They both were released in the same year (a month apart in fact), both similar premises (asteroid coming to hit earth), and very nearly the same IMDB scores too.
Oh yeah, apparently such a crap movie as this can be nominated for 4 oscars though.
Well, Armageddon was more fantastical than realistic. It was more of an action film than a serious look at what a rogue comet would do to the earth. Deep Impact was more of a drama and a look at how humanity would react to such an incoming disaster, and what would realistically happen as a result.
Plus, Armageddon was about an asteroid, not a comet, heading for earth.
I loved both films.
Armageddon was action packed, fun, entertaining and had Bruce Willis in his prime.
Deep Impact was a drama and I found it more emotional (even though I cried hard when Bruce died in Armageddon), as it felt more realistic, especially when they said that those over 50 years of age would not be entitled to enter the ballot for the ark. It made me think about my parents, family, friends etc... and if this happened for real. I liked Jenny's storyline with her mum and dad. The only thing I didn't like about Deep Impact was the Leo and Sarah story-line especially the wedding.
Armageddon was a sour-stupid film with so little attention to direction that it came off as a high budget collection of out-takes. Some moments of quality adventure but ultimately sloppy, juvenile and poorly crafted. 3/10
Deep Impact was a mediocre movie that does a fair job of being an OK disaster movie despite a mix of likeable/unlikeable characters. It actually tried to be realistic which was pretty good. Sadly it loaded up its own shorts the closer it got to the end. The end really drops its score. 5/10
Both bad. One very dumb but flashy. One serious but flawed.
Let's see....
Deep Impact: Comet
Armageddon: asteroid
Deep Impact: takes a more serious, realistic look on how humanity would deal with this problem
Armageddon: is mostly action/adventure, and doesn't quite use realistic methods, though they are entertaining to a degree
Deep Impact: actual astronauts go to the comet to destroy it, and all sacrifice themselves to stop it
Armageddon: a bunch of oil-drillers take a nuke to the asteroid, drill to its core, put the nuke in, and fly away as one of them stays behind to set off the bomb
Deep Impact: the comet gets split in two, and the smaller one hits the Atlantic ocean, creating the biggest tidal wave ever
Armageddon: the asteroid never hits, though New York City took a beating in the beginning of the film do to a really nasty meteor shower with small asteroids in it
Deep Impact: ending is somewhat bittersweet, but humanity survives
Armageddon: has a happy ending, humanity survives, and there's a wedding during the credits
Armageddon also has more humor compared to Deep Impact.