The epitome of everything some began to hate about the Hollywood blockbusters towards the end of the 20th century. Big, loud, brash, bad, kick-arse, full of jingoism and heroism, peppered with American flags and Uncle Sam imagery.

With an opening sequence eerily prophetic of September 11 (the reason it was a long time before we see such destruction on film again), it pushed every envelope of the term 'blockbuster'. An asteroid the size of the southern US is hurtling toward Earth. NASA decides the only way to stop it is to send some blue collar heroes (oil drillers) to the surface by space shuttle to plant nuclear weapons in the core and destroy it.

It's everything from Black Hawk Down) could muster. Too many subplots to list involving the love affair between the hero's (Willis) daughter (Tyler) and his protégé (Affleck), the screwed up lives and humour of the lovable crew and the bureaucrats trying to ruin everything.

Unashamedly huge, with special effects that will make you gasp, and if you can tune out all the 'God Bless American-ism' (enough of it to make you gag) and forget for a moment that the Hollywood system is prostituting the art of motion pictures more than ever nowadays, it's a roller coaster good time.