The film “ Armageddon ” is a scientific discipline fiction movie about a planet-killing asteroid whose hit class will crash the Earth. The scientists at NASA program to explode a atomic bomb under the asteroid ‘s surface that will interrupt it in two, doing it to lose the hit with the Earth. One bomb must be buried at least 800 pess below the surface so in order to accomplish their end, the scientists from NASA turn up the best oil driller on the planet: Bruce Willis ( Harry Stamper ) , our chief character to execute this epic occupation. He accepts the undertaking, but he claimed he needed his crew to guarantee the occupation is traveling to be done decently. Harry ‘s seven best work spouses and friends are called upon to salvage the planet by traveling to the infinite put on the lining their lives.
It ‘s of import to foreground that one of the cats called for this mission is fiance of Harry ‘s girl ( Ben Affleck as A.J. ) , ground why their relationship is rather unsmooth. The mission is set up and the concluding program is to split the crew in two different ships: the Independence and Freedom military infinite birds, so Harry decides to put AJ as the leader of the 2nd bird, being himself the leader of the Freedom ship.
As they approach the asteroid, the Independence bird is hit and crash-landed on the asteroid, killing most of its crew. The Freedom landed on the surface but missed the mark zone, geting on an country of difficult Fe that was hard to bore.
After several troubles, Harry put AJ in charge of the machine to complete the boring and they successfully reached the necessary deepness. The squad lowed the atomic bomb into the hole, but they were caught in a rockstorm that damaged the remote on the bomb. With the clip over them, the squad knew that person had to remain behind to explode the bomb. AJ is indiscriminately selected to remain behind after pulling straws, but Harry disables his air supply and takes his topographic point with the chief purpose of directing AJ back to Earth to get married his girl so they could populate merrily of all time after.
1.1 Main Fictional characters
As portion of an overview of the movie, I will enlist here the chief characters that are portion of both squads, but their deeper description and analysis about their features and their dealingss in between them will be farther explained in the analysis rubric.
Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper:
Supporter and leader of shuttle Freedom drill squad. Grace ‘s Father and “ the ” best oil driller all over the universe.
Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost:
Secondary supporter ; leader of shuttle Independence drill squad and Grace ‘s fiance
Will Patton as Charles “ Chick ” Chapple:
Harry ‘s best friend and bore team member of bird Freedom.
Ken Hudson Campbell as Max Lennert:
Operator of the Armadillo
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound:
Geologist of bird Freedom
Clark Heathcliffe Brolly as Freddy Noonan:
Member of the shuttle Independence drill squad
Michael C. Duncan as Jayotis “ Bear ” Kurleenbear:
Operator of the armadillo for shuttle Independence
Owen Wilson as Oscar Choice:
Geologist of shuttle Independence
Live Tyler as Grace Stamper:
Harry ‘s girl, and A.J ‘s fiance
Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman:
NASA Executive Director, and Armageddon ‘s Project Manager.
1.2 Objective of my Analysis
We can really detect a really interesting group work of eight cats with really alone features, with eight different personalities. The personality struggles, the joint attempt and the operation of several heads together to seek for solutions are merely a few features of what a group leader has to larn to cover with when rushing a state of affairs where a common end demands to be reached.
It ‘s clear that the eight work forces play a really of import function each of them, but in order to do this analysis more concrete, there are 3 points that I will turn to in the following subdivision in order to acquire a planetary position of the leading presented during the movie:
a. Harry ‘s Group Leadership: First, I think that it ‘s interesting to travel deeper in the analysis of Harry Stamper ‘s personality and his manner to interact with the remainder of the crew. Harry is the dominant leader during the mission and there are several phrases that I will cite which have the “ supporter consequence ” in the public presentation of the other cats who are under Harry ‘s bid.
b. A.J. and Harry ‘s struggle state of affairs: I will besides travel a spot further in A.J. ‘s personality and its profile features, because I consider really of import the fact that his is in uninterrupted struggle with Harry. Why does it go on if both A.J. and Harry are really appreciated by the remainder of the squad?
c. Dan Truman ‘s loyal behaviour: Because in order to execute the mission, it ‘s true that it was Harry the 1 who commanded the squad, but at the same clip, it was Truman who played the back uping function for the leader. He was besides the most of import communicating channel between NASA and Harry.
