Ben Affleck
might be an Oscar-winning actor, director, and screenwriter—but according to him, his harshest critic lives right under his own roof. Recently, in an amusingly candid moment shared with Jimmy Kimmel
, Affleck revealed the brutal roasting he was given by his own children while they watched his 1998 disaster blockbuster, Armageddon
. Some would say it is a brave person who endures a screening of their work with their kids, others would say it is foolish.
Michael Bay’s Armageddon is a movie that has divided opinion and been debated since its release almost 30 years ago. Starring Affleck alongside Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, and a large ensemble cast, the film was the highest-grossing movie of the year in 1998, but it didn’t exactly become the darling of reviewers thanks to its usual Bay mix of over-the-top plotline, outlandish-action sequences, and a somewhat convoluted ending. In short, its story about a rag-tag crew of oil drillers sent to blow up an asteroid before it obliterates Earth was textbook ’90s popcorn cinema. While fans were mostly onboard with the explosive action, memorable one-liners, and an Aerosmith-fueled romance, critics slammed it as an overly sentimental, scientifically absurd piece of forgettable cinema. Yet we are still talking about it.
Related
Fans Call For Ben Affleck to Do Brutally Honest Movie Commentaries After Old Roast Of Armageddon Plotholes Resurfaces
Ben Affleck’s Armageddon audio commentary has gone viral, and people want to hear more.
Now, over a quarter of a century later, new audiences are still discovering the film, and that includes Affleck’s children – although their opinions seem to be just as brutal as some critics. As the actor explained:
“During COVID, all the kids were around the house, and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s watch a movie.’ And I thought, ‘Hey, maybe the kids will like Armageddon.’ Almost immediately. It was like, ‘This is so stupid! Are you kidding me?’ My son was like, he said, ‘This doesn’t make sense!’ I was like, ‘This is not a logic-based film! That is not one of the criteria we used making this.’”
Ben Affleck Is Very Aware of What Kind of Movie ‘Armageddon’ Is
While Ben Affleck has been part of some incredibly well-written movies, he has also made plenty that have been popular with audiences but failed to meet the high standards of some critics. Armageddon is a movie that requires audiences to sit back, shovel popcorn in their faces, and not think too hard about what they are watching.
For anyone who has listened to the audio commentary for Armageddon, which features a frank and candid view on several parts of the film from Affleck. While recently appearing on an episode of Criterion’s Closet Picks, the actor called his commentary his “best work.” He said:
“In retrospect, now, I feel like maybe my best work in my career is the commentary on this disc. People approach me to talk about the commentary in this disc as much as they do movies that I’ve been in. And it’s because I didn’t know any better than to be really honest. But I won’t spoil it for those of you who are interested. It is an achievement I’m proud of and didn’t intend to be as good as I now think it is.”
Perhaps considering Affleck’s brutally honest commentary, it is not surprising to find that his kids share some of the same views on the incredulous side of Armageddon’s story. However, for anyone who doesn’t spend all their time in the cinema looking for plotholes, then you can spend a good couple of hours watching some underqualified oil drillers saving the world.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Armageddon
- Release Date
-
July 1, 1998
- Runtime
-
151 minutes
