Save the Cat rankings

Armageddon script analysis

Armageddon script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Armageddon opens with a disastrous shuttle mission that sets the stakes, then introduces the rag-tag team recruited to save Earth from an incoming asteroid. Tension mounts through drilled setbacks and personal losses, culminating in a sacrificial climax and a hopeful reunion.

88 Save the Cat fit score 70% analysis confidence / 35 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

70%

The film opens in orbit with Pete Shelby’s shuttle arm failure, immediately conveying danger and loss of control.

Houston, I can't get this thing to work...
2

Theme Stated

Scene 2 / Page 2 / 5% target

60%

The observatory team’s debate about contacting NASA hints at ordinary people facing enormous responsibility—a core theme of stepping up.

3

Set-Up

Scenes 1-3 / Pages 1-3 / 10% target

80%

Scenes 1–3 establish the threat, the call from Kentucky, and NASA’s initial scramble, introducing key players and stakes.

4

Catalyst

Scene 4 / Page 4 / 12% target

80%

Meteorites strike Manhattan, making the impending asteroid impact real and urgent.

5

Debate

Scene 5 / Page 5 / 20% target

70%

General Temple and Dan Golden debate insufficient resources and budget cuts, questioning whether they can mount a credible defense.

Tell the president it's called "budget cuts." We don't have enough telescopes to track the skies.
6

Break into Two

Scene 7 / Page 7 / 25% target

80%

NASA officially recruits Harry’s drilling crew, launching Act Two’s world of the asteroid mission.

An eight hundred foot hole. On a moving asteroid. In space.
7

B Story

Scene 9 / Page 9 / 30% target

60%

The limo ride banter introduces team dynamics and personal bonds that underpin the B-story relationships.

8

Fun and Games

Scene 17 / Page 17 / 40% target

70%

Lev’s impromptu performance aboard Mir provides lighter moments of cross-cultural camaraderie amid the operation.

FREEDOM! FREEDOM! GOT TO GIVE WHAT IT TAKES....Hello Yankees! I love you America.
9

Midpoint

Scene 18 / Page 18 / 50% target

80%

The drilling clutch rupture represents a false victory turning point—failure raises the mission’s stakes.

10

Bad Guys Close In

Scene 20 / Page 20 / 65% target

80%

Temple and Golden discuss the grim timeline for detonation as pressure intensifies and options dwindle.

11

All Is Lost

Scene 24 / Page 24 / 75% target

80%

The drill rig explosion kills Max, representing the darkest moment and the team’s despair.

12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scene 26 / Page 26 / 80% target

80%

Drawing straws for a suicide mission underscores personal fear and the emotional nadir.

Well, I guess I won. Now I'm the guy who gets to save the Earth.
13

Break into Three

Scene 27 / Page 27 / 85% target

80%

Harry forces A.J. into the airlock and accepts the sacrifice, pivoting to the final act solution.

She's always going to be my little girl.
14

Finale

Scenes 30-33 / Pages 30-33 / 95% target

80%

From the countdown confrontation to Lev’s valve fix and Harry’s detonation, the climax resolves the asteroid threat.

WE HAVE JUST THE SAME SHIT PART IN RUSSIA!! SOMETIMES IT NOT WORK SO WE HIT!! YOU GOTTA...
15

Final Image

Scene 35 / Page 35 / 99% target

70%

The crew’s safe return and A.J.’s proposal provide a hopeful mirror to the film’s opening stakes.

He's up there, Grace. And he'll never die. Will you marry me? I gotcha a new rock....