Armageddon: Movie Trends on Social Media as NASA Launches a Rocket at an Asteroid

One of the greatest things about Michael Bay’s Armageddon is the audio commentary on the home video release, thanks largely to Ben Affleck.

The actor positively tears the movie to shreds, and reveals that when he asked his director why they didn’t just train astronauts to drill instead of the other way around, which would have taken much less time and effort, he was promptly told to “shut the f*ck up”.

The sci-fi disaster blockbuster has hardly been renowned for its scientific accuracy, but that didn’t stop Armageddon from trending after NASA launched its first test mission to redirect a non-threatening asteroid. Inevitably, Elon Musk’s SpaceX are at the forefront of what’s been dubbed a ‘planetary defense mission’.

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test has been described as ‘the world’s first full-scale planetary defense test, demonstrating one method of asteroid deflection technology’. Naturally, the internet has been having a field day offering up comparison’s to the 1998 smash hit.

While we haven’t been able to confirm if there was any mention of Aerosmith power ballads, space dementia or Animal Crackers, it might encourage fans to check out Armageddon again. Sure, it’s absolute nonsense that rarely makes a lick of sense, but it’s got a hell of an ensemble cast and provides a ton of pyrotechnic entertainment.

“DART “is something of a replay of Bruce Willis’ movie, ‘Armageddon,’ although that was totally fictional,” Bill Nelson, NASA’s administrator, said in an interview.”

Could not be more ready for this. https://t.co/0ryFSuHQhw

— zoë (@Zolipo) November 24, 2021

Bit like Bruce Willis in Armageddon then https://t.co/SwxMhfQcsW

— Jordan Nicholson (@JordanN33621861) November 24, 2021

Getting strong Armageddon with Bruce Willis vibes from this https://t.co/mLxwjFNKRr

— Dafydd Morgan (@dafyddmorgan) November 23, 2021

NASA currently trying to redirect an asteroid.

It’s happening.

Get Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck on the line… #Armageddon pic.twitter.com/jyGlCqo2GS

— Kelly Beaton (@KellyBeaton) November 23, 2021

Tonight SpaceX is launching a NASA spacecraft that will crash into an asteroid in hopes of seeing if we can successfully re-direct the path of that asteroid. Some real life Armageddon stuff here! Where’s Bruce Willis? pic.twitter.com/Jtw7N3RNse

— Kevin Lighty – WCIA 3 Chief Meteorologist (@KevinLighty) November 24, 2021

Good luck, Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Steve Buschemi and the others aboard the rocket ship to Armageddon that asteroid #NASA #dart pic.twitter.com/Q3FMBlkInC

— Tory (@betterlucklater) November 24, 2021

In an interview, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the agency invited Bruce Willis to the launch of the asteroid redirect mission because of his role in “Armageddon.” Nelson said he’s not going but “we didn’t want to miss that connection.”

— Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) November 23, 2021

🚨 Bruce Willis has declined NASA’s invite to attend the launch of the asteroid redirect mission (DART) tonight, in connection to his role in the movie “Armageddon” pic.twitter.com/H2e2lXz0fz

— Latest in space (@latestinspace) November 24, 2021