2. Analysis
Fictional characters
Harry Stamper
He is the best oil driller in the universe. He highlights during the whole film due to his difficult, tough, leathered, and conservative personality. He is really courageous during the whole film, and he is the 1 who transmits this courage to the remainder of the crew.
He really lives in an oil platform with his girl Grace. We can see they have a really close relationship even though they had several statements about AJ and Grace ‘s relationship. He does n’t conceal a word from her. She is following to him in every minute of the film. She is Harry ‘s merely comparative that we can see during the film.
Once the expedition had departed, he showed an huge sum of bravery and ‘no-quit ‘ attitude on the asteroid, even though there were a batch of negative fortunes. He was in charge on taking the expedition crew during the mission, and he was in charge of one of the infinite birds, Freedom.
His character gives off the concluding vibration of a true hero as he sacrifices his life for all of humanity, by being the one to hand-detonate the atomic bomb. But he besides opened up his bosom eventually when he confessed to AJ that he has ever appreciated him and that he would be the perfect hubby for his girl.
A.J. Frost
AJ is one of Harry ‘s work couples in the oil platform. He is a immature adult male ; Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘s state around 25 old ages old. At the beginning of the film, we can see that the working relationship between him and Harry ends up because he is dating Grace and it is non something that Harry thinks its good for his girl.
During the film we can see several scenes where AJ blows up the boring equipment because he does n’t follow Harry ‘s instructions. In general, we can see a immature inexperient adult male who is seeking to construct up his hereafter but who feels really pressured under Harry ‘s bid.
At the terminal of the film, it ‘s his devising determinations and taking hazards capablenesss that eventually achieve the boring aim. After the crisis period, he is chosen indiscriminately to be the one to hand-detonate the atomic bomb, but without acquiring to cognize it before, Harry takes his topographic point so he could travel back to Earth and marry Grace.
Harry told him, right before his decease, that he had ever considered as a boy, that he had ever been proud of him and that he wanted him to be Grace ‘s hubby.
Dan Truman
Dan Truman is every bit said before, NASA ‘s Executive Director. He is the 1 in charge to do the determination of what the program is traveling to be in order to destruct the asteroid.
He gives the call to the NASA squad to enroll Harry Stamper, known worldwide to be the best oil driller under any circumstance.
Since Truman met Harry for first clip at the NASA enclosure, they got along really good. Truman was sort of the connexion between Harry and NASA, and even further than this, between Harry and the President of the US.
Truman ever supported Harry ‘s determinations. He put his trust on Harry since the first twenty-four hours, and made everything easier for him and his squad when they had to negociate some permissions and wagess.
It ‘s really interesting to besides convey out to the analysis two more things about Truman: the first 1 is that because he ever believed in Harry, he even contradicted the orders giving by the President of the US, he was confident on Harry ‘s abilities and finding to accomplish the boring end. And 2nd, we can see how at the terminal of the film, Harry talks to Grace and to AJ, he sends a message to his best friend biddy, but besides, he send the of the shield of his spacesuit to Truman, as a symbol of trueness, to turn out him that he achieved what he was supposed to accomplish, and as symbol of gratitude for all the support he provided him during the whole mission.
The remainder of the Crew
Grace: Harry raised her since she was a child because her ma left them chiefly for Harry non being capable of maturating. She was raised besides by Harry ‘s friends, his work spouses who have been besides his best friends during several old ages. She grew up ever surrounded by the oil-drilling scenario, and now that she ‘s a adult female she felt in love with one of the Harry ‘s youngest friends. A.J.
Grace is the most of import individual in Harry ‘s life. She is the motor of his activities, and she is the ground why he ‘s accepting the infinite mission. We can see about at the terminal of the film that she was really the ground why Harry gave his life. It was really non merely to salvage the universe, but besides to accomplish Grace ‘s felicity with A.J.
