10 Surprising Moments Of Genius From Michael Bay

6. Harry's Death (Armageddon)

Armageddon Armageddon may not be a great film, but Michael Bay proves in this film that he can handle broad emotion, even if the majority of his films don't focus much on the human element and are instead content to display consequence-free wanton destruction. Armageddon, however, is a different story given that the rogue asteroid premise essentially revolves around Earth potentially being destroyed, and a group of blue-collar drillers being sent onto the asteroid to stop it, so it's sort of impossible to avoid a little humanism. When Harry (Bruce Willis) sacrifices himself to save Earth at the end, who didn't feel even the tiniest lump in their throat? The swelling score, the overwhelming visuals - though the cheesy flashes of Harry's life nearly ruin the whole thing - and the satisfaction of Earth being saved all build to a suitably affecting climax. While the film has a ton of problems - namely the schmaltzy Affleck-Tyler romance, and the horrendous editing - this is one of its more genuinely accomplished moments, and easily the most emotionally resonant scene in Bay's entire career.
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.