Armageddon (2008)

If Armageddon was made 10 year later.

Directed By: Michael Bay (original 1998 film)

Plot
A large meteor shower destroys the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis and bombards an area of land around the North Atlantic, devastating New York City. NASA discovers through the Hubble that the meteors were propelled from the asteroid belt by a rogue asteroid, roughly the size of Texas, that is set to collide with Earth in 18 days and cause a major mass extinction. NASA scientists, led by Dan Truman, plan to trigger a thermonuclear detonation at least 800 ft (244 m) inside the asteroid to split it in two, driving the pieces apart so both will fly past the Earth. NASA contacts Harry Stamper, considered the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, for assistance. Harry insists he will need his full team, consisting of A.J. Frost, Rockhound, Max Lennert, Charles "Chick" Chapel, Bear, Freddie Noonan and Oscar Choi, to help execute NASA's plan, and they agree to help.

NASA plans to launch two specialized Space Shuttle orbiters, the X-71s, Freedom and Independence, to increase the chances of success; the shuttles will refill with liquid oxygen from the Russian space station Mir before making a slingshot maneuver around the Moon to approach the asteroid from behind. NASA puts Harry and his crew through a shortened and rigorous astronaut training program, while Harry's team re-outfit the mobile drillers, "Armadillos", for the job. During training, Truman and Harry are skeptical about the abilities of A.J., who has been dating Harry's daughter Grace against Harry's wishes.

When a meteorite destroys Shanghai, the government is forced to reveal the asteroid's existence and their plan. The shuttles are launched and they arrive at the space station, where its sole cosmonaut Lev Andropov helps with refueling. A major fire breaks out during the fueling process, forcing the crews, including Lev, to evacuate in the shuttles before the station explodes. The shuttles perform the slingshot around the Moon, but approaching the asteroid, Independence's engines are destroyed by trailing debris, and it crash-lands on the asteroid, killing Noonan, Oscar, munitions specialist Lieutenant Halsey, and shuttle pilots colonel Davis and Tucker. Grace, aware A.J. was aboard Independence, is traumatized by this news, believing he was killed. Unknown to the others, A.J., Lev and Bear survive the impact and head towards Freedom's landing site in their Armadillo.

Freedom manages to land on the asteroid, but overshoots their target zone, landing on a much harder metallic field. With their drilling falling behind NASA's calculated schedule, the military initiates "secondary protocol", a backup plan to remotely detonate the bomb at the asteroid's surface, despite Truman and Harry's insistence that it would be ineffective. Truman delays the military, while Harry persuades the shuttle commander, Colonel Willie Sharp, to disarm the remote trigger. The crew continues to work, but in their haste, they accidentally hit a gas pocket, blowing their Armadillo into space with Lennert inside. As the world learns of the mission's apparent failure, another meteorite decimates Paris.

All seems lost until Independence's Armadillo arrives. With A.J. at the controls, they reach the required depth for the bomb. However, flying debris from the asteroid kills lieutenant Gruber and damages the bomb timer, requiring someone to stay behind to manually detonate it. The crew draw straws and A.J. is selected. As he and Harry exit the airlock, Harry rips off A.J.'s air hose and shoves him back inside, telling him he is the son Harry never had and gives his blessing to marry Grace. Harry contacts Grace to bid her farewell. After some last minute difficulties involving both the shuttle engines and the detonator, Freedom moves to a safe distance and Harry successfully triggers the detonator while his life flashes before his eyes. The bomb successfully splits the asteroid, avoiding the collision with Earth. Freedom safely returns to Earth, and the surviving crew is treated as heroes. A.J. and Grace get married, with photos of Harry and the other lost crew members present.

Cast

 * Tom Cruise as Harry S. Stamper
 * Keanu Reeves as Dan Truman
 * Chris Evans as A.J. Frost
 * Nikki Reed as Grace Stamper
 * Hank Azaria as Chick
 * David Spade as Rockhound
 * Kiefer Sutherland as Colonel Willie Sharp
 * Bradley Cooper as Oscar Choi
 * Cedric The Entertainer as J. Otis Kurleen Bear
 * Stephen Miller as Max
 * Dijmon Hounson as General Kimsey

Rating
Rated-PG-13