User Reviews

Ricky Gervais is one of the few great comics of our generation.. Supernature set the bar for standup specials, standing almost alone at the top.. (he had Chappelle for company with "The Closer")

Armageddon is good, well worth a watch, but not "Supernature" or "The Closer" good. I found too many of the jokes a bit predictable, something that Ricky is usually great at avoiding, many eye rolling moments and a lot fewer spitting "laugh out loud" punchlines. I look forward to the next Gervais special, or anything that he produces really, while this is not his best work, a stand up comic of this level still delivers when not running on all cylinders.

Ricky was right about that joking about the horrible stuff in life makes it a bit more bearable to deal with. This is dark humor, so it's definitely not for the easily offended people.. not everyones cup of tea.

I love Ricky, and I thought that Armageddon was good.. but it was definitely not his best. It was quite underwhelming, to be completely honest.. I enjoyed Humanity, Supernature and After life way more than this one. I really wanted to love Armageddon just as much as I love the other netflix stand-up specials, but it didn't happen this time.. it's okay though. Everybody has different preferences and tastes when it comes to most things in life. I'll just keep my hopes up that there will be more netflix specials from Ricky in the future.

There were some good ones, the best one even improvised. But it was to much explaining about jokes not actual jokes. The audience seemed to cheer every anti woke opinion. Fair enough. But Ricky you can do better. Sad thing is that perhaps the bar of whats funny or not has been lowered but I still have to give it a 6/10. And Im being nice. The culture seems to be more focused on issues and politics nowadays than actual punchlines, buildup and all that. Everyones doing the same and they got it all from somebody else. Now as I said there was still a few good laughs a little further into the special. I know comedy is hard and Im just a critic. But when Ive seen his earlier specials and other comedians tearing the roof of I gotta be objective about it.

Love love love Ricky. But this special was lacking his usual creative genius. Seems like he just tried to be offensive for the sake of being offensive.

Same themes hashed over and over. The old - anything can be jokes about. Comedians are artists. Just don't listen if you don't like it.

No need to constantly explain you are just joking. You've got your audience, just tell stuff to us that's funny. No need to talk about those that don't watch your stuff.

Took me three sittings to finish it.

Hoping he just gets back to funny stuff and not explaining being offended at a joke is stupid.

Just move on and go back to being funny.

Not afraid to say it as it is, or as he thinks it is, Ricky Gervais is back on Netflix, and another comedy special.

Maybe not as sharp or funny as the last one, but still some very memorable moments and laugh out loud jokes. Ricky daring to say what many people think, but are too afraid to admit to.

I am stunned that he's still featuring on Netflix, his 'Brand' of humour doesn't exactly seem to fit in with the company's image.

He doesn't hold back, ripping into everyone, and he says, it's alright to laugh at things, it doesn't necessarily mean it's your opinion. Many people have lost the ability to laugh, it's sad.

He's about the only stand up comedian left that's actually funny and original.

8/10.

I was eager to see the show as Gervais is one of my favorite comedian. I was hoping for a little more fun and well thought jokes but what I was afraid of, kind of happened: that the show would not be at the same level as the previous ones. Did I spoil myself? Maybe, but it felt that most of the material was just old jokes "reworded" in a different way or not "well refined". I'm not condemning it much since I realize that it's not easy to surpass yourself or stay at certain levels.

I'm for sure not the kind of person that gets offended by jokes and confirm that I didn't, so me not being particularly impressed by the show has nothing to do with that matter.

Felt a bit like a money grab show but who cares... better than nothing.

I still like Gervais, as I share most of the points of his jokes... those that have one of course.

If you are an existing fan of Gervais who is familiar with his type of humor, you will probably love this. It is 100% unapologetically Ricky Gervais. I happen to LOVE his comedy shows and found this hilarious. I got in a much needed laugh before having to navigate holiday stuff, and I enjoyed it so much that I will watch it again to help improve my mood after having navigiated holiday stuff. Definitely recommend for Gervais fans.

If you are not a fan of Gervais, find something else to watch. You will not appreciate his brand of humor. There are tons of comedic style choices to stream. Find what works for you.

For me....2 thumbs up. Loved it. Recommend.

I love Ricky, his other stand ups, presenting, series etc. Have all been some of my favourite comedy to watch. This felt a little repetitive though. His view on 'anything goes' when telling jokes, is something I fully believe in, but to convince the audience of his beliefs on this, he really pushed things to the limit. Many parts were truly cringeworthy! In addition, I feel that he knows many are critical of him, and this whole stand up was in response to them and their issue with him. What happened to silly Ricky? I miss those jokes! Next time, keep it light, let us laugh at something intelligent and not just constant controversy.

In many ways Armageddon is a classic Ricky Gervais special; huge laughs, beautiful construction, well-articulated points and all that great jazz that has become his signature ...