Chick: He is Harry ‘s best friend. He can see him since the first scene of the film. He is ever walking following to harass while he is trailing A.J. because he has being in a relationship with Grace.
He seems to play the function of Harry ‘s adulthood. Harry trusts him wholly and he has ever obeyed Harry ‘s orders as a mark of trueness.
When there was the meeting at the NASA, when the whole crew was convened, it was Chick the first one to back up Harry ‘s demand on traveling to bore the asteroid with him. Literally he said. “ In twenty old ages I have n’t turned ya one time ” , so we can see that he is wholly loyal to Harry.
Same trueness scenario can be seen when they are seeking to bore the asteroid and the US President stated that the secondary protocol had to be launched. Harry battles with the pilot of the ship but it is Chick who is ever endorsing him up. He does n’t breathe any judgement or remark but he is at that place, he wo n’t allow Harry entirely and Harry knows it.
Soap: He is sort of the sweetheart one, we can think he is immature besides as Oscar and AJ are, I would state he is around his 30 ‘s and he is portion of Harry ‘s closest circle of friends. There are non excessively many facets to foreground about his public presentation during the film, but his obeisance to Harry ‘s orders when he is in charge of the Armadillo drilling-prototype. He is one more good, loyal friend of Harry.
Rockhound: His public presentation during the movie is about unseeable. He is a sex-addicted friend of Harry whose cognition in natural philosophies and geology is dramatic. There ‘s nil particular to foreground other than he is concerned about economical wages but ever loyal to Harry. His reaction is portion of the group believing consequence, and if I say it it ‘s because during the reunion, when Harry is inquiring them to follow him in the mission, Rockhound undertakes himself because everyone before him had accepted. He is non wholly certain but he likes the thought to make whatever the remainder of the crew is making.
Freddy: He is really unseeable during the movie. However it ‘s portion of the squad and during the NASA meeting before going to the infinite, he is after Chick, the 2nd 1 on perpetrating himself to the mission.
Bear: As Freddy, Max and Rockhound, there are non many facets to foreground about Bear either. He is the typical Afro-american Rebel who likes to travel against the regulations. However his interior is really sweet. He ‘s sort of the emotional one sing his strong physical visual aspect. No affair how he looks like, how strong he is and how much regard he can enforce, he ever followed Harry ‘s orders during the mission.
Academy award: He ‘s the jokester 1. He is Grace ‘s same age and his supporter for the mission is to go a hero. He does n’t take anything excessively serious.
In general we can detect a really good interaction in between all the members of Harry ‘s crew. In fact we can state that there are non jobs in between the crew, other than those related to AJ and Harry ‘s relationship whose at the same clip depend on the present state of affairs of AJ with Grace. Besides, as it will be further developed in the following subdivision, the chief reasoning its caused by A.J. finding on doing new determinations, by his creativeness and his thirst of going mature adequate to turn out Harry he is adequate to get married his girl. He has some intimations of leading, reasonably good marked.
And as I said at the beginning, we can really detect a really interesting group work of eight cats with really alone features, with eight different personalities: the leader, the incoming leader, the best friend, the Rebel, the jokester, the smart, the emotional and the unnoticed. The perfect mix to do a group work all together.
2.2 Leadership Manners
The undermentioned analysis of leading is based on Emily Spencer ‘s essay Leadership Models and Theories: A Brief Overview, and its intended to contrast the behaviours observed during the movie to the cited leading theories and theoretical accounts that she presents.
During this subdivision we will concentrate specifically in Harry ‘s personality without taking in consideration the environmental factor that really affected his behaviour as a leader during the infinite mission. However, Harry ‘s behaviour harmonizing to the current state of affairs will be developed in the Environment subdivision.
Harry ‘s Leadership
We will get down nearing Harry ‘s profile, the supporter of the film and the dominant leader. Why do I see him as a leader? Harmonizing to Emily Spencer, “ leading is the art of act uponing others in the mode desired by the leader ”[ 1 ]and that ‘s precisely what Harry did when he called his squad to back uping him for the mission.
