Ben Affleck is a well regarded actor, especially since those observing the 2025 movie schedule have absolutely loved his return in The Accountant 2. But there’s always going to be fans who love to bring up the hits like Dogma, and of course Armageddon. And in the case of that latter film, the multi-hyphenate has actually seemed to hold it up as a source of pride in his career; albeit for a reason you might not expect.
Ben Affleck Is Really Proud Of His Armageddon Commentary
During Mr. Affleck’s recent trip to the cinematic heaven known as The Criterion Closet, the Academy Award winner rooted through the collection’s finest and picked up some choice titles. And among favorites like Hollywood Shuffle and The Rules of the Game, the man himself snagged a DVD copy of one of the best Ben Affleck movies, in its out-of-print Criterion edition splendor, for this sentimental reason:
I was surprised when I heard Criterion was doing Armageddon, because I didn’t think of it as that kind of movie, when we did it. And in retrospect, I feel like maybe my best work, in my career, is the commentary for this disc. People approach me to talk about the commentary on this disc, as much as they do about movies I’ve been in; and it’s because I didn’t know any better than to be really honest.
I cannot blame anyone who approaches the director of such films as Gone Baby Gone to talk shop about that 1998 Michael Bay blockbuster. While I’d personally want to chat more about The Sum of All Fears, you can bet that Ben Affleck’s infamous commentary track would come up at some point in the conversation.
And as if to call out the next thing that myself, or any self respecting Armageddon fan would say in such a scenario, Mr. Affleck used this moment to stump for something we need in this world.
I Agree With Ben Affleck: Criterion Needs A 4K Disc For Armageddon
Sadly, Armageddon’s Criterion edition has been out of print since its initial release in 1999. Which means that the “exclusive director’s cut” and legendary Ben Affleck commentary are probably consigned to floating around the internet, through clips and other methods. But the man of the hour does encourage people to check it out, and he did so by making this simple but effective case for a new reissue:
But I won’t spoil it for those of you who are interested. It is an achievement that I’ve been proud of, and didn’t intend to be as good as I now think it is, at the time. Criterion, when is the 4K coming out?
I only have three words to say when it comes to the Good Will Hunting icon’s request for a 4K version of Armageddon: sign…me…up. As someone who started physical media collecting through feature packed DVDs, Criterion was the first game in town that really caught my eye.
So to have this beauty on my shelf, as well as its sibling in The Rock’s similarly out of print Criterion edition, would be tremendous. Also, if there was a chance for Ben Affleck to record a new commentary track with his Armageddon skeptic son Samuel, I'd say we'd have a full blown "Student becomes the Master" moment.
But don’t take my word for it, as you can watch Ben Affleck wax poetic on his pretty sizable bounty from Criterion below:
It almost feels like Ben Affleck has looked back on his youthful candor, and reappraised it as of late. While the man’s never been shy to speak his mind, especially through recent comments on California’s production tax credits, perhaps this attitude will be further infused in the future projects he takes on.
If that’s the case, then you can be sure that we won’t want to miss a thing that comes next. Yes, that was an Armageddon pun; and they will continue until Criterion releases that 4K disc. And after that demand is met, I'll move onto my campaigns to get Master and Commander: Far Side of the World and Tombstone the same treatment. Don't test my resolve, Criterion.
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