BUT ...

.... There is nothing new!

The subject-matter has been exhausted at this point, yet he is still trampling that same old ground and making the same old points.

There are also references to bits by other comedians, as there have been in his last three specials. This is by no means an accusation of stealing material or any such nonsense, however, it should be noted that less popular comedians have received a lot of flack for a lot less.

My last criticism would be that a lot of his material seems be aimed at twitter. Twitter and the real world are very different places, so when he talks about 'people', it comes across as almost hollow because his characters are based in that world.

This might sound like a bad review, but it isn't. Armageddon hits the same high standards we're used to seeing from Ricky Gervais. Unfortunately, 'same' might be the most important word in that sentence.

I believe most comedians make specials when a tour is ending, and according to what RG says it's also the case with Armageddon. So it's a special talent for a comedian to keep it fresh. Especially when they are reacting to their own jokes. Some of them, like Louis CK, are masterful in this respect.

So, when RG bursts into giggling in a special, he has probably done it dozens of times, but most of the time you feel like "Oh he just thought of something funny, said it out loud and is now laughing like me". Don't know exactly why this time I just didn't buy it. Especially when RG underlines it saying something like "I just tought a new joke..."... No, didn't really believe it.

Also, repetition is killer. RG says the word "woke" about as much as your average edgy teenager who is writing a TLDR rant in Youtube comment section. I don't disagree with the message, just found myself detaching from the comical and humorous aspects of it.

Comedians have been complaining about audience getting butthurt too easily for over ten years now, not just the woke ones, but pretty much everyone. The subject it's not fresh, you should take a new angle or something. And even so, currently comedians probably are free'er to say whatever than ever before. RG was born 1961, that year Lenny Bruce was arrested all the time just for saying f. Can't write the full word here... it's not because of woke people.

But yeah, it doesn't totally suck, so if you generally like Ricky Gervais specials, it still delivers some laughs.

Ricky's finger is really on the pulse with what is going on in the modern western world. He is hilariously unapologetic with his humour and delivers key messages in a direct and thought provoking manner. I really hope anyone that is easily triggered takes note of what he is saying and maybe takes a moment in the future to reflect on the reasons for why they feel offended.

He touches on many different subjects such as disability, race, pedophilia & gender. He really pushes the boundaries with main stream comedy in 2023.

Sure many will down vote him simply for his choice of vocabulary but ultimately it's a comedy show and very funny one at that.

If I listed my top 20 comedy specials of all time, I think possibly all of his previous ones would be in there. And Animals and Politics would be in the top 3, but this felt like it was rushed at best and a cash grab at worst.

The material felt old and rehashed with the *spontaneous* dog joke feeling like it was straight from Bernard Manning's book of jokes.

And the constant need to explain himself (Jimmy Carr has started doing this, so maybe on a deeper level they are fearful of being taken literally) was a bit tiring.

There were some funny bits with the cultural appropriation joke brilliant and so clever, but I'm not sure I need to see him use the handjob action in any more specials. It was very funny the first time and pretty funny the second time, but now it feels/looks more like a metaphor for him milking the Netflix coffers.

I still love the guy and will watch his next one because even comedians have bad days at the office.

I'm somewhat of a fan. I've genuinely enjoyed some of Ricky Gervais' past specials. This one? Not so much.

I honestly don't care whether the material is appropriate or not or whether it crosses a line or not. In humor, I think it's all fair game. They're just jokes and it's all good. So I have zero issues with any of that. My issue is simply that the show was just not very inspired and ultimately not particularly funny. It wasn't bad, but there wasn't much of a coherent narrative for the show, there were many one-liners that fell quite flat, stories that weren't particularly interesting, jokes that didn't elicit anything (at least in me) and quite frankly, Ricky just seemed to be going through the motions in this show. It felt a little phoned in.

There are much better stand up shows out there than this one.

Just watched Armeddon, I have seen Science, Fame, Animals and Politics.

I have also seen The Office, Extras, Derek and Afterlife.

So I'm probably regarded as a super fan.

We all know Ricky straddles the line and crosses it often all in the name of humour.

His Golden Globes hosting will go down in Hollywood history and is some of his best work.

I enjoyed Armageddon but even I was slightly cringing at certain parts and laughing out loud at others. Fans will give him a pass but non fans and people who hate him will struggle with some of the content.

Ricky, our family loves you and gets where you are going with the culture war but please listen to Jayne a little bit more.