Harmonizing to the Trait Theory[ 2 ], Harry ‘s personality matches the five features or traits needed for a successful leading:
Intelligence: There is no uncertainty of Harry ‘s intelligence ; he is the best oil-driller worldwide.
He even had the clip to plan the paradigm of the boring machine that is, in fact, being sent to the asteroid by the NASA. In fact, his degree of intelligence can be seen every bit good when, even the best NASA crew could n’t set to work the armadillo paradigm. They had to wait for Harry ‘s advices to put it on.
Assurance: He is wholly confident of himself. And I ‘ll cite literally from Harry ‘s oral cavity. “ I ‘m merely the best, because I work with the best ” . He knows he is the best but he does n’t take the recognition for himself but he besides comments the aptitude of his colleagues and friends.
His assurance is really clear as good when he puts several conditions to Truman in order to execute the mission, since the meeting with the crew until the twenty-four hours of the going.
Determination: Since he was announced about the current state of affairs, and he really accepted, Harry ne’er hesitated. In fact, right before get oning the birds, AJ confessed to Harry that he was scared and Harry ‘s reaction was to re-assure him and to reenforce his assurance. There was non even a 2nd where Harry would doubt about the mission. Not even for his girl. It was specially because of her that he was certain of he was making. And from my point of vies, that was one of the most of import factors that achieved the success of the mission. He gave security to all the members of the crew. He taught with the illustration.
Integrity: Harry ‘s unity is noteworthy during the full movie. He was systematically honorable and trusty since the beginning. And this unity was the nucleus value that allowed Truman to wholly swear in him. He was a adult male of word, even at the really terminal, when he stayed behind on the asteroid to manus explode the bomb, and he passes through certain troubles, AJ says ( about harry ) to the remainder of the crew “ he does n’t cognize how to neglect ” , mentioning to the fact that because of his high degree of finding, every individual thing that Harry promised to make, he achieved it.
During the whole state of affairs on the asteroid, there is a really of import portion when the 2nd protocol is launched in order to explode the bomb before the clip planet, because the President of the US thought they would n’t be capable to make the fixed aim ; during this clip, the atomic bomb is activated and Harry realizes it. He argues with the pilot of the bird in order to halt the countdown and acquire the opportunity to complete with his undertaking. After several proceedingss of contending, we can see that the lone thing the pilot asked Harry to give him this chance was to assure it for his girl. He did and instantly the pilot believes in him. They started to work together once more.
The grounds of this high degree of unity in Harry ‘s public presentation during the movie is besides observed in how Harry trusted in the others members of the crew and how he left them to work independently making what he said they needed them to make.
Sociability: As the leader of the mission, Harry ever maintained a good relationship with the remainder of the crew as I mentioned earlier. He knew how to divide working relationships from personal relationship with all of them except for AJ. But I will deeper develop this state of affairs in the following subdivision of Harry ‘s leading with A.J.
It ‘s non surprising that we find that his best friends were his teammates. He valued the relationship with people more than anything else. Despite his finding and strong character, he was a adult male with a immense bosom, and we can see this in the relationship he had with his girl Grace.
Another portion of Harry ‘s behaviour as a leader can be contrasted to the Theory of Participative Leadership[ 3 ]. Harmonizing to Spencer, the participative leading is synergistic and allows followings some influence over the leader ‘s determinations. This is determined harmonizing to the degree of deputation that the leader allows to his/hers followings. Spencer enlists four different degrees: the bossy determination, audience, joint determination and deputation.
We can detect that Harry ‘s behavior lucifers with the audience manner. Per definition, audience occurs when the leader asks followings for their sentiments and thoughts, so makes the determination entirely after earnestly sing their suggestions and concerns. This is precisely the scenario of the meeting at NASA, when, before Harry engages a via media with Truman, he called for a reunion with his teammates and asked them for his coaction. He asked his sentiments and after all this he writes down the several requests from each one of the members and after sing each one of the demands they make a determination all together. They agreed in traveling to the mission.
