmet visor open. Furthermore, after the crash of the second shuttle, the remnants of the equipment burn quite normally, which cannot happen in the absence of an atmosphere.
- Filming took place from August 27, 1997 to January 29, 1998.
- The film's producers managed to convince NASA management to allow Michael Bay and his crew access to locations usually closed to filmmakers. These included, in particular, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory with a huge indoor pool where astronauts practice operations in zero gravity, the launch pad that was discontinued after the Apollo 1 disaster in February 1967, and Edwards Air Force Base in California. The crew was even allowed to use two spacesuits worth $10 million each.
- According to Steve Buscemi, when he was offered the role he ultimately played, his character was described as a heroic geologist, and he immediately agreed because he was tired of playing scoundrels and villains. As soon as he agreed to the role, the character was changed, with alterations written into the script that made his character appear less noble and heroic.
- The launch of the shuttle was filmed on location. Filmmakers were allowed to place approximately sixteen cameras on site. The camera located on the launch pad was subjected to such external forces that all the bolts fell out of the lens holder, and the camera had to be returned to 'Panavision' as a box of parts (which they were able to reassemble).
- Billy Bob Thornton told Michael Bay that he saw his character in this light: he himself once dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but due to health problems, he was only suitable for some purely administrative position. Bay liked the idea, and the character played by Thornton was given a metal brace on his leg.
- Filmmakers were allowed to shoot directly on the launchpad where the Space Shuttle was already located. Permission was granted on the condition that no one would attempt to enter the Shuttle itself. Ben Affleck later admitted that he did briefly peek inside the spacecraft, after which he was chased away by a member of the maintenance crew.
- The film contains numerous errors, and the filmmakers were aware of some of them even during production. However, according to director Michael Bay, they deliberately chose not to correct them – for the sake of spectacle or for other reasons.
- The dog at the beginning of the film was specifically trained to tear apart toy Godzillas. Its filming cost $20,000 per day. The dolls were covered with a cardboard box to prevent the dog from attacking them prematurely.
- Michael Clarke Duncan was nearly replaced by another actor on the very first day of filming. He was overjoyed when he was cast in the role, but soon lost confidence, which affected his performance. Michael Bay and Bruce Willis had to pull him aside and tell him that they wanted to see the magnificent performance he had demonstrated during the auditions, which ultimately secured him the role; otherwise, they would have to find a replacement. After that, Duncan pulled himself together.
- The scenes on the offshore oil platform were filmed on a real oil rig near the coast of Texas. According to Michael Bay, filming on an oil rig is rare, but the 'Armageddon' crew was granted permission because they were filming a movie about oil rig workers saving the world.
- The original script lacked a romantic storyline between Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler's characters, instead focusing on Billy Bob Thornton's character's storyline. The romantic line was added to the script after the resounding success of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" and its popularity with teenage girls. Scott Rosenberg wrote almost all of the romantic scenes, and they were filmed towards the end of the shooting period.
- The scene with William Fichtner holding a gun was added to add drama to the film. According to Michael Bay, it was not in the original script, and the Armed Forces would have objected to seeing a U.S. Air Force colonel threatening other characters with a weapon. After the scene was filmed and inserted into the film, Bay was ready to cut it if required by representatives of the Armed Forces after previews, but they did not request it and even expressed approval.
- According to Ben Affleck, the enormous NASA building is the largest open-air building (without a roof) in the world. It is so large that the air inside has to be cooled to prevent cloud formation and rainfall within the building. According to Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer, it wasn't easy to convince NASA management to allow filmmakers to shoot and use real equipment and a test facility, but when they received approval from the US Air Force, many doors opened for them at NASA. For example, the film crew initially received a refusal in response to a request to use the pool where astronauts practice operations in zero gravity, but then permission was granted, but only to Willis and Affleck and only for 20 minutes in the pool.
- Filming inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington was conducted without official permission. The police were somehow distracted, and Bay and the cinematographer slipped inside.