Ricky Gervais stands as a comedic virtuoso, captivating audiences with his unparalleled wit, unapologetic humor, and a fearless demeanor that defies societal norms. His comedic brilliance lies not only in the cleverness of his jokes but in his audacious approach to addressing taboo subjects, making audiences laugh while challenging societal expectations. Gervais's ability to push boundaries and shatter political correctness reflects a refreshing perspective in a world often constrained by sensitivity. He fearlessly navigates the comedy landscape, reminding us that humor can be a powerful tool to question and explore the intricacies of life. In a society where offense is easily taken, Gervais becomes a beacon of authenticity, urging us to embrace the brevity of life and not succumb to the shackles of perpetual sensitivity. His refusal to conform to societal expectations and his dedication to genuine, unfiltered comedy establish Ricky Gervais as a comedic maestro, leaving an indelible mark on the world of humor, my only wish is that I was 30 years older or he was 30 years younger and we were both single 🤣 - THANK YOU RICKY!

For reference, these are my ratings about his previous tv shows :

HUMANITY : 8/10.

SUPERNATURE : 8,2/10.

ARMAGEDDON is undeniably worse than them. It's the first time i saw him trying too hard, his punchlines fell flat at times and the whole rant against the imaginary Timmy was awkward. I think i understand what he was trying to do there, and i can even call it a moment of brilliance but the way he delivered his idea was not successful.

Still, it's a good tv special. At times, brilliant and funny. It's obviously he still has a lot to give, but he should take a break now : You can't come up with great new material in one only year. (SUPERNATURE was released in 2022). Rest yourself Ricky and make some magic next time. This was a failure by a hair, his charisma saved it.

Or too little? No pun intended - I actually wanted to point it out towards the end of my review, but since I started this way (and sorry for the pointed "joke"): maybe it was me, but it looked like Ricky was excited throughout ... hey not shaming or blaming him for that. Maybe you wouldn't even notice if I hadn't ... said it.

But let's dive into stuff and there is a lot of it. I assume you have heard of Ricky, but if you haven't ... or only a little, let me tell you this: you should be thick skinned and not too sensitive if you want to watch this and have "fun". He knows who he is and he does not give a ... well he is ok with it would be the pc way to say it I suppose. He'd say it differently of course.

Ricky makes fun of people being hurt by words - he also clarifies (maybe he has to, so no one can sue him over something), that he plays a character. Of course his comparison to Anthony Hopkins is a bit weak. It is true, but not as obvious as he makes it out to be. Other comedians had issues before with their shows. They could come back and say or defend themselves with the same words Ricky used: it's not me, it's the character I played during these shows. Again, there is truth to that, but it can be (mis)used too.

We already have controversy, but that is what pulls people in. There is a reason his previous show was super successful. And it was because of the stuff he said. And the same will be true for this one. There is a lot of stuff that will offend ... sometimes in a disturbing way. All that stuff with kids - even when he plays out a scene - and I mean he really acts it out ... pretending to be a kid using his hand in a way that is ... let's just say if you can stomach that ... hats off. Especially because it goes on for a long time ... almost forever! He really commits to it - which is not making it better (especially to those sensible to that topic).

And while he says this is not him, his CRT bit is actually at least as disturbing to me than anything else. It is a short "joke" and over before you know it. And I don't know why he even made it - almost everything else is connected somehow, but not this. Well I guess it is supposed to touch upon the people being too sensible stuff/topic. Still the way he portrays it is misleading ... one is being generous if calling it that of course.

Same might be true about his doubling down on the two genders thing .... so as you can see, I do not really agree on all the things he says. And I do believe that words matter and can hurt. That being said, I also believe that certain things have gone way too far. And he points those things out too. Very well with the examples from "doesthedogdie" website ... I knew about this site, but not that it also has a lot more stuff going on than just telling you ... well I think the title is saying it all ... or in this case not, but you get what I am saying. Schindlers List is being checked and the questions people have about it ... but are they not anecdotical? Do we really want to shame and blame and condemn many for a (hopefully) small amount of people that take things too far? Not to mention that some may be "trolls" or just people who think they are funny ... kind of like Ricky.

There is a lot more to unpack, if one wants to. Another thing would be the audiences reaction(s) to certain things. Should they be laughing? Ricky says yes - and I don't think it makes anyone a bad person if they laugh at something that is not right ... none of us is Mother Teresa that's for sure. What is important: that we know what is "fun" and what reality is! We are supposed to be "better" than animals because we have empathy .. we supposedly care ... well let's not forget that ... and let's not forget to help animals too while we are at it ... something Ricky never forgets to do! He actually may like them way more than his fellow humans ... I think that is a certainty!

You are usually in for an hour of proper entertainment and laughs when you sit down to watch a stand-up comedy from Ricky Gervais. And thus, as I happened to find the 2023 show "Ricky Gervais: Armageddon" on Netflix, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

And sure enough, Ricky Gervais delivered once again. I found the show to be enjoyable and there were some good laughs throughout the 63 minutes that the comedy special ran for. Ricky Gervais has a good and varied material that he brings to the stage, and it is so much more than just jokes below-the-belt. There are some sharp observations on society and some really good jabs at the state of the world and our woke society throughout the show.