Harry is far from the bossy manner ; he is ever sing the demands from his squad in order to talk out for them. He is the communicating channel between authorities and the crew, and he performs reasonably good this undertaking.
He besides fits the deputation manner. Per definition deputation occurs when the leader gives authorization to an person or group to do a determination. This is what happened with harry and A.J. when he put him in charge of the other bird for the mission. He believes in him and he delegates him the duty to be in charge of the other 4 work forces portion of the crew.
But in general, Harry finds a good balance between holding the concluding determination all the clip and larning how to depute some activities to his member squads ( audience and deputation ) . This balance is given chiefly by the fact that he believes in the capacities of his squad. He literally said to Truman “ If you do n’t swear the work forces you ‘re working with, you ‘re every bit good as dead ” .
Harry ‘s Leadership with A.J.
I find interesting to near here the Contingency theoretical account of Leadership proposed by Hersey and Blanchard[ 4 ]. It ‘s clear the attitude of Harry every clip he has to pull off the state of affairs with A.J. Harmonizing to Spencer, the Hersey and Blanchard theoretical account establishes that leading behaviour depends on the ‘maturity ‘ of an single follower. Maturity includes two related constituents. The first, ‘job adulthood ‘ refers to a follower ‘s undertaking relevant accomplishments and proficient cognition. The 2nd, ‘psychological adulthood ‘ is declarative of the follower ‘s assurance and dignity.
Contrasting the above thought to Harry ‘s behaviour, we can reason that this is the ground why he is ever in uninterrupted reasoning with A.J. Harry believes that A.J. adulthood in both professional and personal facets is non yet wholly developed. That is why Harry is more supportive to rest of the crew except for A.J. ; Harry is manner more directing with A.J. than with the other six work forces. This state of affairs has its roots in Grace and A.J. ‘s relationship. Harry keeps believing that A.J. is non plenty for his girl, someway he can see himself reflected in A.J. ‘s attitude.
We can detect a development on Harry ‘s behaviour with A.J. from the beginning to the terminal of the movie. He started by a “ relation ” attitude, which represents a directing manner of leader behaviour, when he is directing every motion of A.J. on the oil platform, and ended up by a “ delegation ” attitude which is characterized by a manner of leader behaviour, missing in both supportiveness and directivity when he puts A.J. in charge of the 2nd bird and when he trusted in A.J. when they are boring the asteroid.
Truman ‘s engagement
Everyone else is against the thought but Truman decides to take the hazard of directing Harry ‘s crew to the mission instead than directing the trained spacemans.
Since the beginning of the movie the Truman ‘s profile is that of a trustworthy adult male, he searches for the common health and he relies on Harry to accomplish the end of destructing the asteroid. Due to its nature, he matches really good with Harry ‘s manner ; they get along during the whole film. They portion the same values, so it ‘s really easy for Truman to understand Harry ‘s demands and to fulfill them.
Truman even plays the function of the emotional support of Harry ‘s girl. During the clip of the mission, it is Truman who, allow ‘s state, replaces Harry as Grace ‘s pa. He is really patient and, as the remainder of the crew, he offers harry an immense trueness that drives him to even belie the president of the US when the secondary protocol is ordered to be launched.
2.3 Environment
If we acknowledge the relationship between leaders, followings and the SITUATION, we can, so, contrast the environment presented during the film with the Transformational Leadership[ 5 ].
Harmonizing to Spencer, there are four chief factors that have been associated with transformational leaders: idealized influence, inspirational motive, rational stimulation, and individualised consideration.
Idealized Influence. Besides called personal appeal. As mentioned before, irrespective the exterior visual aspect of Harry of being a strong, decisive and unafraid adult male, he is ever associated with really high criterions of moral and ethical behavior due to its changeless finding and unity defined supra. He does n’t necessitate to do any attempt to accomplish the similar from his teammates. This personal appeal is the supporter for his crew ‘s trueness every bit good.