- When filming the destruction of Shanghai, it was originally planned to use models. Michael Bay envisioned that all of this would be shown from the perspective of a father and son on a boat. For the filming, the largest pavilion in Hollywood was built, the lake inside it was filled with water, a pier and other necessary scenery were constructed. And only after all this did Michael Bay, with his typical unpredictability, change his mind and decide to destroy the city with an explosion.
- The Gatling guns on each "Armadillo" vehicle were authentic, from World War II. The rate of fire of the guns is approximately 1,000 shots in 15 seconds.
- The scene with Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler before he hides in the shuttle hatch was filmed in two versions – one where Affleck's character sings to her, and one where he simply says goodbye. The first version of the farewell was used in the film. Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg (whose name is not listed in the credits) told Michael Bay that this scene would either win over the audience or completely lose them. He came up with the idea of Affleck singing. Willis said he also liked the idea, but at the time of filming he was absolutely sure the scene would be cut during editing.
- Ben Affleck agreed to participate in the filming with a firm intention to perform all the stunts himself. This desire waned early in the shooting process, when filming the space station, specifically when Affleck's character climbed up the ladder while a fireball rushed past him. The actor decided he wasn't that cool and preferred to leave the stunts to the stuntmen. However, Michael Bay occasionally managed to persuade Affleck to perform a stunt himself.
- According to Michael Bay, the most unsettling episode was about three weeks before filming began, when he was working with designers and costume artists on the spacesuits. When he saw what they had come up with, he described it as an 'Adidas tracksuit.' The spacesuit gloves turned out to be gardening gloves bought in a store, repainted gray. It turned out that the costume designer was French and had previously worked on films by Luc Besson.
- When Steve Buscemi’s character ‘loses it,’ the rest of the crew immobilizes him with tape, which is actually what NASA instructs astronauts to do in such cases.
- The idea to film the wedding of Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler’s characters with a handheld ‘Super 8’ camera came from Affleck, and it was his own camera. The episode with the cake throwing was improvised on the spot, and a significant portion of the cakes were thrown at director Michael Bay.
- The scene in which Bruce Willis’s character remotely says goodbye to Liv Tyler (who played his daughter) was filmed on the first day of shooting. While speaking to the camera, the actor was looking at pictures of his own daughters.
- The film's musical theme – "I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing" – was performed by Liv Tyler's father, Steven, as part of Aerosmith. This song held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
- Bruce Willis joined the cast of the film after leaving the shooting of Lee Grant's romantic comedy "Broadway Brawler" (the film remained unfinished). The deal he made with Joe Roth, then head of "Disney", involved filming "Armageddon" and two subsequent films. These turned out to be M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi thrillers "The Sixth Sense" (1999) and "Unbreakable" (2000).
- Early in the film's production, Michael Bay noticed that Ben Affleck's teeth looked like baby teeth in the already shot footage. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer once told him that during work on a certain film, he had given "one well-known star" new teeth. Following this, at Bay's direction, Affleck spent a week in the dentist's chair for 8 hours a day, resulting in his teeth looking as they do in the film. The new teeth cost approximately $20,000.
- The scene depicting the destruction of the "Independence" shuttle was filmed on the very first evening of shooting. Ben Affleck, Peter Stormare, and Michael Clarke Duncan, who were involved in the scene, were already on set and checking their spacesuits when Bruce Willis appeared, very nervous about having to put on a spacesuit. According to Bay, everything went wrong that night. While filming Affleck from a distance, he noticed the actor constantly bending over, as if looking for something on the ground. Finally, Bay couldn't take it anymore and asked what Affleck had lost. It turned out that the actor's spacesuit had some problems with oxygen supply, and he was looking for a rock to break the helmet.
- The film was shot simultaneously with Mimi Leder's sci-fi action film "Deep Impact" (1998). Michael Bay openly expressed disdain for the star status of Tea Leoni from Leder's film compared to Willis's status, as well as the plot of the rival film, claiming that "no gunfire compares to an asteroid."
