28 Years Later, ‘Landman’ Star’s Thrilling Sci-Fi Disaster Epic Surges on Streaming

Before Ryan Gosling went to space to save the world in Project Hail Mary, there was Ben Affleck. In 1998, the DCU star appeared in a sci-fi disaster film that went on to become the year’s highest-grossing film. Directed by Michael Bay, it is often compared to its Paramount counterpart, which carries a similar premise. Nearly three decades later, this $553 million epic has returned to the streaming charts.

Throughout his career, Affleck has starred in many projects, including Batman in the DCU, Matt Murdock in the 2003 Daredevil movie, and Nick Dunne in Gone Girl, among others. But in 1998, he joined action superstar Bruce Willis and Landman icon Billy Bob Thornton in a sci-fi epic where he was selected to take part in a dangerous mission to save humanity from disaster.

Armageddon is a disaster movie that recently appeared on the streaming charts. The film currently ranks at #2 on Tubi’s Top 10 in the United States, just under the cult classic 1995 comedy Friday. Affleck plays A.J. Frost, one of the selected crew members who will embark on a mission to stop a meteor from hitting Earth. Since its release, aside from its successful box office run, it has also been praised by audiences, earning a 73% audience score, but received a mediocre 42% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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What To Watch if You Like ‘Armageddon?’

Armageddon is one of many disaster films released over the years that feature a giant meteor threatening life on Earth. Another feature with a similar premise is Deep Impact, a disaster film released the same year, starring Elijah Wood, Jon Favreau, and Morgan Freeman. Just like Armageddon, this feature also features a meteor heading to Earth, and the only way to save humanity is to blow it up before impact. Both films were compared, but Deep Impact ranked only #6 on the 1998 list of the highest-grossing films, earning only $349 million worldwide.

Another disaster film worth watching if you like Armageddon is Dante’s Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan. This movie also had a rival with a similar premise: Volcano, which was also released in 1997. Dante’s Peak stars Brosnan as volcanologist, Harry Dalton, who was sent to a fictional town called Dante’s Peak to investigate seismic activity, only to learn that a volcano is going to erupt. While both Dante’s Peak and Volcano were poorly received by fans and critics, Dante’s Peak received a slightly higher audience score of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Volcano fared better with critics, earning a 48% score.

Armageddon is available to stream on Tubi. Follow Collider for more streaming updates.

Release Date

July 1, 1998

Runtime

151 minutes