Inspirational Motivation. Which can be seen when he gives the address at NASA. In fact, none of the work forces who are called to follow Harry, truly wanted to travel and take the hazard to wing in a infinite ship, but Harry knew how to touch a sensitive point in a general consensus. He used Nationalism as an emotional supporter to bring forth the engagement of the squad with him. He said during the meeting at NASA: “ the US authorities merely asked us to salvage the universe ” , which was the decisive point before everyone accepted to follow him.
Intellectual Stimulation. Defined as the act to dispute their ain beliefs and values every bit good as those of the leader and the organisation. Harry was capable to accomplish the rational stimulation in those who joined the mission with him. Some of them were really smart and prepared work forces who had a broad specialisation in natural philosophies and geology, and Harry knew how to convey that up.
Individualized Consideration. Harry as a leader knew how to make a supportive clime for all of his followings. No affair the difficult fortunes they had to face, Harry was ever at that place for them. He knew how to near them as a group but every clip doing specific considerations depending on each of them. Particularly before the going to the asteroid, he coached them decently to be capable to execute their undertakings.
Leadership during the crisis
We can really detect that the whole film is developed during a period of crisis, the full universe was in danger, and it was in these work forces ‘s custodies the determination to salvage the universe.
Crisis is a period of clip where, from my personal point of position, the coherence of a group can either be wholly destroyed or increased to a point where the consentaneous end has to be achieved. That ‘s the most ambitious portion of being a leader, the “ how to ” accomplish this coherence to increase to the highest extremum no affair the obstructions they have to face. And Harry did it. No affair the ruinous fortunes, he got his crew to work together. His couples already appreciated him and he knew every individual individual he recruited for the mission, so he used it as an advantage to accomplish a successful leading. And even during this uninterrupted clip of crisis, they besides had to confront other more of import crisis:
First, the minute when the bird commanded by A.J. was hit by the entrance pieces of the asteroid. Harry did n’t allow this fact to impact the public presentation of the crew in his bird ; he left aside the emotional feelings, and stayed focal point in the fixed aim of salvaging the universe.
And 2nd, when the US Government launched the 2nd protocol in Earth while they were seeking to bore on the asteroid. This state of affairs generated a complex clime of emphasis particularly in those who were non yet confident of Harry ‘s abilities. Harry was non afraid even when the countdown clock of the bomb was set off, he stayed calmed and managed the state of affairs to a point where he got the trust from those who did n’t believe in him. I quote here Harry ‘s word to the pilot in charge of the bird: “ I can non make it entirely Colonel, I need your aid ” . Adequate words from a “ adult male of word ” to acquire back his squad to the mission.
It was so high Harry ‘s honestness and personal appeal, that even in the most helter-skelter circumstance, when all the fait was lost, he had a unrecorded transmittal with the staff from NASA, who were wholly devastated by the state of affairs, and he made them retrieve the fait.
This is for me the most astonishing portion during the full film where we can really appreciate the degree of influence that a good leader can hold in a group. And that is where the success of Harry can be found. Harry bring back the fait to the full universe.
3. Discussion
What ‘s of import for me to foreground from this film? Besides the whole analysis that has been made above the features of leading seen during the film, there is another really of import feature of a leader that has to be highlighted which refers to the power of Negotiation.
I consider dialogue as the power of a individual to interchange goods or services with person else who besides wants something in return and that eventually both can accomplish a common understanding that satisfies both parties.
For this film, there are several minutes of dialogue where Harry success and brings up his demands to Truman and to everyone to who he speaks and he success in acquiring them all the clip.
As a good leader, the of import portion that he does all the clip during the film is that he speaks out loud for his squad all the clip. Since the beginning when the crew is reunited at the NASA, he brings to Truman all the demands of his work forces ; he besides negotiates the last dark free, and some other state of affairss where he really does n’t demand anything for himself but for his work forces.
There ‘s no other of import facet that I need to foreground besides dialogue. I think all of the features of a leader have been reasonably good described before.
What I can reason it is that a leader has non a fixed profile that will fit merely one certain type of those leading styles that Spencer enlisted in her essay. It ‘s a really controversial subject due to its human nature. It ‘s really subjective ; it ‘s an interesting phenomenon that will ever depend on the group, the state of affairs, the job, etc.