- To catch up with the asteroid, the "Freedom" and "Independence" shuttles perform a gravity assist maneuver around the Moon, accelerating to 11.5 km/s (22500 miles per hour). However, according to the pilot, it becomes clear that the initial speed before the maneuver is about 14000 miles per hour (first cosmic velocity). This raises the question of how the shuttles even reached the Moon, as reaching a flight trajectory to it and escaping Earth orbit would have required them to initially develop a second cosmic velocity, meaning the same 11.5 km/s.
- Liv Tyler auditioned for the film twice, but she was only cast after her third attempt. The movie was released on Liv Tyler's birthday (she turned 21).
- The film's musical theme, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," was performed by Liv Tyler's father, Steven, as part of the band Aerosmith. This song held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
- Michael Bay had a cameo in the film, playing one of the Hubble telescope operators at NASA.
- The film's producers managed to convince NASA leadership to let Michael Bay and his film crew into areas normally closed to filmmakers. These included, specifically, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory with its massive indoor pool where astronauts practice zero-gravity maneuvers, the launch pad that had been decommissioned after the Apollo 1 disaster in February 1967, and Edwards Air Force Base in California. The crew was even allowed to use two spacesuits, each valued at $10 million.
- According to Steve Buscemi, when he was offered the role he eventually played, his character was described as a heroic geologist, and he agreed immediately because he was tired of playing scoundrels and villains. As soon as he accepted the role, his character was changed through script revisions, making him appear less noble and heroic.
- Bruce Willis joined the cast of the film after leaving the set of Lee Grant's romantic comedy "Broadway Brawler" (which remained unfinished). The deal he struck with Joe Roth, then the head of Disney, involved filming "Armageddon" and two subsequent movies. These turned out to be M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi thrillers "The Sixth Sense" (1999) and "Unbreakable" (2000).
- Billy Bob Thornton told Michael Bay that he envisioned his character in a certain light: he had once dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but due to health problems, he was only suited for a strictly administrative position. Bay liked the idea, and Thornton's character was given a metal brace on his leg.
- The filmmakers were allowed to shoot directly on the launch pad where the shuttle was already positioned. Permission was granted on the condition that no one attempt to enter the shuttle itself. Ben Affleck later admitted that he did peek into the spacecraft for a moment, after which he was chased away by a member of the ground crew.
- The film contains many errors, some of which the creators were aware of even during production; however, according to director Michael Bay, they were intentionally left uncorrected for the sake of spectacle or other reasons.
- Michael Clarke Duncan was nearly replaced by another actor on the very first day of filming. He was thrilled to be cast, but soon lost his confidence, which affected his performance. Michael Bay and Bruce Willis had to pull him aside and tell him that they wanted to see the great acting he had demonstrated during the auditions, and that if he couldn't deliver, they would have to find a replacement. After that, Duncan pulled himself together.
- The scenes on the offshore drilling rig were filmed on a real rig near the coast of Texas. According to Michael Bay, filming on a rig is very rare, but the crew of 'Armageddon' was granted permission because they were making a movie about drillers saving the world.
- At the very beginning of production, Michael Bay noticed that in the footage already shot, Ben Affleck's teeth looked like baby teeth. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer once mentioned to him that during the production of a certain film, he had fixed the teeth of 'a well-known star.' Following this, by Bay's order, Affleck spent eight hours a day in a dentist's chair for a week, resulting in the teeth you see in the movie. The new teeth cost approximately $20,000.
- The original script lacked the romantic storyline between Ben Affleck's and Liv Tyler's characters; instead, the focus was on Billy Bob Thornton's character. The love story was added to the script following the overwhelming success of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster 'Titanic' and its popularity among teenage girls. Scott Rosenberg wrote almost all of the romantic scenes, which were filmed toward the end of the production period.
