Ben Affleck couldn't leave the Criterion Closet without a copy of Armageddon

Across Criterion’s 15-year run of Criterion Closet videos, very few, if any, entrants have mentioned Criterion #40. It’s all Renior this and Fellini that, but when we get down to it, how could none of these artists, celebrities, and random cultural weirdos not grab a copy of Michael Bay’s Armageddon, Criterion’s long-out-of-print release from 1999? Not only does the thing come with a director’s cut of the film, an essential essay by film professor Jeanine Basinger, and a gag reel, but also Ben Affleck’s infamous commentary track. Though Affleck recently expressed shock over his sarcastic commentary from 25 years ago, when the fresh-faced 26-year-old Oscar winner recorded it, today, he’s leaving the Criterion Closet wondering where the 4K is.

Criterion released Affleck’s visit to the Criterion Closet today, and he didn’t miss his chance to highlight what he calls the best work of his career. No, not his performance as moon driller A.J. Frost, but his commentary on the movie. “I was surprised when I heard Criterion was doing Armageddon,” Affleck says in the video. “I didn’t think of it as that kind of movie when we did it. And in retrospect, now, I feel like maybe my best work in my career is the commentary on this disc.”