I was genuinely entertained by "Ricky Gervais: Armageddon", and it was well-worth sitting down to watch.

My rating of the 2023 stand-up comedy special "Ricky Gervais: Armageddon" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

First of all I'm a Ricky Gervais fan. I think he's a comedy genius. This is an hour of hard hitting comedy gold. Probably not to everyone's taste but as the man says, you've got to laugh at bad subjects to get through them.

I've seen all his televised stand up shows and all his television series. He's like no other comedian. But if you get him, as I do, I'm sure you'll enjoy this TV special.

The subject matters are controversial but the trick is not to take what he says too literal. He's just making humour out of the world that mankind is making such a mess off. If we don't laugh we would all end up crying!

It managed to get a few chuckles from me, and I honestly agree with the subject matter, but Ricky really needs to take a break and think of new material and new angles to what he's already saying.

This was like SuperNature but with different words and much less incisive. Although I have to admit, as soon as I saw this one nominated for the Golden Globes I knew it had to be tamed material so not much of a surprise there.

What he said in the end is true "if you speak out, you can change any outcome" you just have to speak out for whatever it is you genuinely believe to be true. After the 2020 Golden Globes he won my respect for telling the truth, I just hope he always keeps his work fresh and genuine.

Genuinely laughed out loud through the entire special. He does such a great job of joking about all the sensitive topics in a way that makes you feel good laughing about them. I understand it's not for everyone, but if this is your type of humour and you enjoy laughing at politically not correct satire, this is the guy for you. It is raunchy but I don't think it should be controversial. If you don't like satire and you are easily offended, don't watch and maybe reevaluate your life... but who am I to judge? I think he knows his audience well and played to his strengths. Plus, the funds for it go to an animal charity!

I absolutely love Ricky Gervais. I find him hilarious and he makes amazing programs and stand up. But this didn't feel like stand up. It felt more like a funny Ted Talk if you know what I mean? And if it was marketed in that vein I probably would have rated it higher. But it was marketed as stand-up and on that description I have to rate it lower.

Don't get me wrong. It was enjoyable and it was funny, but compared to previous shows I definitely didn't belly laugh, or even laugh out loud, which was a bit disappointing because he's had me in tears in the past. I did smile the whole way through and chuckle, and overall agreed with his whole premise. So it's worth watching.

I think because there was such a heavy focus on divisive social commentary, although amusing and very on point, it would be better for it to be 'an evening with' or 'a talk with' sort of thing, rather than an out and out stand up show. But I appreciate it's difficult to address such a topic as a main premise and run with it and it be hilarious constantly. I think perhaps, in my worthless opinion, that it would have worked better not being so hyper focused?

I'm not sure if I'd recommend it overall. Not for newcomers to Ricky certainly. But I did enjoy it.

I love Ricky Gervais and i've done so since The Office. He's made so many great movies, tv and radio shows and stand-up specials over the years, but his two latest Netflix specials has been pretty bad.

I don't know if he's got a contract with Netflix to produce X amount of shows during a set time, but it surely feels like that's the fact. That's usually how Netflix works with big names which time and time again becomes apparent in the results.

I know that it usually takes many years for a stand-up comedian to come up with, filter, try out and reach an hour of solid material and considering that his last special came out just last year and that he's a person with many irons in the fire, his material can't be solid. And it isn't. Gervais gets stuck on 2-3 subjects and he seems to aim at being controversial and poking at people who doesn't like him more than being funny. Personally i have no issues with controversial and shocking, but it better be funny ...and it isn't.

Massive fan from his XFM days to Extras. I liked two of his earlier stand-ups and his After Life was good too.

I don't mind shocking material if its actually funny. Now he is just shocking but anyone can do that. All he is doing now is thinking of something shocking to say then says it on the stage. Some of the stuff Ricky says reminds me of the type of thing my friends would say in the school playground when I was at Middle School over 3 decades ago.

"They are just jokes!" Yes we know Ricky. You are a comedian, we are not stupid.

The thing is, I still find him very funny when he is not on a live stage. He will never be as good as Louis CK on stage - although his sitcoms/dark comedy and podcasts are better than his.

Come on Ricky! Do a new sitcom with Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington.

There are far worse ways to waste an hour or so of your life (especially on Netflix) but it's a decent enough show with some hilarious moments if you don't go in expecting anything groundbreaking. In fact, it's a little bit like watching the extended or cut content from his other specials. It's not bad, just nothing truly mind blowing. It does the job and should be celebrated for the fact that it's intelligent, yet will upset the snowflakes who can't sit back and have a laugh or turn off the thing that upsets them without causing a scene about how offended they are. Ricky doesn't go out of his way to offend people just for the sake of it or to cause outrage and offense to gain views, and that's why even his less-than-stellar specials are well worth a watch!