In the late 90s, Bruce Willis and Michael Bay were both at the peak of their powers. So was producer Jerry Bruckheimer. When it was announced that these three would be teaming up to make a space mission movie, audiences were excited. Aided by various screenwriters, including Jonathan Hensleigh (best known for Die Hard), and an ensemble cast that consisted of Steve Buscemi, Keith David, Owen Wilson, and Ben Affleck, it seemed like nothing would go wrong.

Armageddon ActionAdventure Sci-FiThriller Release Date July 1, 1998Director Michael BayCast Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve BuscemiRuntime 151

Unfortunately, critics felt that Armageddon was the kind of film that demands a total short-circuit of ones entire mental functions. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a low 43% score, while on Metacritic, it has a 42% score. Roger Ebert even included it in his list of most hated films.

Despite that, the Academy loved it,...