- The scene depicting the destruction of the shuttle 'Independence' was filmed on the very first night of production. Ben Affleck, Peter Stormare, and Michael Clarke Duncan, who were involved in the scene, were already on set testing their spacesuits when Bruce Willis arrived, very nervous about having to put on the suit. According to Bay, everything went wrong that night. While filming Affleck from a distance, he noticed that the actor kept leaning over as if searching for something on the ground. Eventually, Bay couldn't take it and asked what Affleck had lost. It turned out that the actor's suit had oxygen supply issues, and he was looking for a rock to smash the helmet.
- The scene with William Fichtner holding a gun was added to bring more drama to the film. According to Michael Bay, it wasn't in the original script, and the Armed Forces would have objected to seeing a US Air Force colonel threatening other characters with a weapon. After the scene was filmed and inserted into the movie, Bay was prepared to cut it if military representatives requested it after the previews; however, they made no such request and even expressed their approval.
- The film was shot simultaneously with Mimi Leder's sci-fi action movie Deep Impact (1998). Michael Bay openly expressed disdain for Tea Leoni's star status in Leder's film compared to Willis's, as well as for the rival movie's plot, claiming that "no amount of gunfire can compete with an asteroid."
- According to Ben Affleck, the massive NASA building is the largest open-air (roofless) building in the world. It is so vast that the air inside must be cooled to prevent clouds from forming and rain from falling inside the facility. According to Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer, it was not easy to convince NASA management to allow filmmakers to shoot and use actual equipment and the test facility; however, once they received approval from the US Air Force, many doors opened for them at NASA. For example, the crew was initially denied a request to use the pool where astronauts practice zero-gravity maneuvers, but permission was later granted—only for Willis and Affleck, and for only 20 minutes in the pool.
- Scenes inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington were filmed without official permission. The police were somehow distracted, allowing Bay and the cinematographer to slip inside.
- For the scenes depicting the destruction of Shanghai, the original plan was to use miniatures. Michael Bay envisioned the entire sequence from the perspective of a father and son on a boat. To film this, they rented the largest soundstage in Hollywood, filled an indoor lake with water, and built a pier and other necessary sets. After all this, in a move typical of his unpredictability, Michael Bay changed his mind and decided to destroy the city with an explosion.
- The scene featuring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler's characters before he disappears into the shuttle hatch was filmed in two versions: one where Affleck's character sings to her, and one where he simply says goodbye. The first version was used in the film. Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg (whose name does not appear in the credits) told Michael Bay that this scene would either win over the audience or lose them entirely. He was the one who came up with the idea for Affleck to sing. Willis said he also liked the idea, but at the time of filming, he was absolutely certain the scene would be cut during editing.
- Ben Affleck agreed to participate in the filming with the firm intention of performing all his own stunts. This ambition vanished at the very beginning of production during the space station scenes—specifically, when Affleck's character climbs a ladder and a fireball streaks right past him. The actor decided he wasn't that tough and preferred to leave the stunts to the professionals. Subsequently, however, Michael Bay occasionally managed to talk Affleck into performing some of the stunts himself.
- According to Michael Bay, the most appalling episode occurred about three weeks before filming began, while he was working with the designers and costume artists on the spacesuits. When he saw what they had come up with, he described the result as an "Adidas tracksuit." The spacesuit gloves turned out to be store-bought gardening gloves repainted gray. It was revealed that the costume designer was a Frenchman who had previously worked on Luc Besson's films.
- When Steve Buscemi's character "goes off the rails," the other crew members immobilize him with duct tape, which is actually what NASA instructions require astronauts to do in such cases.
- The idea to film the wedding of Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler's characters using a handheld "Super 8" camera was suggested by Affleck, and it was his own camera. The cake-throwing scene was improvised on the fly, and a significant portion of the cake ended up being thrown at director Michael Bay.
- The scene in which Bruce Willis's character says a remote goodbye to Liv Tyler (who played his daughter) was filmed on the first day of production. While speaking to the camera, the actor looked at photos of his own daughters.
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